"Nature can live without man,
but man cannot live without nature."
-- Prentice Bloedel
Earlier this week I spent a relaxing three hours strolling with some friends through the gardens of Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island. There were no crowds, the weather was perfect and spring was in full bloom!
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| Dwarfed by rhododendrens! |
The reserve, a former home of Prentice and Virginia Bloedel, is full of peaceful settings and special spots -- moss covered benches, a magical birch grove, a Japanese garden, beautifully sculpted masses of flowers.
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| The Bloedel home is now open for tours and events. |
Prentice Bloedel was colorblind, so he was more interested in different textures and shades than he was in colorful flowers. He also didn't use signs or labels on the plants because he found them distracting.
The bright pink candelabra primroses, below, were one of Virginia Bloedel's favorite flowers.
As we sauntered along the soft fir bark paths, our eyes feasted on delicate spring blooms and lovely vistas. It was nice not to be distracted with reading material from signage, but luckily my companions knew the names of most of the plants and filled me in. Of course, I don't remember most of them so you won't be reading about them here.
My camera battery died before we reached the Japanese garden and moss garden, so I'll have to go back. Darn! Hope you enjoyed this little peek into a beautiful day.
Have a colorful day
2 comments:
How beautiful! Reminds me of when I was young and my Mom would take us through the Botanical Gardens and Japanese garden in Golden Gate Park. Bet you will go back for sure!
I'd love to take this walk with you someday. I've read about this place and it struck me a a must-experience. As always, your close-ups are artfully rendered. I'm in love!
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