June in Seattle

A Little Free Library which are popping up all over Seattle.

All photos were taken on Beacon Hill in June 2014.

June in Seattle was warmer & much drier than normal.  The mean temperature was 62F/16.7C.  The normal mean temperature is 60.9F/16.1C.  Total precipitation was 0.73 inches/18.54mm.  Normal precipitation is 1.57 inches/39.88mm.  The highest temperature was 79F/26.1C on 6/25, the lowest was 48F/8.9C on 6/16.  There was 1 day with rain, 12 days with light rain, 8 days with fog (2 of them with visibility at less than 1/4 mile) 14 cloudy days, 15 partly cloudy days & 1 fair day.  Seattleites enjoyed 2 of their largest festivals at the end of June: the Fremont Fair 6/20-22, which included the Fremont Solstice Parade on 6/21 & Seattle PrideFest 6/28-29 (the 40th gay pride celebration in Seattle) with over 100,000 people attending.

May in Seattle

Kniphofia (Torch Lily) & Iris sibirica (Siberian Iris)

Wisteria

Weigela florida

Rubus parviflorus (Thimbleberry) This beautiful native plant with edible fruits deserves greater use in residential landscapes.

All photos were taken in the Montlake neighborhood in May 2014.

May 2014 in Seattle was significantly warmer & wetter than normal.  The mean temperature was 59.1F/15.06C.  The normal mean temperature is 56F/13.33C.  Total precipitation was 3.15 inches/80.01mm.  Normal precipitation is 1.94 inches/49.28mm.  The highest temperature was 85F/29.44C on 5/1, the lowest was 45F/7.22C on 5/7, 5/9 & 5/10.  Maximum daily temperatures were 60F/15.56C or more on every day of the month, 70F/21.1C or more on 9 days & 80F/26.67C or more on 4 days.  Temperatures in general were much more like June, than May.  There were 3 days with heavy rain, 4 days with rain, 11 days with light rain, 7 days with fog, 11 cloudy days, 16 partly cloudy days & 4 fair days.  Most of the rain fell at the beginning of the month.  There was only 0.37 inches/9.4mm after 5/10, while 2.14 inches/54.36mm fell from 5/3 through 5/5.

April in Seattle

Leschi on April 28, 2014.

Kubota Garden on April 28, 2014.

April 2014 in Seattle was warmer & wetter than normal, which caused more vigorous growth of plants & more abundant flowers than normal.  The mean temperature was 52F/11.11C.  The normal mean temperature is 50.3F/10.17C.  Total precipitation was 4.18 inches/106.17mm.  Normal precipitation is 2.71 inches/68.83mm.  The highest temperature was 82F/27.78C on 4/30, which was very unusual.  Seattle averages only 25 days each year over 80F/26.67C & they usually come during the summer.  The lowest temperature was 40F/4.44C on 4/28.  There were 2 days with heavy rain, 8 days with rain, 14 days with light rain, 10 foggy days, 13 cloudy days, 16 partly cloudy days & 1 fair day.

June in Seattle

Cistus purpureus (Orchid Rockrose) on Capitol Hill. June 2013

 

Phygelius x rectus 'Moonraker' (Cape Fuchsia) with roses on Capitol Hill. June 2013.

 Stewartia on Capitol Hill. June 2013

Cistus (Rockrose) on Capitol Hill. June 2013

 

Philadelphus lewisii at the Olympic Sculpture Park. June 2013

June 2013 in Seattle was warmer & drier than normal.  The mean temperature was 64.8F/18.2C.  The normal mean temperature is 60.9F/16C.  Total precipitation was 1.3 inches/33mm.  Normal precipitation is 1.57 inches/39.8mm.  There were 2 days with heavy rain, 2 days with rain, 14 days with light rain, 7 days with fog, 2 days with haze, 9 cloudy days, 19 partly cloudy days & 2 fair days.  It was unusually warm both at the beginning & end of the month.  It was 79F/26.1C on 6/4, 80F/26.6C on 6/5 & 6/6, 87F/30.5C on 6/28, 86F/30C on 6/29 & 93F/33.8C on 6/30.

The dry season in Seattle begins in June.  People generally start irrigation during this month.  The skies are often cloudy with little or no rain.  Roses, rockroses & clematis, among many other flowers, are in bloom.

May in Seattle

 

Viburnum plicatum var. tomentosum at an electrical substation built of concrete cement in the deco style in Columbia City. May 2013

Brick Tudors are common early 20th century homes in Seattle.  The landscape is also no surprise.  The Bergenia may date back to the 1920s.  The Western Sword Fern (Polystichum munitum) is a remnant of the native forest.  Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) & Kurume azalea (Rhododendron obtusum) became (& remain) popular in the 1950s & 60s when Japanese style gardens were fashionable.  Euphorbia characias  & Euphorbia in general has come to be used commonly within the past few decades.  This house is on Mt Baker Ridge. May 2013

This is a very uncommon early 20th century home in Seattle.  The Spanish colonial style was never popular here.  Stucco is considered inappropriate for the rainy climate.  On Mt Baker Ridge in May 2013

A garden at New Holly in May 2013.  The lot across the street is undeveloped.  The business district in the Othello neighborhood has been redeveloping slowly since the 1980s, after decades of decline.

