Manito Park – Duncan Garden

Last year my family and I visited Manito Park in Spokane, Washington, and I reported on the beautiful Nishinomiya Japanese Garden. Manito Park is a collection of gardens that also includes a rose garden, perennial garden, lilac garden, conservatory, and a formal Renaissance garden. Manito Park covers 90 acres and is located in Spokane’s South Hill district. The land for the park was donated to Spokane in 1903.

Looking south from the Conservatory to the gazebo. The sunken nature
of the  garden enables you to view the parterre pattern from above.

Duncan Garden is the Renaissance garden in Manito Park. The three-acre garden is laid out on a north-south axis, with the Conservatory at the northern end, the granite gazebo at the southern end, and the fountain at the smaller intersecting axis. A series of clipped Yews borders the garden, pulling the eye to the horizon line, and a tunnel of trees provide an allée on the intersecting axis. The flowerbeds are arranged in parterres, forming a tapestry of color. When we visited in May, the flower beds had just been planted so they were just getting started, but during the growing season the beds are full of color. Walking paths are wide, enabling unhurried ambles through the garden.

Granite fountain at the intersection of the two axes

Duncan Garden was originally named the Sunken Garden, because its loamy soil had been excavated for use in other park gardens around the city. In 1912, John Duncan envisioned a Renaissance style garden in the location, and in 1941 the garden was renamed to Duncan Gardens in his honor. The granite fountain was a private gift given in honor of Louis Davenport in 1956, and the gazebo was a commemorative gift from Friends of Manito to mark the park’s 100^th anniversary. This is a lovely garden to visit, and highlights the powerful influence of Renaissance garden design principles.

Looking north from the gazebo to the Conservatory.