From Our Backyard to Yours

December 2020 — Your “virtual visit” to Bloedel Reserve

Want to learn more about what is happening behind the scenes and around the grounds at Bloedel Reserve?  Use the links below to explore Bloedel Reserve from wherever you happen to be. And be sure to check back regularly for new stories throughout the month.

Posted: 12/16/2020

Begin a Natural Color Journey with Madelaine Corbin
A Virtual Workshop, Friday, Jan  22, 1-3 PM

Our first Creative Resident of 2021 will be multi-disciplinary artist Madelaine Corbin whose work moves fluidly from textiles to sculpture to drawing. She endeavors to unearth the space between home and land, human and non-human, wild and managed landscapes, and the connection to one another through geographic distance.
On Friday, January 22nd, Madelaine will conduct a virtual workshop in partnership with BARN (Bainbridge Artisan Resource Network). During this 90-minute session, participants will explore where color comes from, learn about extracting color for dyeing, and discover where color is going in our changing world. Registration for the workshop is already open and it will fill quickly.

Posted: 12/16/2020

Cast Your Vote in the “Best of Kitsap County” Awards

Every year, the publishers of the Bainbridge Island Review and the Kitsap Herald newspaper group ask their readers to vote in a “Best of…” contest. This year Bloedel Reserve won “Best Tourist Attraction” and “Best Hiking Trails” in the “Best of Bainbridge Island” competition. Now all the category winners are going head-to-head in a new “Best of Kitsap County” competition.
Voting is open now through 11:59 PM, Wednesday, December 29, 2020. Show your love for Bloedel Reserve and cast your votes here in two categories: Places and Recreation & Local Events.

Posted: 12/3/2020

Creativity & Inspiration: Welcome G.C. Waldrep

Who is the man behind the hat? He is poet G.C. Waldrep, our final Creative Resident of 2020. Though you might not get a chance to see his face while he’s on site, watch this space for an upcoming ecopoetic workshop, narrated by Waldrep, with prompts for writing to spark your own creative thinking on your next Bloedel Reserve visit.

In the meantime, you can read more about G.C. Waldrep here. And you can read Castle Woods, Dinefwr and other poems here.

2020 Creative Resident G.C. Waldrep

Posted: 12/3/2020

Horticulture & Design: December Plant of the Month

This month Sean Peterson has singled out not just a plant but an entire species to highlight — cyclamen. There are several varieties of this attractive perennial that make their home at Bloedel Reserve. See some examples here. Then try to spot them on your next walk around the grounds. To see the entire 12-month gallery of plant picks, click here.

Cyclamen at Bloedel Reserve

Posted: 12/3/2020

Winter in the Woods Takes Shape

When we retired the Holiday Village last December, we knew we’d want to offer a new holiday experience for visitors to the Reserve. We started planning right away. But the arrival of COVID-19 drastically changed some of those plans.

Happily with some creative ingenuity and a lot of hard work by the dedicated staff, we think we’ve created a memorable, all ages, outdoor experience — Winter in the Woods — which opens December 5 and runs through January 3, 2021.  Read all about it and see a gallery of images as the displays take shape. Some dates in December are already selling out. Plan ahead and get your tickets online here.

WITW 2020 Child and snowman

Missed a Story? Want to Read More?

You’ll find links to all of our Backyard “back issues” here.

Ask Us

Is there something about Bloedel Reserve you’d like us to highlight here? Some burning question you’ve always wanted to ask our horticultural team? Let us know. Send us an email at in**@bl************.org.

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