Bellevue Botanical Garden with Rita

Yesterday was my birthday, I turned 61. I am absolutely loving my 60's, I fully recommend them! This morning after renewing my driver's license, I met my friend Rita, another preschool teacher, at the newly remodeled Bellevue Botanical Garden. I had heard from fellow blipper "fotoflarewithClare" that it had been redone and was no longer inviting but I resolved to keep an open mind.

She was beyond correct, it is bereft of all merit. I have paused here for 18 minutes trying to conjure up one redeemable feature to describe to you. All I could muster is that it has a roof to keep off the rain in the winter but a) so did the old one and b) I adore rain. I cannot find one aspect that I think is pleasing. It is a large, flat, ocean of whitish concrete, the plantings are sparse, not simply immature, and their ultimate height will not soften the grayed concrete walls, the horizontal silver lines of the flat roof. To be fair, the concrete is broken by the asphalt rolled out for the parking lot.

The enchanting expanse of pergolas that surrounded the previous interpretive center and supported vines and creepers, sheltered bird nests, feeders, bat and bee houses have largely been replaced by (want to guess?) concrete patio giving on to lawn which bleeds water and fertilizer down the hillside into the naturally forested area keeping the city at bay. This garden once provided a restful retreat but now it begs to become a municipal use site. Maybe I am being selfish, possibly that is sorely needed, but it is no longer a place to replenish your spirit, it doesn't even represent a more green approach to gardening, though the perennial beds have been greatly reduced to be replaced by Mahonia, Polystichum and Salal species along with some disturbing dwarf bamboo specimens dividing the parking lot pathways.

The photo above is an aspect of the Japanese Garden which has also changed significantly but continues to harbor pockets of beauty, though I fear they have been overlooked and are on some planning sheet in an office somewhere scheduled to be amended in the future. It is all that I care to revisit.

So...

I am off to discover a new garden! I will find a new hiding place! And drag unsuspecting Rita with me.