If Spring is long gone and the Rhodie blossoms have faded and dropped to the ground is it still worth visiting the Rhododendron Species Botanical Gardens? I love gardening and I love exploring gardens. There were so many beautiful and sometimes strange looking plants! For me, yes, it was worth it! I thoroughly enjoyed my visit and look forward to returning.

Second time visiting the park, loved it. Last visit was spring 2019, still pretty today even without all the flowers. The current Bonsai Museum exhibit on Japanese internment is a must see.

Wow so beautiful. The garden is of course outdoors so you can ramble through it at your own pace. Even though there were many people coming and going, there was plenty of room to get around and not get very close to anyone. And you can buy many of the plants you see in the garden. What a delightful way to spend a morning.

This is a fantastic place to take a leisurely, easy walk around in the woods, with flowers, trees, and all sorts of tended plants. Its best in the spring, of course, when the Rhododendrons are blooming.Highly recommended.

We enjoyed our visit at the botanical garden. It was peaceful and beautiful and the grounds are kept up very nicely. The plant sales were wonderful and a good price for such healthy plants and we will visit again soon.

Worth a visit—or two or three or four! Lovely, informative, well-maintained woodland museum with year-round visual interest. Highly recommended!

Lovely as are all botanical gardens. Loved learning about rhodies and other exotics so different than what can be grown at home,

Gorgeous place, lots of walking among beautiful forests. Dont be in a hurry!

I really liked the place. Bonzai displays on one side, huge rhododendron garden on the other - all outside. Hopefully theyll build up funds to help them recover from the pandemic and catch up on their maintenance, but I can tell they will lovingly maintain the place once their resources allow.

You can buy some really well taken care of plants. Beautiful displays, lovely walk.

A relatively small but beautiful botanic garden with Rhododendron and Bonsai gardens. It has many Chinese endemic species, including blue poppies. It is particularly beautiful in spring.

The plant sales is wonderful. Well organized, good price.The bonsai garden is beautiful. The theme about world war II and the bonsai masters fate are great reminder of the importance of peace.. Always a delight to visit.

Amazing venue and well worth the visit and your support!

Another hidden gem in the heart of western Washington. Spend a couple hours, or more, enjoy the beauty.

Located next to busy highway so traffic noise is very annoying, however still worth a visit especially if you like rhododendrons. Best variety of different rhody species by far including very rare ones. The stumpery is amazing also, very well done with many plant pockets in the stumps. The serene pond garden with different shore designs and bog plants is another must see. Unfortunately the rhodys for sale are mostly the common ones you can find elsewhere, not the rare unique ones and prices are steep, but at least the money goes to support the garden.

Lovely garden. Many rhodies in bloom. More to come over the next couple of months

So beautiful! As an area native I had never visited until today and I can honestly say, I will be headed back frequently see what is blooming as the spring progresses and next winter to catch the very first blooms

Huge variety of rhododendrons and bonsai plus many more rare and exotic pants and trees.

I love this garden, even though its put of the way and a bit of a drive... its totally worth it! I loved getting lost amongst all the different flowers and other plants. The landscaping and planning of this park is impeccable. You can tell that a lot of thought and care went into it. I highly recommend coming here and taking a stroll.

Need bigger signs and a map to follow and dont be walking on circles without knowing where to go. However the place offer a nice and relaxing environment. Pure oxygen and peaceful moments. No pick nicking though. Very clean restrooms

Beautiful little garden, with the opportunity to view (and buy!) hundreds of rhododendron species from around the world. Definitely a worthwhile stop for any phytophile

Beautiful place to enjoy, if wanna see all rhododendrons in blooming, you should go beginning and middle of May. You still can enjoy the garden anytime of the year, so peaceful and beautiful 💜Great customer service, very knowledgeable and informative employees, and you can buy plants, they open until 4 pm. I had very nice experience.

Nice paths and beautiful flowers

Amazing garden, very well kept and full of history.

What a wonderful experience ❤

It was a nice visit. Lots of space

Adjacent to the Pacific Bonsai Collection- 8$ admission. A very nice exhibit, March-May is when you will get maximum blooms. In the summer they have blue poppies. A very nice conservatory with tropical varieties. A quaint little store alongside. You can buy many of the various exhibit plants/trees onsite for pretty reasonable cost.

