Elandan Gardens Ltd — Attraction in Bremerton

Botanist Dan Robinson has been working with and collecting bonsai trees for more than 60 years, but some of his trees have been around for nearly 20 times that long.

Robinson has become a go-to expert on bonsai trees; he even developed new methods of caring for and shaping them. He travels, giving lectures and workshops on the trees. His personal collection, at Elandan Gardens in Washington state, features of over 200 bonsai trees arranged among ponds, waterfalls, and rock sculptures. It has become a major draw for horticulture lovers.

His trees have been gathered over the course of his life from all kinds of environments, from mountains and marshes to areas ravaged by logging to old nurseries. The ages are determined by counting the rings on clippings of the roots or branches through microscopes.

Japanese Maples and giant rhododendrons help fill out the rest of Elandan Gardens, which also has a gallery and a stunning view of the Sinclair Inlet on the Puget Sound.

Know Before You Go Visiting in the spring and summer is good for seeing the trees in bloom, but their foliage makes an autumn visit striking as well. One of the most interesting things about bonsai trees is their usually gnarly underlying structure, which is most visible...

Being in the area for a short period of time, we wanted to see various parks and such. This sounded like a great place to visit. Checked out their web site and decided to risk going.

It's not easy to get to. We had to go past and make a U turn because we were going East/South on Hwy 16 and it's inaccessible from that side. Okay, fine. Traffic was horrid but we made it. Figured the garden would be a nice way to relax.

It's not readily apparent where to enter. The door to the gift shop is hidden, and even from the small parking lot it wasn't easy to see. Once you find it and go in, it's a wonderfully eclectic mix of things. A lot of Japanese-style clothing, bonsai, and various other knick-knacks and kitsch.

However, there is an $8/person charge to go into the garden. That wasn't mentioned at all on their website. With all the free parks in the area, I didn't want to spring for admission. Big disappointment.

The woman in the gift shop was friendly enough, to be sure. My only complaint is that they don't mention the admission charge for the garden. It was an...

If I could give this experience 10 stars, I would. It's was worth the $8 admission just for the serenity and peacefulness. Wandering into this garden, was like stepping into an old building in a part of town you've never been to before, and finding a five star restaurant that needs someone to test a new dish, and then getting a cooking lesson from the master chef. It was cultural, educational, spiritual, inspirational, and beautiful. Elandon gardens is truly a gem that all ages can enjoy together. Be sure to give yourself at least an hour if you can. Obviously the garden is outdoors and so if it's raining it might be better to go a different day. I really want to come back to see it in...