The Reflection Pool

Formal Symmetry Meets Wild Abandon

When visitors are naming their favorite areas of Bloedel Reserve, the Reflection Pool is frequently on that list. It is situated next to the Moss Garden and across the road from the Japanese Garden and Japanese Guest House. Because it is discretely tucked behind a wall of hedges, on first sight its impact is a breathtaking shift from the wilder landscapes of the Reserve.

By design, the Reflection Pool juxtaposes untouched nature with man-made formal gardening. A 200-foot-long rectangular pool is surrounded by annually sheared yew hedges and framed by mowed turf, in sharp contrast to the encroaching woods beyond. The Pool presents a stark, but pleasing juxtaposition between manicured straight lines and the unruly natural forest. The original idea for the Pool came from Prentice Bloedel, who had seen photographs of Finnish and English canal ponds. While canal ponds have flowing water, the water in the Reflection Pool is still, due to its being fed by a natural spring rather than by irrigation pipes.

A Quiet Room for Meditation

The nationally renowned landscape architect Thomas Church designed the Reflection Pool in 1970. He specifically chose the site adjacent to the location for the future Moss Garden. The site’s high water table could keep the pond filled without the need for an artificial water supply. The bottom of the Pool was scooped out to resemble the keel of a boat and dug to a depth of six feet to encourage the spring and groundwater to fill the space.

During the design process, various features such as sculptures or raised curbs to form walls were suggested. Prentice and Virginia Bloedel opted to keep the design simple, preferring the Reflection Pool to be meditative. They felt that extra design elements might distract from that purpose. In fact, the only significant difference from Church’s original design and now is the absence of six curved benches bordering the hedge that were removed due to termite damage.

Still Waters Require Year-Round Care

Despite its simple appearance, the Reflection Pool requires a lot of maintenance. The hedge needs shearing once a year in June to keep it looking proper. The Pool itself is skimmed frequently to remove leaves and debris in order to maintain its “reflective” quality. During the skimming process, the staff works to make sure frog and salamander eggs are preserved in the Pool.

During the growing season, the lawn around the Pool is mowed weekly. In the winter, the shade and high water table present never-ending challenges. The wet area “wants” to be mud, but Dave Amos, Bloedel Reserve’s Turf Manager, has successfully kept grass growing there. Between the high water table and our increasingly dry summers, the Reflection Pool turf easily can swing from too wet to too dry over the course of a year.

An Ever-Lasting Memorial

Those who wander to the far end of the Reflection Pool will find a surprise there. At the end of the pool lies a flat stone, level with the ground. The stone covers a small chamber that houses the ashes of both Prentice and Virginia Bloedel. On the stone are the words from one of Mrs. Bloedel’s favorite poems by Emily Brontë, Sympathy:  “Are not the best beloved of years around your heart forever?”

Text and photos courtesy of Moss Garden Specialist Darren Strenge.

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