We express deep gratitude towards the Suquamish People, People of the Clear Salt Water, for sustaining the land within which our healing landscapes thrive.

My surroundings taught me to listen actively. Nature taught me how FULL it is! I am certain my experience at Bloedel Reserve has made me a better artist.

Nicole Otero, 2024 Creative Resident

There is a magical quality to Bloedel Reserve, unlike any other place I’ve visited. I am once transformed, energized, inspired, relaxed, and released from daily cares to be completely present with my own soul and the wonders of nature.

Strolls for Well-Being Participant

As a Community Creative, I was granted full access to the Reserve and was witness to the slow and steady turning of the seasons; starting with the barrenness of winter, the magical burst of spring, the long days of summer followed by the fading beauty and contraction of Autumn.

Amy Pleasant, 2024 Community Creative 

The first time I visited the Reserve, a calmness settled into my heart. Every time I visit, I am embraced by the place and reminded how much I love these ever-changing landscapes.

Donor

Welcome to Bloedel Reserve.

Peace and serenity, nature at its finest. Do yourself a favor and visit Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island. Don’t be in a hurry. Take your time.

Visitor

…being present in nature elevates and nurtures the human spirit, heals hearts and minds, and enriches our communities, and our world.

Virginia Bloedel

We walked the grounds with tears and great appreciation for Nature’s bounty… and gratitude for a much needed rest.

Visitor

One of the country’s most original and ambitious gardens.

The New York Times

Nature can do without man, but man cannot do without nature.

Prentice Bloedel

One of North America’s 10 Best Botanical Gardens

USA Today, 2020

Find your Nature

Bloedel Reserve is a 140-acre wonder of nature, created by the imagination, vision, and a passionate love of the natural world shared by our founders, Prentice and Virginia Bloedel. Working with the rugged geography of the land, they artfully transformed a rough-hewn Northwest forest into a harmonious series of curated gardens, structural features, and distinctive landscapes, with nature as canvas and paint.

  • June Plant of the Month

    June 2026 LATIN NAME: Corallorhiza maculata COMMON NAME: Spotted Coralroot FAMILY: Orchidaceae TYPE: Perennial ORIGIN: North America LOCATION AT THE RESERVE: Orchid Woods & Maple Lane FUN FACT: Often overlooked in our native woodlands, the orchid species Corallorhiza maculata is a remarkable plant that lacks chlorophyll and survives as a [...]

  • The Living Record: How Bloedel Reserve Documents Its Collections

    The Living Record: How Bloedel Reserve Documents Its Collections At Bloedel Reserve, the landscapes visitors experience each day are supported by decades of careful stewardship behind the scenes. Every tree, shrub, perennial, and botanical addition tells a story, and those stories are documented through a process known as accessioning. Since [...]

  • Drawing Inspiration from the Reserve: Meet Donna Letterese

    Drawing Inspiration from the Reserve: Meet Donna Letterese Meet Donna Letterese, one of Bloedel Reserve’s 2026 Community Creatives. An illustrator, educator, and nature journaler, Donna has called Kitsap County home since 2020 and draws endless inspiration from the forests, shorelines, ferry rides, and landscapes of the Pacific Northwest. “I really [...]

  • Blood Rain, Orange Fuzz, and Carrots

    Blood Rain, Orange Fuzz, and Carrots We are accustomed to rain in Western Washington and some of us are even happier during rainy days than on a hot, sunshiny day. There’s even a word for people who prefer rain: pluviophile. We like our rain and aside from its variable intensity [...]

Upcoming Events

Open to the public since 1988, Bloedel Reserve is now a nonprofit organization devoted to nurturing the land through a broad range of engagement opportunities. Take one of our workshops or attend an event to dive into the often mysterious, constantly changing, and always rewarding world of horticulture.

Botanicartoons with Donna Letterese

Capture the Feeling – Level 2 Phone Photography (SOLD OUT)

Follow the Sun: Forest Bathing 6/20 (SOLD OUT)

Alpine Water Fern at Bloedel Reserve

Fabulous Ferns: John Van den Meerendonk (SOLD OUT)

Mindfulness Meditation 6/24 (SOLD OUT)

Follow the Sun: Forest Bathing 6/21 (SOLD OUT)

Summer Strolls for Well-Being

July Welcome Wednesday

Down & Dirty: Managing Green Waste

Watercolor: Painting Flowery Forms

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Land Acknowledgement

The history of the land on which Bloedel Reserve sits extends back much farther than the Bloedels. We’d like to acknowledge the history of this land.

dibəł čəł ti Bloedel Reserve.
We are the Bloedel Reserve.

We express deep gratitude towards the Suquamish People, People of the Clear Salt Water, for sustaining the land within which our healing landscapes thrive. Those entrusted with caring for Bloedel Reserve acknowledge that the sacred ancestral territory on which the Reserve resides flourishes because of the stewardship, since time immemorial, by the Suquamish people. We will honor and respect their legacy by nurturing this land and the waterways of the Central Salish Sea for present and future generations.

ʔugʷiitubułəd čəł ʔugʷabitubuł.
We invite you to join us.

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