The Bloedel Reserve is considered one of the 10 best botanical gardens in the United States. It is a 150- acre site on Bainbridge Island located across the sound from Seattle in the Pacific Northwest. The land sits within the sacred ancestral territory of the Suquamish people but was acquired by Virginia and Prentice Bloedel in 1951. The Yale-educated Prentice was an educator, environmentalist, and reluctant heir of a successful timber business. The property was their personal residence for more than 30 years and became their laboratory to explore the relationship between people and the natural environment. He collaborated with noted landscape architects and designers such as Thomas Church, Richard Haag, Fujitaro Kubota and Lain Robertson.
The site was developed with a commitment to ecological principles. For example, this reflecting pool, like all water features on the site, was placed near natural ground water sources. One of the most fascinating facts regarding the garden stems from the fact that Prentice was color blind. Consequently, there are hardly any flowering plants. The plant material is mostly various shades of green. The composition focused on developing textural variation as well as the tone or relative lightness or darkness of each plant. The sky was also masterfully considered with its changing tones and textures. This particular outdoor room features the sky as its ceiling, which at certain angles is also reflected in a shallow pool that defines the floor. The reserve is one of the best examples of using texture and tone to develop dynamic and compelling spaces defined by plant material.