Visiting Elandan Gardens

If you regularly attend the Northwest Flower and Garden Show, you're probably familiar with the name Elandan gardens from their displays there.  Elandan Gardens, "a six acre waterfron bonsai garden"  is located on Sinclair Inlet between Bremerton and Port Orchard in Gorst on the site of a former landfill.

If one is taking highway 16 to Valley Nursery, Dragonfly Farms Nursery, Savage Plants, and Far Reaches Farms, Elandan is an interesting stop along the way.  A word to the wise: this place is on the right side of a dividided 4 lane highway so plan on stopping as you're going away from Tacoma/Port Orchard toward Bremerton, not the other way around as you can't get across the highway. 

On this particular day, we weren't going to any of those places and I'd left my camera at home.  Because we weren't on a tight schedule, I asked if we could stop by Elandan on the way. Fortunately, Tom had his phone and snapped some shots.

There is a kind of timeless ambience in  some of the outdoor areas, almost like coming across an abandoned beachfront civilization.

There are lots of beautiful pieces strewn about, some in crates growing lichen, some broken, others intact.

 There is a stone sculptor in residence whose gorgeous work also graces the grounds.

Stunning waterfront.

There were a few of these former water features which have been allowed to dry out, the water plants now just plastic pots of dust. 

 Closer to the shop is this nursery area.  The vibrant red leaves of Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) hang from a grayed wood pergola that looks as if it could fall in at any moment adding to the feel of abandoned glory.

Here is the main entrance to the store and museum which is an extremely cool retail space filled with antique, modern, and natural treasures from around the world.  One is not allowed to take photographs inside the store which is fine but causes one to wonder why. 

Beyond the store this pathway leads to the bonsai collection to which there is an admission fee.  We chose to save this part of the experience for another visit.

I liked this pot & baby bonsai combination, for sale in one of the nursery areas.

Becoming one with the fern, eight buddhas agree that Elandon is well worth a visit.  They also advise checking out Elandon's website here to learn more about this unusual and magical place!