Monday, May 9, 2016

The Bellevue Botanical Garden: The Border

The Bellevue Botanical Garden is a 53 acre urban retreat in the City of Bellevue, east of Seattle, on the east side of Lake Washington. It is made up of display gardens, restored woodlands and natural wetlands. 

The entrance is through the new Visitor's Center. 

Early Sunday morning rain left raindrops on petals. 


From the original home of the Short Family, we walk into the Water-wise Garden. 
 Various forms of Weigelia are in full bloom.

 Screen cages protect newly set out vegetable starts from deer and rabbits. 

 Alliums are in their prime. 
 Color and texture blend beautifully here. 
From here it is just a short walk to the Perennial Border, designed and maintained by the Northwest Perennial Alliance. From early spring to early winter the show here is always rewarding. 


 It's hard to believe this border was torn up, redesigned and replanted just a few years ago. Wide pathways now make it much more accessible and one can more appreciate the layers of texture and the long extension of bloom times. 




 The overcast white sky made for ideal photography. I was traveling light, with just my little Canon point and shoot. 


 Peonies are popping. 
 Fox glove spires compliment allium spheres. 
 Such a cool variegated iris. 
 It's hard to decide which is more alluring, the close up blooms or the wide angle blending. 



 Over in the shady end, the green lushness glows. 

 Raindrops on Lady's Mantle. Alchemella mollis. 
Color and texture blending in cornus and iris. 

 Yellow trillium.
 More wonderful layering.
 Droops of red flowers hide under lush umbrella leaves of May Apple. 

 Cardiocrinum giganteum, Himalayan Lily, will bloom this year. It takes seven years to do so. 

Domesticated dogwood has wonderfully huge flowers. 

I was happy to see this Styrax japonica had been newly under planted, rescuing it from concealing shrubbery and revealing its wonderful form, as we transitioned to the water feature and the Rhododendron Glen.  

More to come. 

15 comments:

  1. This is so gorgeous. It looks very different from the time you took us there, but even lusher and greener somehow.

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  2. Thanks for sharing the lovely photos.

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  3. The BBG is such a treasure in our region, and the NPA border is so spectacular!

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  4. Stunning pictures. The allium are amazing. I also really liked the peach colored flowers. No way to walk through all that and not feel good. A real lift to the spirit.

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  5. You certainly took us on a wonderful tour of the garden, such a beautiful sight.

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  6. Just fabulous, as usual. Fine gardens indeed. :-)

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  7. what a lovely walk you had, I can almost feel the coolness. We are heading to 90 degrees this week but do have some cactus still blooming...

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  8. That is a beautiful garden! It seems really early for foxglove to be in bloom, but iris are all in bloom too, and it's about a month early for them as well.

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  9. I always enjoying seeing your garden pictures but thought, oh no, I was looking forward to your Mother's Day post. Well duh, it was right below! I just love when your family gets together. You enjoy being together and working together and it shows. Jill is so pretty and you have such beautiful grandchildren. I love the sweet picture of Irene and her grandpa resting.

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  10. Great tour through the Botanical garden. I am envious as we don't have much in the way of botanical gardens.

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  11. What a delightful way to spend a day. You PNW folks really know how to garden. That frog gave me a moments pause at first.

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  12. Beautiful gardens.i'm enjoying this tour, just as I enjoy all your garden visits.

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  13. Looks like an absolutely beautiful garden!

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  14. Simply wonderful. We live in a brown world unadapted to green in any form, and I came here today to get a blast of color. Wonderful. Thank you.

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  15. I visited for the first time (in the light-Christmas doesn't count) since the new building & border remodel. What a change! The border has filled in a lot since Alison and I went there in March!

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