The following public and non-profit gardens open their gardens to NPA Members through our Open Garden program. We also encourage members to visit these gardens on other days year-round!

Bellevue Botanical Garden / NPA Border

12001 Main Street, Bellevue, WA 98005

425-452-2750

Website: bellevuebotanical.org

Bellevue Botanical Garden is a beloved 53-acre site in the heart of Bellevue, visited by over 425,000 people each year to connect with nature and learn. The mission of the garden is to display the best plants and gardening practices for a healthy, beautiful Northwest Garden. The Garden curates a collection of 3,000 unique varieties of plants spread across 12 thematic garden spaces, as well as hosting education programs for children and adults, the Trillium Store gift ship, Copper Kettle Coffee Bar, and community events benefitting Bellevue and the horticulture community at large. Two hallmark events, Arts in the Garden in August and Garde d’Lights in December, draw thousands of visitors to Bellevue each year and remain a staple of the local community. Open in 1992, Bellevue Botanical Garden is the successful outcome of a vibrant and diverse community, a collaboration between the City of Bellevue, The Bellevue Botanical Garden Society, and nine other Garden Partner organizations, including the Northwest Perennial alliance.

The Northwest Perennial Alliance supports and maintains the much-praised mixed perennial garden known as the NPA Border. It is a featured attraction at the garden and serves as a showcase for what grows best in the Puget Sound gardens – with hundreds of varieties of perennials, bulbs, ferns, grasses, shrubs, and trees.

Admission Fee: Free

Hours: The Garden is open from dawn to dusk every day of the year. Check their website for current hours for the store and cafe, as well as a calendar of upcoming classes and events.

Closed Loop Park Demonstration Garden

2420 Hogum Bay Road NE. Lacey WA 98516

360-649-4548

Website: mgftc.org/projects/

The Closed Loop Park Demonstration Garden is developed and maintained by Thurston County Solid Waste Division and WSU Thurston County Extension, Master Gardeners and Master Recycler Composters. This ornamental garden is an excellent example of how we can reuse a former landfill site. It sits on only 18 inches of soil above an impermeable protective liner to nourish a wide variety of plants, shrubs, and trees. Come out and stroll through the two-acre garden and view over 100 varieties of sedum and peonies. In addition, Closed Loop Park also houses test beds for several “Great Plant Picks,” a large composting demonstration area, native gardens, a quiet picnic area among the beds, and a gazebo for relaxing. Please note that Closed Loop Park is not a dog-friendly garden. The garden has been here for over 25 years, and some of the plants are part of a long-term trial, so they can’t be removed. When available, WSU Master Gardeners and Master Recycler Composter volunteers serve in the garden on Fridays and Saturdays from 9 am to 1 pm.

Hours: Dawn to Dusk, 7 days a week

Admission Fee: Free

Dunn Gardens

13533 Northshire Road NW, Seattle, WA 98177

206-362-0933

Website: dunngardens.org

The historic 7.5-acre Dunn Gardens were founded in 1915 as part of the estate of Arthur and Jeannette Dunn, who purchased the land for their summer home. James Dawson, of the Olmsted brothers’ firm, was commissioned to emphasize the natural features of the land, taking advantage of the gradual slope of the property to emphasize the sweeping views of the Puget Sound and Olympic Mountains. Large, pre-existing stands of second-growth Douglas firs were incorporated into the plan, which also included flowering shrubs and trees. Stands of trees edged by perennial beds frame areas of open lawn.

The original landscaped remains, complete with curing paths, drives, and a great lawn, in addition to the E.B. Dunn Woodland Garden. Designed by Arthor’s son Edward, the 2.5-acre woodland garden is forested with firs and deciduous trees planted by Dunn, along with a variety of other woodland plants. The estate and gardens were listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1994.

Admission Fee: See website for details

Hours: Monday-Saturday 9 am – 4 pm

Access challenges: There are four stairs entering the Tennis Green

Special parking instructions: Park on the west side of Northshire and walk through the white gates to access the gardens.

