Kubota Gardens
One of hidden gardens gems of Seattle is Kubota Gardens. Located on 20 acres in South Seattle, the garden is a testament to the endurance of Japanese immigrants and over 50 years of loving labor. The gardens were design by Fujitaro Kubota. He immigrated to the United States in 1907 and started his gardening business in 1923. He designed and planted Japanese style gardens for families here in the Seattle area. In 1927, he bought 5 acres of swamp land off in Rainier Valley and started his dream. Over the years he was able to expand the gardens to 20 acres by the time of his death in 1973. In 1981, the garden was declared a city landmark and in 1987 the city purchased the land. Today, the city continues to maintain and expand the park.
I don’t know why we had never visited the gardens before. We knew of the gardens from our friends but never made the time to visit. It is easy to get to and well signed from the Marginal Way exit on I-5.
This year has been outstanding for fall color. The summer was hot enough for the leaves to store ample amount of glucose creating strong reds and yellow as the plants shut down for winter. The Fall is an excellent time to visit. We found a riot of colors throughout the garden.
For more on this history – Kubota Gardens from HistoryLink.org
Directions and information – Kubota Gardens website.
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Hi Marta, these gardens and your photos of them are just so beautiful. I love in that first photo how the red in the trees seem to match with the red bridge. The fall colors are really pretty.
Thanks so much for sharing the beautiful Kubota Gardens with us. Have a good day today!
Wonderful colors and textures!
Lovely photos-Japanese gardens have always been my favorite. I think the feeling of serenity and simplicity evoke strong connected feelings for me. Kubota is beautiful; would love to visit some day. In Hawaii there is the Byoto-In Temple and although not plentiful gardens, the backdrop of the mountains in the Valley of Temples and it’s always my first trip when visiting…. Thanks for sharing your photos of this colorful garden.
memehune – I do agree with you. The serenity is wonderful.
And thanks for mentioning Byoto-In Temple on Oahu. We are heading to Oahu in December and we will be staying not far from the Temple. It is high on our list of places to see. We will definitely make certain we visit it.
What an amazing place. Love that red bridge and all the autumn colors.
What beautiful gardens!
If we ever get to Seattle, I know it will be on our to-do list.
The first thing I thought of was the Byodo-In Temple when I read this post. It is so close to where you will be staying.
By the way, I have not added restaurant recommendations to the ST thread because I am not very familiar with most places to eat on the Windward side of the island. If you plan to eat dinner in town and like Greek, there is a great little place (very casual) by the Kahala Mall but it is only open at night.
I do hope we get to meet. Unless the furlough problem is solved, I will have Fridays off (as well as Sat & Sun).
I love all of the contrasting colors in your pictures. Very lovely!
Marta, your botanical photos are always so beautiful. Thanks for the visual treat.
Marta thank you for this information. We are very interested in the various japanese gardens in the U.S. as my maternal grandfather helped to design the Japanese sunken gardens in San Antonio Texas. It is where my mothers family lived and worked up until the war. These gardens are wonderful and hopefully they can be maintained for future generations to enjoy.