Visiting Lakewold Gardens in Late Winter

Designed by Thomas Church, Lakewold is an estate garden in Lakewood,  a short drive from my house and yet I seldom think of visiting.  The place has an interesting history and Tatyana of My Secret Garden posts great images of the house and gardens from time to time.  Since I was in the neighborhood on a recent Saturday, I decided to stop by.  Join me as we pass through the Olmstead Brothers influenced  ornate iron gates and explore the grounds.

This dashing fellow seems to be noticing something to his left.

 

Could it be this lovely lady flirting with him from another wall? 

It's Camellia japonica time!

I bet this view is  spectacular when the Paulownia tomentosa in the center is in full bloom!

Front view of the house.   Lakewold has many state champion (largest in the state) trees on the grounds.

The garden beautifully blends formal and natural elements.

The tea house was one of the first garden structrues in the Northwest to be wired with electricity.

One great benefit of visiting at this time of year was that aside from a fellow cleaning out the pool, I was alone in the garden.  Although I met this guy hanging out beneath a camellia and tried to tell him that he could get in trouble for standing in the middle of a bed but he didn't respond.  Being a strong silent type, he maintained his stony-faced stare. Giving up, I moved on.

 

 

 

Satyr with a lute is a grumpy camper.  Maybe he's just being introspective.

 

Another member of the Satyr band.  Come on guys, ya gotta sell the song.

Lion fountain.  That's one fancy spittoon!

Walking toward the tea house, you notice the elegant quatrefoil pool.  It appears much smaller than it actually is.

Love that moss!

Walking on, the lawn slopes down to the woodland gardens.

Looking back at the house.

As we move through the woodland toward the lake, things become much less formal.

Screaming red rhododendrons in full bloom. 

During the summer, the foliage on these deciduous trees obscures the winter view of the lake.

This log picnic table and benches were often used by the Wagner family for whom they were created. 

Water is pumped up the hill from the lake to a pond and then falls back down the hill to empty back into the lake.

So much to see at every turn. 

 

Back up the hill to the back garden.

The knot garden just outside the library.

This hidden area is now a perennial garden but was originally used by Mrs. Wagner to try a variety of plants to see how they grew in our climate.

A somewhat more humble home but equally magnificent in its own way.