Evergreen Arboretum and Gardens

145 Alverson Blvd., Everett, WA 98201

425-257-8597

Website: evergreenarboretum.com

Evergreen Arboretum & Gardens is 3 ½ acres of beauty in American Legion Memorial Park, Everett, WA. Maintained by a small army of volunteers and garden curators with help from Everett Parks and Facilities Department, its eleven themed gardens include the Urban Tree Walk, Rock Garden, Northwest Native Plant Trail, Japanese Maple Grove, Nativar Garden, Backyard Garden, Horizontal Rock Garden, Viewing Mound, Woodland Garden & Fernery, and Conifer Gardens, as well as the Snohomish County Master Gardeners’ Demonstration Border. Main areas are connected via ADA-approved pathways. And because the Arboretum is relatively small, each of these gardens will offer inspiration and ideas that are feasible for home gardeners.

The colorful gardens of the Evergreen Arboretum and Gardens create an outdoor museum showcasing sculptures by some of the Northwest’s most noted artists. Styles range from modern to abstract, whimsical to traditional. There is a permanent collection of pieces as well as a rotating exhibit curated by the City of Everett Cultural Commission.

The August 18, 2024 NPA Open Garden date coincides with the Sculpture Walk, offered in partnership with the Northwest Stone Sculptors. Visit the garden during the NPA tour, and you’ll see approximately 50 additional sculptures displayed – all of which are for sale.

Hours: Open 365 days a year

Admission Fee: Free

Heronswood Garden

7530 NE 288th Street, Kingston, WA

360-297-9620

Website: heronswoodgarden.org

Heronswood Gardens features rare and extraordinary plants from around the world, many collected in the wild by plant explorer and Heronswood Director Emeritus Dan Hinkley. It is recognized internationally for its environmentally friendly and creative use of plants.

Heronswood was established in 1987 by Dan Hinkley and Robert Jones and was purchased by the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe in 2012. The garden is growing, and has renovated many of its exhibits as well as opening new ones. The S’Klallum Connections Garden features significant plants from the S’Klallum culture, while the Rock Garden showcases rare alpine plants. Heronswood’s plant collections include an exciting inventory collected during Hinkley’s plant explorations, with a special focus on those in the Hydrangea, Mahonia, and Aralia families.

The staff at Heronswood Garden and the managing Port Gamble S’Klallum Foundation are committed to continuing to grow and improve Heronswood with even more botanical wonderment and cultural connection. We hope you will visit often to enjoy this remarkable garden as it changes through the seasons.

Admission Fee: See website for details

Hours: Wednesday through Sunday, 9 am to 3 pm

Highline SeaTac Botanical Garden

13735 24th Ave. South, SeaTac, WA 88168

206-391-4003

Website: highlinegarden.org

Welcome to one of the world’s most unique and beautiful gardens. A one-of-a-kind heritage location that was created to preserve some of the area’s most treasured gardens. The garden is situated on approx. 11 acres adjacent to the North SeaTac Community Center. Included are two gardens that were physically moved to prevent their demolition during SeaTac Airport’s expansion projects. To learn more about the sites that make up this unique garden, please visit our website.

Admission Fee: Free

Hours: The garden is open from dawn to dusk

Lake Wilderness Arboretum

2250 SE 248th St., Maple Valley, WA 98038

253-293-5103

Website: lakewildernessarboretum.org

The Lake Wilderness Arboretum is a 42-acre sanctuary in the heart of the Maple Valley that inspires, educates, and connects the community to nature. Located next to Lake Wilderness Park, the Arboretum features five display gardens, an ethnobotanical trail, a 26-acre forest with hiking trails, and the Children’s Discover Forest. As a 501c3 non-profit, the Arboretum depends on financial and volunteer support from the community. For more information, see our website.

Admission Fee: Free

Hours: Open dawn to dusk, every day of the year

Access challenges: Trails are gravel but mostly level

Special parking instructions: Enter Lake Wilderness Park’s parking lot; the Arboretum entrance is on the left.