The garden is pretty but I think 8 need to come 8n the spring to see some actual flowers.

Fantastic this time of year.

This place is amazing! You can get lost in this place, but when you see all the beautiful plants there, many you may have never seen, it is truly worth it. When they are all in bloom, this place will be truly awe inspiring. You definitely need to go. It is definitely worth admission.

Energizing and beautiful. Well-maintained and exquisite place. There is also a bonsai museum area. Expect a lot of walking. All wherlchair accessible. I highly recommend this place.

Fantastic place for a Spring visit.

Beautiful garden!

Fun, beautiful,...easy walk...also bonsai exhibit was cool...they have plants for sale as well..enjoy

Fantastic place to walk around, always so.ething new to see. Neat gift shop, bonsai exhibit, and very cool and unusual plants for sale. A hidden gem.

Best species collection. Simply perfect harmony of beauty.

It is a joy to walk through the garden. There is always something to see. The mid-season rhododendrons were in bloom.

Fabulous plants with amazing colors I have never seen before! Well maintained paths also.

Fantastic garden with plenty to view and enjoy. Also, they have plenty for sale including some of the more rare species.

Would be very cool when they all bloom. Still a great little hike.

Beautiful and unique all year round

Beautiful garden! Great walking trails! They also have unique plants for sale too!

Relaxing

Beautiful walking garden can’t wait for full bloom season!

I used to live near here. I took my mom for mothers day and she wasnt excited honestly she is the Olive Garden type not garden garden type. But the vast array of beauty and bonsai also truly touched her I think by the end she was happy to have that experience. Its such a wonderful thing to live such a well kept treasure as this. Come by and support the efforts of Rhododendron Garden seeing the giants really make you think differently about the world. Well did for me.

I consider this to be the premier garden in western Washington. 2018 has been an exceptional year for this mature planting of rhododendron species from all over the world.

Beautiful place to walk in the fall.

Great place to visit, relax & meditate. Have a good coffee shop there too. Become a member, we did.

Now, I learned the most common plant in federalway wa, Rododemdron.

Nothing better for miles around. And an amazing plant shop to boot.

Biggest selection of unique plants, many of which I have never seen before. Photo is a Himalayanblue poppy.

Beautiful Fall colors and FREE TODAY!

Beautiful flowers! We enjoyed ourselves very much!

The bonsai collection is beautiful and heartbreaking. So much of American bonsai history is deeply entwined with the awfulness of internment and EO66.

Beautiful in mid-May.

Best time to visit would be spring. In summer all the flower had dried up but the views were amazing. A great location to have a wedding

Beautiful but it was 5je wrong time of year to see all the blooms

Its $8 to enter in 2021, unless youre a veteran, then its free. But its totally worth it to meander the beauty within. The fee also keeps the crowds down.

Nice, clean, interesting, informative

Open air. Rhode section 8 bucks& bonus section free

Nice collection of plants and many native plants

Looking for a place to stroll along with beautiful scenery its here. Rhododendrons surround you as you stroll this park and museum of Botanical trees

Love this place. Usually go with a friend near my birthday in May. Only thing that annoys me are the poor quality tour maps. Hard to follow. No arrows for direction and not all the numbered species on the map have placards in reality. Need to spiff up this map and the signage, so the overall experience is more enjoyable and less fraught with confusion and paying more attention to the map and thereby less attention to the plants that are the main attraction.

With my family

Went to get some Himalayan Poppy plants... got several other things while we were there. A great day to go during covid pandemic...masks and all.

The rhododendrons werent blooming anymore (July 1st), but it was still a beautiful place to admire the greenery and variety of plants, a few of which were in bloom. Be sure to check out the small bonsai museum/garden - fascinating. You can hear a bit of the highway noise, and while its not awful, it detracts enough from the peaceful experience that I wish they would consider putting up sound barriers on the highway. It would be a gorgeous place for a picnic, but note that there are many signs barring this (and not really any open places to place a blanket anyway). Recommended on a cool spring/summer day!

So beautiful!!! I recommend the membership; can not see it all at once.

Bonsai garden was free...interesting,not very big

I went to the adjcent bonsai gardens and it was fabulous. Friendly helpful staff. Clean rest rooms.

