Bloedel Reserve kicks off 30th anniversary celebration

Bainbridge Island’s Bloedel Reserve, recently named one of USA Today’s 10 best botanical gardens in North America, is celebrating its 30th birthday as a public garden and forest preserve with a Founders’ Weekend Saturday, Oct. 20 and Sunday, Oct. 21.

The celebratory weekend recognizes the date when Prentice and Virginia Bloedel opened their 150-acre private estate and established the reserve as a public garden and community place, and both days will be filled with a host of special activities, including floral and garden demonstrations, guided garden walks, music, special exhibits, and more.

All Founders’ Weekend activities are included with regular admission.

Due to space limitations, advanced registration is required for scheduled activities.

“Bloedel Reserve has welcomed the public for 30 years [and] as times have changed so have we,” said Ed Moydell, Bloedel Reserve’s executive director. “In 2010, we eliminated the reservation system to make the reserve more accessible and welcoming to the community, the region, and guests from around the world. Significantly, we also transitioned from operating as a private foundation to become a public charity, relying on broad public support to sustain the operations of the reserve.”

Discussing the role the reserve has played across generations, Chuck Little, president of the Board of Trustees, said: “Reserve founders, Prentice and Virginia Bloedel, gifted this truly remarkable property to all of us. It is our privilege and responsibility as a community to ensure our children’s children, really anyone seeking access to the restorative and inspiring experience of being in nature, will have the same opportunity to enjoy this magical, imaginative place in the years ahead.”

Founders’ Weekend begin when the gates open at 10 a.m. (last admission is at 3, and grounds close at 4 p.m.).

Adult admission is $17, with discounted rates for children, seniors, students and military. For a complete list of activities and to register, visit bloedelreserve.org/events.

Some highlights include:

Raking the Sand and Stone Garden:​ Bob Braid, 30-year veteran reserve horticulturist, demonstrates the tools and techniques used to transform yards of sand into flowing designs in the Sand and Stone Garden, a feature of the renowned Japanese Garden;

Jazz in the Residence:​ Jennifer Maybee, pianist, vocalist, composer/arranger and 2018 Bloedel Reserve Creative Resident performs in the Residence House;

Guided Garden Walks​: Staff horticulturists Andy Navage, Darren Strenge and Ken Little will lead guided walks discussing the mysterious Moss Garden, fall colors and fungi, and the history and heritage of the reserve’s diverse and towering trees;

Floral Design Demonstration:​ Staff florist Cathy Tyler demonstrates what goes into making the famous floral arrangements guests enjoy throughout the buildings of the reserve; and

The Super Squash Scavenger Hunt: ​The annual autumn tradition is back with dozens of species of common and unusual Cucurbits (squash, pumpkins, and gourds) scattered throughout the grounds in big and colorful displays.

Bloedel Reserve is an internationally-recognized public garden and forest preserve. A nonprofit organization, its mission is to enrich people’s lives by providing public access to a unique and immersive horticultural experience that features designed and natural Pacific Northwest landscapes.

For more information, visit www.bloedelreserve.org.