Lakewold Gardens

12317 Gravelly Lake Drive SW, Lakewood, WA 98499

253-584-4106

Website: LakewoldGardens.org

Lakewold Gardens’ mission is to provide intentional encounters with the life-changing power of nature, fostering peace, creativity, and healing in our communities.

Located on the shore of Gravelly Lake, Lakewold is a 10-acre estate garden developed over a 113-year period. It was donated by its primary visionary and summate plant collector, Eulalie Wagner, to the Friends of Lakewold in 1987. The garden opened to the public in 1989. Collections include rhododendrons, mature conifers, Japanese maples, magnolia, camellias, and hardy ferns. The landscape architecture, much of it designed by Thomas Church, stresses the importance of drawing people to the garden for encounters with nature. Stewardship of the collection and restoration of the historic structure is ongoing.

In recent years Lakewold Gardens has expanded its programming to include art and music, building on Eulalie’s gift by creating opportunities for even more visitors to live in the moment and be at peace in a world that has so much going on.

Admissions and the Shop a Lakewold are temporarily located inside the Wagner House. Visitors will find a constantly updated assortment of local handcrafted gifts, garden tools, and plants. Consider a visit on an NPA Open Garden Day or check out our free days on the third Thursday of the month from April to October.

Hours: April through October: Wednesday-Sunday, 11 am to 5 pm; November through March: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, 11 am to 4 pm

Admission Fee: See website for details, free parking

Meerkerk Gardens

3531 Meerkerk Lane, Greenbank, WA 98253

360-678-1912 (leave message)

Website: meerkerkgardens.org

Located just off Highway 525 at Resort Road in Greenbank on beautiful Whidbey Island, Meerkerk Gardens is a non-profit 10-acre display garden featuring a unique collection of species and cultivated rhododendrons in a woodland setting of native and ornamental trees. Visitors are welcome to stroll the garden and hike the trails through an additional 43 acres of native woodland. We are a dog-friendly garden. Bring your furring friend on a leash!

Hours: Open year-round, 9 am to 4 pm, weather permitting

Admission Fee: $5.00 per person. Children under 16 are free

Special driving and parking instructions: After turning onto Resort Road, continue 1/2 mile to Meerkerk Lane; turn left on Meerkerk Lane and follow the signs to the visitor's parking area.

PowellsWood Garden

430 S. Dash Point Road, Federal Way, WA 98003

253-529-1620

Website: powellswood.org

A Northwest pleasure garden tucked away in a Federal Way neighborhood, the 3 acres of PowellsWood are nestled against another 39 acres of native successional forest. This forward-looking garden harmoniously blends luxurious foliage color and the powerful lines of defining hedges against the backdrop of its native trees. It is English in inspiration, with distinct garden rooms that range from woodland to sub-tropical in feel, featuring more than a thousand varieties of trees, shrubs, and perennials. Visit and become acquainted with this truly unique garden.

Hours: Last self-guided tour starts 2:30 pm; garden gate closes at 3 pm

Admission Fee: See the website for details

Special parking instructions: Our parking lots contain 30 standard and 2 handicapped parking spaces. Regular-sized vehicles should park in the lower lot; if full, use the upper overflow reinforced parking green to the west of the street entrance. Larger vehicles should park on the upper reinforced parking green.

Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden

2525 S. 336th St., Federal Way WA 98003

253-838-4646

Website:  rhodygarden.org

The Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden, located between Seattle and Tacoma, is a 22-acre woodland garden that is home to the largest collection of Rhododendron species in the world. Visitors will experience a diverse botanical collection in a forest of Douglas fir, western red cedar, hemlock and other native plants. The garden is also home to beautiful companion plants, including the famous Himalayan Blue Poppies, Camellias, Magnolias, Japanese maples, and many rare plants. Open year-round during visiting hours, our nursery sells many of the plants you’ll see in the garden.

