Friend of the GPOD Cherry Ong is taking us along today to visit Bellevue Botanical Garden in Bellevue, Washington.

The flowers and glaucus leaves of Rudbeckia maxima (Zones 5–9) stand tall against a terrific backdrop of smokebush (Cotinus coggygria, Zones 5–8).

A fantastic contrast between a hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata, Zones 3–8) and a yucca.

Cherry says that seeing this and other spectacular welcome containers at the entrance made one her friends say, “We all definitely have to up our coleus game next year!”

A cool garden sculpture rises up over the huge leaves of a gunnera (Gunnera manicata, Zones 8–10). Gunneras have some of the biggest, coolest leaves of any garden perennial but can be difficult to grow in most climates, as they require both mild winters and cool summers to thrive.

Stacked stone sculptures with the cool, dangling flowers of Datisca cannaniba (Zones 4–8)

Blues for the garden are always wonderful, and this willow gentian (Gentiana asclepiadea, Zones 6–8) is to die for!

More incredible blue from a hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla, Zones 5–9)

Simple but effective: beautiful masses of Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa macra, Zones 5–9)

A cut arrangement of branches and seed heads doesn’t need flowers to be perfect.

Huge masses of gaura (Oenothera lindheimeri, Zones 5–9) in the urban meadow garden surround a bench like hundreds of butterflies.

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