Go visit the bonsai and rhododendron gardens | Letters

Both the bonsai collection and the Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden next door are open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesdays through Sundays. The Bonsai Collection and the Rhododendron Garden are two major year-round tourist attractions in Federal Way and are top ranked internationally.

June 6, 2013 7:41 pm
The Pacific Rim Bonsai Collection is open all year.
The Pacific Rim Bonsai Collection is open all year.

There seems to be some confusion locally about whether the Pacific Rim Bonsai Collection on the Weyerhaeuser campus is open.

So I called to find out. Both the bonsai collection and the Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden next door are open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesdays through Sundays. The Bonsai Collection and the Rhododendron Garden are two major year-round tourist attractions in Federal Way and are top ranked internationally.

The rhododendron garden has an admission fee. The bonsai collection is free. Guided tours are available by calling (253) 924-5206 (bonsai) or (253) 838-4646 (rhododendron).

I asked if there are special exhibits at the bonsai collection during the summer. There are. Four Northwest artists are exhibiting “Trees in Art” and special trees from a Lake Washington Collection are being shown. Starting June 15, “The Art of Bamboo” and “The Art of Ink” will feature Japanese baskets from the Fitzgerald Collection and Japanese ink paintings by the Sumi Painting Group.

I’ve been to the bonsai collection in every season of the year and there’s always something fascinating to see.

Please publish this letter so that local residents will know these interesting gardens await their visit.

H. David Kaplan, Federal Way