Seattle Blog and Recent Site Additions

July 30, 2012

Kubota Garden

Renton Avenue South at 55th Avenue South

Kubota Garden

The Mountainside

INDEX
	Introduction
	Visiting the Garden
	Photo Gallery

Seattle has many beautiful places and one of the best is Kubota Garden. This splendid 20 acre garden on Seattle's south side is part of the great City of Seattle Parks system.

The Garden was developed over sixty years by Mr. Fujitaro Kubota and his family. Mr. Kubota emigrated from Japan and was a self-taught gardener. He built up a landscaping business designing Japanese gardens around the Seattle area. One of his masterpieces is the Japanese garden at the Bloedel Reserve. He also designed the splendid landscaping at Seattle University. Mr. Kubota passed away in 1973 at the age of 94.

In 1987, The City of Seattle acquired Mr. Kubota’s garden to preserve it as a special place for everyone to enjoy. The City provides the funding and the staff to maintain this historic garden.

Kubota Garden

The Moon Bridge

WHAT IS KUBOTA GARDEN?

Kubota Garden is a landscaping masterpiece. It is one of the largest Japanese-style gardens in the country. As you stroll around the campus, the beauty and serenity of this magnificent place surround you. You just marvel at the effort that was expended to transform swampland into this landscaping wonderland. Mr. Kubota carefully planned and developed a garden that features a lovely variety of shapes and textures of plants, shrubs and perennials that offer the visitor a wide array of colors and shapes. Kubota Garden has several water features and two lovely Japanese garden bridges.

A special highlight of Kubota Garden is the maturity of the landscaping. Many of the trees and plants have been growing on the property for over 60 years. This is especially noted in the unusual shapes of the the Weeping Atlas Cedars that seem to crawl along the ground like animals .

One of the special highlights at the Garden is the Mountainside. This was completed in 1962. Kubota imported 450 tons of rock to be used to shape the Mountainside.

There are two traditional wood Japanese bridges of note: the Moon Bridge and the Heart Bridge. The Moon Bridge is so named because of the full moon shape of the bridge seen in the reflection in the water.

Take your time and savor the splendor of this grand display of landscaping that marries Japanese landscaping with northwest plants. Kubota Garden is a place of delicate beauty. It features several walking trails. This place feels like a sanctuary for meditation.

For photographers, this place is a dream destination. A serious photographer will bring a tripod and plan on spending some time composing shots of Kubota Garden’s beauty.

VISITING THE GARDEN

There is no admission fee for the Garden. For visitors, be sure to wear comfortable walking shoes. You walk over a variety of terrain with several ups and downs.

Official Web Site: Please click here to go to the official web site for the Kubota Garden. The web site has a pdf map of the Garden. There are detailed maps available at the entrance to the Garden.