Bloedel Reserve, Forest garden on Bainbridge Island, United States.
Bloedel Reserve is a 150-acre forest garden on Bainbridge Island, Washington, created by Virginia and Prentice Bloedel. It holds a traditional Japanese garden, a stone garden made in 1986, a moss garden, a rhododendron glen and a reflection garden, plus 84 acres of second-growth forest. The Bloedels' 1931 French Chateau-style house, with original furnishings, serves as the visitor center and looks over Port Madison Bay.
Prentice Bloedel, son of lumber company founder Julius Bloedel, retired early in 1950 and acquired the land with his wife Virginia. They lived there from 1951 to 1986, shaping the grounds under the influence of the conservation movement and Asian philosophy. The French Chateau-style house was built in 1931, and the reserve opened to the public in 1988.
The name honours Prentice and Virginia Bloedel, who lived on the land from 1951 to 1986 and shaped it as a Western reading of the Japanese garden. The tea house and the log house were combined in a 1961 guest house by architect Paul Hayden Kirk. The 1931 French Chateau-style house, now the visitor centre, keeps original furnishings and looks out over Port Madison Bay.
The grounds stay open year-round, with each season bringing different natural sights to see. The paths are well-maintained and easy to walk on, making it a calm place to explore without needing special fitness or equipment.
The moss garden was designed by landscape architect Koichi Kawana, who also made the stone garden in 1986. The guest house, built in 1961 by architect Paul Hayden Kirk, combines a Japanese tea room with a Northwestern log cabin. The French Chateau-style house dates from 1931 and now serves as the visitor center, with views over Port Madison Bay.
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