Vista Gardens
A few weeks ago, a group of friends and I made the drive up to Bremerton, Washington, to visit Vista Gardens , a remarkable garden created by John Albers . Albers, a retired Research Professor of Medicine at the University of Washington , has clearly channeled his scientific curiosity into a deep passion for horticulture and environmental sustainability. He’s written several books on gardening in the Pacific Northwest, with another on the way later this year. Vista Gardens began in 1998, when Albers and his wife Santica started developing what was then a 2-acre property. Over time, it has grown into a 4-acre nonprofit botanical garden featuring more than 1,200 plant species and cultivars. The collections are especially strong in conifers, heaths, heathers, and Japanese maples. The garden sits on a steep hillside overlooking Phinney Bay , and the views alone would be worth the trip. But what really caught my attention right away were the rocks—huge ones, scattered and stacked throughout...
