‘If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden.’ — Frances Hodgson Burnett

For as long as I can remember, I’ve had an affection for botanic gardens and the art of landscape gardening in general. For as much credit as both my mother, my step-mother – and now my mother-in-law – deserve for instilling this love inside me, there’s ample credit due to a few locations back home; from the lavish landscaping at Filoli Gardens to the expanse of parks at and around Stanford University, as well as the now defunct Roger Reynolds Nursery and school field trips to the original Sunset Gardens Headquarters in Menlo Park. I didn’t know it at the time, but my senses were spoiled rotten – and my admiration for the beauty of nature was born.

After moving to the Pacific North West, my husband and I started putting little lists together of places to explore at one time or another; swimming holes, sunset spots, and interesting hikes. Now, a few years in – we each have some excellent lists of parks, gardens, beaches and scenery to check out from the coast of Washington to the desert, the Columbia River to the Canadian Border. No matter how far away we get from home, admittedly the places I have the most fun exploring are just a hop, skip and a jump away in some hidden part of my neighborhood that’s been itching for adventurers.

Falling head over heels for both the Arboretum and the Seattle Japanese Garden, I went down the digital rabbit hole looking for other local spots worth exploring. First things first, I was pleasantly surprised and proud of myself to realize that I’d gone to most that were on the lists! I could check off the Kubota Garden, the SAG and Arboretum, Discovery Park, The Woodland Zoo’s Rose Test Garden. Immediately, the Blodel Reserve on Bainbridge Island skyrocketed to the top of my bucket list – but then another caught my eye: a garden in our zip code; the Kruckeberg Botanic Garden.

Tucked away in a small corner of Shoreline near Richmond Beach, the Kruckeberg Botanic Garden spans four acres of land, and boasts a blend of natives to the Pacific Northwest in additional to unusual exotics in a natural woodland setting. Founded in the 1950s by Dr. Arthur Kruckberg, a Professor of botany at the University of Washington, and his wife Mareen – a self taught botanist and enthusiast of all things flora and fauna. After purchasing the property in 1958, Mareen curated the first on site greenhouse for her rare plants in 1970, with a second coming just six years later. During this time of growth and evolution for the nursery, the rest of the grounds began to be expertly established. In 1998, a foundation was finally created to preserve their love of labor and just five years later, the garden was formally placed into a public trust to preserve it into perpetuity; it’s through Dr Arthur and Mareen’s love, legacy and dedication that we now can appreciate the wonderful gift of the Kruckberg Botanic Garden for generations to come.

Through their own collection of specimens, as well as a rich network of locations to exchange seeds with, their collection grew to contain everything from trees like the Giant Sequoia, Hemlocks, Spruces, Larches, Pines Maples and Oaks to flowering woodland plants like magnolias and rhododendrons, and to what my husband can only describe as ‘fern envy’ with a luscious undergrowth of vegetation around every turn. To boot, the Kruckberg Garden is home to a variety of State Champion trees (raise your hand if you knew that this was even a thing!), including a Tanoak, a Chokecherry and a lovely Striped Bark Maple.

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For more on the history of the Kruckeberg Botanic Garden, and insight into educational offerings through their nursery – head to their social media channels; if you’re in the area, pay them a visit and thank me later! The grounds are open Friday through Sunday from 10 to 5pm, and admission is always free; one of my favorite f-words!

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When’s the last time you stumbled upon a hidden gem in your neighborhood?

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