Hours: 10 am - 4 pm, Tuesday-Sunday. Closed: Monday

Admisson Fee: See website for details

Soos Creek Botanical Garden and Heritage Center

29308 132nd Ave SE, Auburn, WA 98092

253-639-0949

Website: sooscreekbontanicalgarden.org

An urban oasis in the heart of South King County, this picturesque 23-acre botanical garden provides a special experience of strolling amongst a variety of inspirational and mature gardens that draw from international, regional, and historic designs. Highlights include the heritage flower garden, Rosarian walk, aviary, pond garden, cedar grove, and Gertrude Jekyll-inspired long borders. Come celebrate the seasons with us.

Hours: Wednesday - Saturday, 10 am to 4 pm, March to October

Admission Fee: See website for details

Access challenges: There is a slight decline in terrain, gravel walkways, and a few uneven pavers. Walking shoes are suggested, no heels. Walking on the grass is allowed but can be uneven. Steep stairs go down to the creek.

Special driving or parking instructions: garden entrance in on 132nd Ave SE; large parking lot; picnic tables available

Streissguth Gardens

1640 Broadway E, Seattle, WA 98102

Email: ben@streissguthgardens.com

Website: streissguthgardens.com

Our garden is located on a steep hillside on the northwest side of Seattle’s Capitol Hill, offering great views of Lake Union, downtown Seattle, and the Olympic Mountains in the distance. We garden over one acre in several different pieces. Our private gardens (the oldest) surround our two housed on Broadway East, just north of the East Blaine Street stairway and are open by appointment. The newer portions of the garden, open to the public year-round, comprise two sections. The first section (2 lots purchased in 1972) lies south of the East Blaine stairs. In 1996, we donated these lots to the Seattle Dept. of Parks and Recreation, in conjunction with the City purchasing 3 lots, the second section, located south of ours, which was in danger of development. We now manage both parts as one garden. The plan for these lots emerged as Dan and Ann Streissguth pushed back the tangle of blackberries, clematis, and horsetails to discover the natural terrain, water, and site conditions. Ben Streissguth took over the directorship of the garden from his parent in 2014 and now maintains them with the help of his partner Jade. We are in bloom every day of the year. Welcome to the gardens!

Hours: Dawn to Dusk year-round

Admission Fee: Free; see website to book a guided tour ($)

Special parking instructions: If possible, please park on 10th Ave E near E Blaine St. and walk down the stairs; parking on Broadway E is often difficult.

UW Botanic Gardens: Elisabeth C. Miller Library and the Center for Urban Horticulture

3501 NE 41st Street, Seattle, WA 98105

204-543-8616

Website: botanicgardens.uw.edu

Elisabeth C. Miller Library:  With over 15,000 books on gardening techniques, garden design and history, native floras from around the world, and 400 magazine titles, the Miller Library has the most extensive horticulture collection in the Pacific Northwest. Open to the public:  Mondays: Noon-8 pm - Tuesdays-Fridays: 9 am-5 pm - Saturdays: 9 am-3 pm - Sundays: Closed

Center for Urban Horticulture:  One of two sites of the University of Washington Botanic Gardens, the Center is composed of a 16-acre landscaped area with buildings and gardens, the US Farm, and the 74-acre Union Bay Natural Area.

Soest Herbaceous Display Garden:  This garden was created to help local gardeners select plants appropriate to a variety of site conditions commonly found in Pacific NW urban gardens.

Goodfellow Grove:  This area demonstrates the use of native plants in a transitional landscape, flowing from a highly maintained, intensively used space to a low-maintenance, “naturalistic” one.

McVay Courtyard:  The aesthetic goals of this garden are to be visually attractive from all views, demonstrate an integration of the buildings and the landscape, and use plants in a way that is pleasing.

Seattle Garden Club Fragrance Garden:  A garden for the senses, with an emphasis on scent. Come sit on one of the garden’s five benches and feel the afternoon light on your back.

Union Bay Natural Area:  A public wildlife area – a true birder’s delight, a natural restoration laboratory, and an important habitat next to Lake Washington.

Admission Fee: Free

Hours: See website for hours