Lakewold - This Is The Moment

Get thee to Lakewold, the private estate garden open to the public on Gravelly Lake south of Tacoma. The cherry trees are in full bloom, along with trillium, primroses, and erythroniums beneath a haze of fresh leaves on all the Japanese maples. Hundreds of rhododendrons are just starting to flower; the garden manager told me this is her favorite time in the garden, as there's plenty of leaf and bloom but the beautiful structure of the place is still visible before the lushness of later spring and summer. Enjoy the tea house, the woodland garden, venerable wisteria, charming shop, and unusual plants for sale. You'll be struck by the sophisticated mix of Northwest naturalism and the more formal Tommy Church-designed parts of the garden.

Stay tuned for a new book telling the story of Lakewold;  I'm writing the intro, Dan Hinckley is authoring the foreword, and many others are involved in producing a book full of photos, history and horticulture.

Here are spring scenes from last Thursday....if you hurry, you can still see the pale yellow Yukon cherries blooming on the lawn above the lake...

  

Comments

[gardenmentor]

Thanks for sharing Val! This is yet another among the many wonderful gardens we are so blessed to have that I have yet to visit. Your timely reminder may just be the poke I needed to get it on my calender.

Is tea served in the tea house? I adore visiting Pt. Ellice in Victoria and enjoying high tea on their lawns in the summer. To have a spot near Seattle with something similar...well, I keep searching. Perhaps you have a suggestion?

Keep up the fantastic work & good luck on the book :)

[FLORENCE O'BRIEN]

I have lived in the Seattle area for 47 years and have read ONE comment about the dangers of English Ivy. It should be labeled an obnoxious weed as it is not native and grows up to 120" a year. Why doesn't anyone write an article about how harmful ivy can be??? Kirkland City told us, when we lived in Watershed Pk, that we would have to keep it 18" from the park as it would destroy the park in 20 years. It is horrible stuff and there are so many beautiful ground covers.

[valerie Easton]

Hello Florence,
I and other garden writers have written often about invasive ivy and the problems it causes in natural areas. Many area nurseries no longer sell the species. I've written about ivy's invasiveness for the Seattle Times, and there's a blog post from as recently as this March (see "Spring Promenade").
Val

[Marta]

We love Lakewold. We went Easter Sunday and had the gardens almost to ourselves. The Ukons were in full bloom. It is wonderful throughout the spring. A bit later the arbor is filled with wisteria. We also want to go back to see the Embothrium coccineum and Paulownia tomentosa in bloom. We also discovered that they have several big champion trees of note.

[Karen]

Saw your wonderful article in Pacific Northwest - DASH FOR THE SPLASH. I have been looking for the plants/flowers you mentioned but cannot locate them? Can you please let me know where I might be able to purchase these in the Seattle/Snohomish area?
Thanks!