For quite some time, James has been wanting to visit some of the notable gardens in the Pacific Northwest, one of them being the Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island, a short ferry ride across the Puget Sound from Seattle.

Early this year, we were thrilled to receive an invitation to attend the wedding of one of our son’s college friends and to learn that the wedding venue was, of all places, the Bloedel Reserve!

In July, we flew to Seattle in time to visit the Bloedel Reserve the day before the wedding. We spent part of a glorious sunny day strolling the beautiful grounds, through wildflower meadows and woodlands, around the Japanese teahouse gardens, and over emerald lawns to the estate house where the wedding set up was taking place, overlooking the sparkling waters of the Puget Sound. What an unexpected delight to be able to privately preview the wedding venue as part of our garden tour!

Named one of America’s top 10 public gardens, the Bloedel Reserve was the perfect choice for a wedding! Surrounded by towering trees, meticulously-maintained lawns, and sweeping vistas across the Puget Sound, friends and family gathered for a most exquisite celebration. What a rare privilege it was for us to be witnesses of Ben and Sara’s lifetime covenant in the gardens of this spectacular estate!

Joyfully shared by Betty Hanselman

Gardener’s wife (& delighted garden tourist)

“This is my rock
And here I run
To steal the secret of the sun;
This is my rock
And here come I
Before the night has swept the sky;
This is my rock,
This is the place
I meet the evening face to face.”
~ David McCord (American poet, author, and editor; 1897 – 1997)

Gladly shared by Betty Hanselman
Gardener’s wife (& grateful for plenty of rocks to go around!)

The goldenrod is yellow;
The corn is turning brown;
The trees in apple orchards
With fruit are bending down.

The gentian’s bluest fringes
Are curling in the sun;
In dusty pods the milkweed
Its hidden silk has spun.

The sedges flaunt their harvest
In every meadow nook;
And asters by the brook-side
Make asters in the brook.

By all these lovely tokens
September days are here,
With summer’s best of weather,
And autumn’s best of cheer.
~ Helen Hunt Jackson (1830-1885; American poet, writer, activist)

Wishing you joy in your garden and surrounding landscape during this beautiful time of year! We’d love to help–give us a call (717-653-1271)!
Shared by Betty Hanselman
Gardener’s wife (& joyful ‘all-season’ enthusiast!)

“Did you hear of Fukushima?
When the sea brewed and the earth hurled herself into the ground, a nuclear site erupted.

An invisible storm rained down, contaminating the land and poisoning the food.
They evacuated thousands, but for those that couldn’t move,
They stayed housed in, surrounded by elusive clouds that lingered like ghosts,
Becoming suspicious of the air that they once innocently consumed.

And yet, amongst the chaos, there was a monk, dressed in crimson hues,
Who walked through those fields planting sunflower seeds within the ruins.
And over time, they grew and they removed the poison.
Sunflowers–offering themselves as objects of both beauty and atonement. They drew the cancer from the ground into themselves until it was broken down.
And we now stand where sunflowers lift their golden crowns.

We find evidence of this hope. Even in the soil of decay, something beautiful can grow.”

~ A poignant reminder by Joshua Luke Smith (contemporary ‘Spoken Word’ artist) to grow beauty no matter the soil you are given.

Thoughtfully shared by Betty Hanselman

Gardener’s wife (& aspiring light bearer/beauty planter)

Can we plant some beauty in your garden and bring joy to your days? We’d love the opportunity to work with you to create a garden legacy for you and for those who come behind….

Photo credit: Jennifer Moore (on Pexels)