Very beautiful and informative green space.

Nice for a stroll the natural vegetation. I had no idea that there were so many variations of rhododendron. There was many beautiful bonsais over a hundred years old. Would be great for a day trip in the sunshine!

Unfriendly staff, poorly marked areas.

Amazing place. Buy a membership for $40 and go every month! I always saw the sign on I-5 and never stopped until today. One of my favorite gardens in the Seattle area. Over 10,000 rhodedendron on the 22 acres. They also have a great plant sale selection, not just rhodedendron but tons of other species.

Enjoyed the walk through and variety of plant and flower spieces!

Hidden Paradise. Internationally recognized garden that is little known locally. Even when the Rhododendrons are not in bloom, this garden is a treasure, providing a sense of both peace and adventure as I follow winding pathways.

Beautiful

Absolutely beautiful! Highly recommend on a nice day or even a rainy one its a great spot for a family adventure

Its the worlds largest collection of rhodies. It has a conservatory with tropical species. There are some nice outdoor chairs and side tables if you want to picnic. There is a nice pagoda, a pond with ducks, a Fern Collection, a stump garden -- lots of interesting details. The lady running the gift shop is super-knowledgeable about the collection. There are also plants for sale. The collection is truly spectacular, with some plants 100-feet tall. I hope that we can go again this year during the peak bloom season, mid-March to mid-MayWe had one day for the Bonsai Museum and another for the Rhodie Garden. Each actually takes one- to two-hours to enjoy, but then you could go to Ikea or the Premium Outlet Mall in Auburn or another nearby attraction.

Fabulous collection of local and foreign plants, Rhodys, Azaleas, Ferns, and may others. Well labeled self guiding tour. Closed Monday.

This is our third visit this spring and each time there is a new selection of blooms. We are so impressed that we became members. Not a great place for small children as there are too many touch temptations! Great pictures every time!

This is a hidden gem-truly a gorgeous garden, with a pond and beautiful grounds. Also, they have a plant store for gardeners!

Beautiful gardens. Friendly staff. Enjoyable, nature fun.

On the to do list. Very nice to see all the variations of Rhodedendrons. There were quite a few that I never have seen. And I am a plant enthuisiast. Have fun... ;)

A favorite place I like to visit year round. The greenhouse in February is a tropical retreat with fragrance, warmth, color, and a waterfall! Actually the whole garden feels like a retreat with its groves of big leafed rhodies, one or another of the rhodies in bloom in just about any month, blue poppies in May. Its a world class botanical garden, beautifully maintained, a hidden treasure in Federal Way close to the freeway; I cant recommend it enough for anyone needing a couple of magical hours in the kingdom of plants!

Relaxing.

We had a wonderful time at the Botanical Garden 5/22/18. The skies were blue, clear, and it couldnt have looked more beautiful. The rhododendron species are so numerous, and nicely labeled, and the variety is stunning. In the greenhouse/conservatory area there are more rhododendron species, those coming from even warmer climates such as the Philippines. It was interesting to see a rhododendron ground cover, as well as a couple that almost look like yews due to their needle-shaped leaves. We saw the magnificent Meconopsis (Himalayan Blue Poppy) plants in full bloom, a stunning first for us. The perennial cornflowers were blooming and it was stunning to see a whole huge mass of them. The alpine garden had charming tiny ground cover plants with charming small blossoms on them. We ended up purchasing a pot of Polygonatum japonicum variegata at an excellent price. They also had an intriguing supply of other plants for sale, especially some really tempting hostas! If you love plants, this should definitely rate a visit!

Sometimes you just have to get away played hooky in the afternoon and walk this beautiful garden

Many rhodies are in bloom and the garden is starting to wake up to Spring. Really really beautiful!

Very cool, peaceful.

Remarkable place! A must see in full bloom!

Very nice, clean, etc. Only wish there was more signage to navigate around better.

Astonishing variety

Fabulous

Lovely!

Incredible.

Very interesting and beautiful... A great place to take children as well!

Its blooming now, perfect time to visit.

It was very peaceful and relaxing.

Beauty beyond my expectations!!! Go for the Rhodies and Delight in the bonsai !

Felt like we visited Asia!