Manito Park in the Fall

One of the highlights of our visit to Spokane, was visiting Manito Park to see its gardens in the fall. My mother-in-law loved to walk her dog in Manito Park, and the two of them spent hours walking and enjoying the gardens. Recall posts from our visit back in 2012: Manito Park – Duncan Garden and Nishinomiya Japanese Garden.

Rose Hill

The rose garden was in full bloom, and magnificent. I'm not a huge fan of roses (we have never lived in a place where roses do well), but was amazed at the beauty as we approached the hill. The big, well drained, sunny slope is the perfect place for roses. I loved the colors and fragrances of the blooming roses, all of which are well-labeled, well-tended, and thrived.

The arbor at the base of Rose Hill

Small gazebo beyond yellow roses

When we visited in spring and in early summer in 2012, everything was dormant and cut back, and I decided not to report. What a contrast with the beautiful sight that greeted us in fall. If the rose garden ever sells clippings or starters, this would be the place to purchase them. Following are a few of my favorites – just look at those colors and the variety (who knows, I might become a rose devotee one of these years)!

Pink tipped	Deep pink
Pale yellow	White

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Duncan Gardens

The Duncan Garden was also magnificent with its bedding plants still in bloom. This is high intensity gardening, reminiscent of the Victorian era when exotic plants from all over the world were cultivated in green houses, and then planted seasonally in private and public gardens.

Duncan Gardens

I enjoyed seeing the color combinations and vibrant colors in this classical European Renaissance style garden. What I had previously seen in the early summer was merely the bones of the garden – all green lawn, sculpted trees, gazebo, and newly planted beds (see Manito Park - Highlights of Duncan Garden). With the bedding plants in full flower, I could see the complete garden design.

Central planter

Bedding plants

The Gaiser Conservatory and its greenhouses overlook the sunken garden. The original conservatory was built in 1912, and redesigned, modernized, enlarged, and rebuilt in 1974. The dome includes a waterfall, pond, and large tropical plants. Many of the bedding plants are started in the greenhouses. 

Ferris Perennial Garden

When we visited the Ferris Perennial garden in 2012, not much was going on. The beds were well marked, and plants looked healthy, but this time was another story. Many of the plants were still blooming, and others were transitioning from beautiful flowering plants, to seeds and seed pods. Golden grasses swayed and rustled in the breeze, and some deciduous trees had started their fall display of red and yellow.

Joel E. Ferris Perennial Garden

Perennial garden in late September

Golden light and fall colors

The golden afternoon light illuminated the plants. We enjoyed strolling through the garden beds, and sitting on the various benches to relish the garden around us.

Nishinomiya Japanese Garden

We also revisited the Nishinomiya Japanese Garden, but learned that photography is no longer allowed. This is unfortunate for those who cannot visit the garden or who like to document great garden design, but we enjoyed our stroll through the grounds, and appreciated the beauty of fall colors against the green-on-green design.