Explore Seattle University Gardens

Seattle University Campus is home to spectacular gardens that you can visit if you have a day off, need some time to think, or want to explore a part of the city unknown to you. The urban oasis on university ground is proof that natural hikes can be part of our everyday lives without traveling far.

South of the Library, you can visit the Taqwshebly Vi Helbert Etnobotanic Garden dedicated to food and medicinal plant growth. The plants grown in this garden are representing the tradition and ceremonial culture of the Northwest indigenous people.

If you are into more sophisticated garden designs, then I suggest you check out Kubota Gardens at University campus, designed in the 1950's by Fugitaro Kubota. The majestic trees and neatly organized Japanese gardens will satisfy everyone's taste for botanical symmetry and color. Bridges, resting areas, beautiful flowers, and cascading springs is what you'll find around this marvelous nature spot.

The artsy ones among you will surely enjoy a stroll in the romantic Shakespeare Garden in front of the Fine Arts Departments. Every plant and garden setting that the great William Shakespeare ever mentioned in his plays, can be seen and enjoyed in the garden that honors his name.

Right behind Loyola Hall, you can visit the Biodiversity Garden and enjoy the various plant and insect species that complement each other's survival and attract a new variety of butterflies and birds that inhabit the area. 

One of the most useful and beautiful gardens in Seattle University area are the rain gardens designed the control runoff and hold it in specially-designed soil. These gardens started developing in 2006 after the big flood that affected the basements of Xavier, 1103, and Hunthausen halls. 

Seattle University Gardens offer a diverse flora and fauna life and horticulture styles that will inspire everyone to grab some fresh air without even leaving the city.