Bloedel Reserve: The Japanese Garden

The Zen Garden by Koichi Kawana at the Bloedel Reserve April 2011

The Japanese Garden by Fujitaro Kubota at the Bloedel Reserve April 2011


The Bloedel Reserve in Bainbridge Island, Washington near Seattle, is an award-winning series of gardens covering 150 acres.  'Designed by Seattle landscape designer and nurseryman Fujitaro Kubota, the elegant landscape of the Japanese Garden offers subtly shifting views along its meandering stroll paths. The coniferous trees surrounding the garden provide a dark backdrop for the bold colors of Japanese maples and meticulously-pruned pines and flowering trees. The elements of stone and sand evoke meditative moods in the Zen Garden, designed by Koichi Kawana, professor of landscape architecture at the University of California.' (UCLA) from the Bloedel Reserve website.  The garden was named the 5th highest quality Japanese garden in the United States by the Journal of Japanese Gardening in 2004.  1st installed in 1961, it was renovated in 2010.  'The guest house is a subtle blend of traditional Japanese tea house & Pacific Northwest Indian longhouse.' from the Bloedel Reserve brochure.  I found it a unique & interesting structure, but I would not call it subtle.  It was designed by Paul Haden Kirk.  You can see the complete mid-century furnishings through the windows, which is a treat.  Among many other gardens, Fujitaro Kubota designed & built the display gardens at his nursery in Seattle, now known as Kubota Garden.