Five Great Seattle Gardens Where You Can Enjoy the Spring Flowers
Get out and enjoy the spring weather this weekend and take a Joyride through five of the best gardens in the Seattle Area.
Photo credit: Bellevue Botanical Gardens.
Our itinerary starts north of Seattle at the Kruckeberg Botanic Garden in Shoreline, a four-acre public garden set in a naturalistic wooded setting that has more than 2,000 plant species, including ones that are native to the Pacific Northwest and unusual exotics. The garden, which is managed by the Kruckeberg Botanic Garden Foundation, is free—although there is a suggested $5 donation—and dogs are allowed on leash.
Photo credit: Kruckeberg Botanic Garden.
Photo credit: Kruckeberg Botanic Garden.
2. Next stop is the University of Washington’s Arboretum. This 230-acre garden has a wide assortment of plants, some found nowhere else in the region. Stroll open avenues or smaller trails that wind through the vegetation, and enjoy the many scenic viewpoints and benches where you can take in the peaceful setting. Gardens within the arboretum include the Pacific Connections Garden that has plants from five countries that ring the Pacific Ocean, the Rhododendron Glen and Azalea Way that explode in color in the spring, and the Japanese Garden. The arboretum is free and has parking, but there is a fee to enter the walled Japanese Garden. For those who want to learn more about the gardens, walking and tram tours are available. Admittance is free and dogs are allowed on leash, except for the Japanese Garden, which has a fee and does not allow dogs.
Washington Park Arboretum. Photo credit: Roman Khomlyak.
3. After you have finished there, hop on the 520 Bridge and cross Lake Washington (enjoying the view of Mt. Rainier if the skies are clear) and head over to the Bellevue Botanical Gardens. This 53-acre park has a rock garden, iris rain garden, water-wise garden, urban meadow, fuchsia garden, rhododendron glen, native discovery garden, and more. Enjoy the garden paths or take the shore nature trail that crosses a deep ravine on a 150-foot suspension bridge into the most pristine part of the park. If you want to understand the garden, sign up for a private docent led tour—these are 1- to 1.5-hour long tours, that must be scheduled at least two weeks in advance and are tailored to your group’s interest. The botanic garden is free and has on-site parking. Dogs are not allowed, so if you are taking your pooch on the Joyride, you will need to skip this stop.
Photo credit: Bellevue Botanical Gardens.
Spring tulips. Photo credit: Bellevue Botanical Gardens.
4. Next stop is Kubota Garden, owned and operated by the City of Seattle. This 20-acre Japanese garden features 11 ponds, 2 red bridges, 140 varieties of maple, 30 varieties of hydrangea, and more. The original garden was started by Fujitaro Kubota in 1927, who expanded and maintained it until his death in 1973. It was declared a City of Seattle historic landmark in 1987 and is maintained in the tradition of its founder. It is free and allows dogs, as long as they are on leash.
Photo credit: Kubota Garden Foundation.
Photo credit: Kubota Garden Foundation.
5. The final stop on our garden tour is the SeaTac Botanical Garden, created to preserve several treasured gardens, including the Elda Behm’s Paradise Garden, which has an ADA-accessible path, pond, and pergola; the Japanese-style Seike garden with a pond and waterfall crossed by numerous bridges; and the Seattle Rose Society Celebration Garden. This city-owned and -managed garden is free and allows dogs on leash (but not in the streams or fountains.)
Photo credit SeaTac Botanical Garden.