Lakewold Gardens

[This post was created in July of 2021. Soon after, my 95 yo father began to decline in health and by mid-April 2022 both of my parents had died. I’ve taken a long sabbatical from this blog, but now it’s time to start again. I’m new to WordPress and am only now learning how to get around in it. So today, the draft from way back in the pandemic is being posted. My next posts will be from my European adventures in 2023.]

One of my favorite places in the Seattle-Tacoma area of Washington State (USA) is Lakewood Gardens, a former grand home on Gravelly Lake. The house and grounds were donated to a non-profit in 1987 by the last resident, Eulalie Wagner, to be maintained and opened to the public by The Friends of Lakewold. (I have an annual membership which is well worth the $30 price for a Senior.)

I love to wander through the grounds on a weekday when there are very few visitors. I go frequently and watch the seasons change, or sometimes just to clear my mind and enjoy the moment. It’s hard to believe that this was someone’s home because this is not how working class America lives. But for the time that I sit and eat my lunch in the solitude and bird song or the time that I walk the trails and watch the squirrels scamper here, it is mine.

There is always something flowering at Lakewold Gardens.

In May, the rhododendrons and azaleas are fully in bloom, but those will be followed by many other perennials. I love that, even though there are plant varieties from all over the world, these gardeners have encouraged the natural, indigenous plants and have left the forested areas and natural ground covers.

I’ll post more seasonal photos of Lakewold Gardens as time goes by. But, I highly recommend that you visit these gardens yourself for a few short hours of peace, quiet, and soothing of the senses. They could compete with other magnificent gardens around the world, but they are right here in our own backyard. Come to Lakewold Gardens, you won’t be sorry. https://lakewoldgardens.org