It's snowy here--perfect time to dream of Spring road trips. What lesser-know gardens would you recommend and what local residential garden tours do you look forward to every year?
Bookwoman beat me to it!
If you time it right, you could hit Chanticleer and also attend the Shipley School garden tour which is always absolutely, hands-down my favorite tour of the year. All the homes are private. Some are quite grand, of course, but some are less so. This year it is taking place on May 15th.
https://www.shipleyschool.org/support-shipley/fundraising-events/secret-gardens
I don't do garden tours anymore. Been there, done that :-)) Some are great but many regional ones are just a quick spruce up by their current gardener/landscaper or via a trip to the local plant nursery. They are more of a waste of time and gas than offering any gardening inspiration. I consider those cheating! 😖
The Northwest Perennial Alliance sponsors tours of their members' gardens each season and those are gardens created and maintained by real, serious gardeners. There are also a significant number of public or botanical gardens locally that are worth visiting - Bloedel Reserve, the Bellevue Botanical Garden, the Rhododendron Species Foundation Garden, Lakewold Gardens, the Seattle Rose Garden, Heronswood, the Elisabeth C. Miller Botanical Garden. I'm sure I am missing a bunch but those stand out. The list expands exponentially if you travel south to include Oregon or California.
PROIn our area, there is a fantastic garden estate that is open to the public, and I always enjoy visiting. It is Blodel Reserve (https://bloedelreserve.org). Worth a visit if you are in the Seattle area. Also, many great gardens in and around Seattle are open to the public and worth checking out.
Chanticleer is one of my favorite gardens! I went there right after visiting Longwood and I liked it much better than Longwood.
Bookwoman