The Chinese Garden

Several times a year, we like to visit the Seattle Chinese Garden which is under development near South Seattle Community College. It's never crowded on weekends, and the 4+ acre garden is filled with unusual flowers and rare plants. It also has lots of birds, and some interesting downward looking views of Seattle across a large greenbelt.

The Seattle Chinese Garden is being designed by artisans from Seattle's sister city, Chongquing. It's a big, ambitious project moving forward in slow stages, and construction is just starting on the large pavilions. A group of 30 Chinese artists will be living and working on the site this spring.
Eventually, it will be one of the largest Sichuan style gardens outside of China, and presumably a busy community attraction. But in the meantime, its still a great place for a quiet stroll. Here is John admiring the conifers.

Many were blooming with colorful and unusual cones.

A Chinese garden is designed to represent a symbolic microcosm of the universe, using the four elements: water, stone, plants and structure.

From the Chinese Garden website:

The Chinese garden ideal is to provide its visitor with access to philosophical wisdom, spiritual insight, emotional balance and physical health.

The colors were vibrant on a brilliant spring day...

And the rhododendrons and azaleas just starting to bloom.