Garden Walk

We are immensely proud of our gardens and of the work that EagleSong Evans Gardener, our Director of Natural Beauty, has done to make it a truly magical place. We invite you to take our Garden Walk to explore its treasures.

The Gazebo Gardens are the liveliest – this is where weddings take place and guests socialize in the late afternoon with glasses of wine. It’s also home to the abundant Herbfarm Garden, where you’ll see cooks in white jackets harvesting ingredients for the night’s dinner. Guests love our resident pigs, Borage and Basil (our garden’s best recyclers), who belong to the owners of The Herbfarm Restaurant, Carrie Van Dyck and Ron Zimmerman.

The gardens at Willows Lodge have an abundance of water-wise plants adapted to the Northwest environment. At the eastern edge of the hotel, many varieties of native plants protect the Sammamish River. Blooming red flowering currant and Oregon grape enliven the riverside in spring, giving way to vine maple and yellow dogwoods later in the year. Hidden in our main terrace patio and graced by a weeping sequoia and fine-tuned Japanese lace-leaf maple, a unique stone building houses the bronze face of the Killer Whale Spirit set in a granite water pool. In the summer, oakleaf hydrangea, astilbe and large leaf hostas captivate the courtyard with their blooms of white, maroon, pinks and blues.

The North Courtyard is the quietest. Here guests leave the more gregarious parts of life behind to find a more contemplative mood. Tall spruce surround the gurgling pool adorned with bronze heads reflective of earlier peoples. Finally, nestled behind the bamboo fence at the west side of the North Courtyard, is our serene Spa Garden (best viewed when you’re immersed in the warmth of the outdoor hydrotherapy pool). The ferns, sedums and sempervivems give an ageless constancy, and water falling over granite adds a feeling of permanence and change to this wondrous celebration of the senses.

Our newest garden, the Riverside Terrace, is found at the far northern end of the hotel beyond the Davidson building. A bright, enclosed space wrapped by a vibrant garden, excellent for a small gathering or quiet glass of wine awaits you at the end of the RiverWalk. The weeping willows are especially stunning on a winter night as up-lighting plays off their elegant branches.

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Garden Walk