May 2013 in Seattle was warmer & wetter than normal.  The mean temperature was 58.6F/14.8C.  The normal mean temperature is 56F/13.3C.  Total precipitation was 2.38 inches/60.45 mm.  Normal precipitation is 1.94 inches/49.27 mm.  The weather was unusually warm & sunny early in the month.  The temperature rose from 65F/18.3C on May 1 to 87F/30.6C on May 6, which set a record for that day at 17 degrees above normal.  The temperature dropped to 67F/19.4C on May 8, then rose to 81F/27.2C on May 11 at 13 degrees above normal.  Cooler weather prevailed for the rest of the month, included a high of 52F/11.1C on May 22 at 8 degrees below normal.  There were 6 days with rain, 17 days with light rain, 14 days with fog, 3 days with haze, 14 cloudy days, 11 partly cloudy days & 6 fair days.

May is the most flowery month in Seattle.  The leaves on the trees are still a bright green as the rainy season comes to an end.

April in Seattle

Prunus serrulata (Flowering Cherry) on Beacon Hill April 2013

Rhododendron (Azalea) & Picea (Spruce) on Beacon Hill April 2013

Seed packets on the sidewalk in front of a shop in Chinatown April 2013

King Street Station in Pioneer Square has been renovated & restored for $56 million.  It was built in 1906 with the tower modeled on the campanile in piazza San Marco in Venice.  5 Amtrak trains depart daily for Portland, 2 for Vancouver BC & 1 for Spokane, carrying 672,000 passengers yearly. King Street Station is the 14th-busiest stop in the United States.

Magnolia in Seward Park.

April 2013 in Seattle was slightly warmer & much wetter than normal.  The mean temperature was 50.8F/10.4C.  The normal mean temperature is 50.3F/10.2C.  Total precipitation was 5.89 inches.  Normal precipitation is 2.71 inches.  The highest temperature was 71F/21.7C, the lowest 38F/3.3C.  There were 5 days with heavy rain, 10 days with rain, 20 days with light rain, 16 days with fog, 4 days with haze, 21 cloudy days, 6 partly cloudy days & 3 fair days.  Even with the abundance of rain, the month was mostly pleasant.  There were 12 days with very little, or no rain.  Temperatures were cool, but not cold.

I moved (temporarily) to a large apartment building on April 6.  Then I ceased to garden, except for an occasional visit to my tiny plot at Bradner Gardens Park.  At 7.6 acres, Othello Park is a fairly large, but not very interesting space across the street behind my building, almost entirely lawn with rather few trees.  It has recently been renovated with a small amphitheater & new asphalt paths.  I walk the dog there.

I get more pleasure looking out from the 7th-floor apartment at the topography of the southern end of the Rainier Valley.  A friend once called this the DEEP south, just 2 miles from the southern city limits.  To the west, there is a woodland along the east flank of Beacon Hill filled mostly with Acer macrophyllum (Bigleaf Maple) & to the east there is quite an assortment of trees in the upscale neighborhood on Graham Hill in Seward Park.  The land also rises to the north to form a low ridge that cuts across the valley at Hillman City.  Here the neighborhoods of Brighton & Dunlap sit in a sort of a bowl.

June Garden Pictures

Erigeron glaucus 'Albus' June 2012

Erigeron glaucus June 2012  

Gaura lindheimeri June 2012

Penstemon x mexicali June 2012

Rosa glauca June 2012

June 2012 in Seattle was cooler, with much more rain than normal.  The mean temperature was 58.3F/14.6C.  The normal mean temperature is 60.9F/16C.  Total precipitation was 2.96 inches.  Normal precipitation is 1.57 inches.  Many people complained about the weather.  The Seattle Times called it June-uary.  However, January 2012 saw 6.83 inches of rain.  Even normal January rainfall is 5.57 inches, nearly twice the amount we received in June 2012.  The normal mean temperature for January is 42F/5.5C.  My sympathy was limited.  June 2012 was more like May, which had 2.68 inches of rain.  Perennials grew larger than than ever.  Many shrubs & trees added an amazing amount of growth.  June 2012 was a month of abundance.  There was 1 day with heavy rain, 6 days with rain, 18 days with light rain, 12 days with fog, 1 day with haze, 21 cloudy days, 9 partly cloudy days & no fair days.  The highest temperature was 76F/24.4C, the lowest 43F/6.1C.  Consistently warm, dry & sunny weather does not usually arrive in Seattle until after the 4th of July.

May Garden Pictures

Acanthus syriacus May 2012

 Antirrhinum 'Dulcinea's Heart' May 2012

 Digitalis purpurea May 2012

 Geum 'Lady Stratheden' May 2012

Paeonia veitchii May 2012

May 2012 was slightly cooler & wetter than normal.   The mean temperature was 55.3F/13.1C.  The average mean temperature is 56F/13.3C.  The highest temperature was 80F/26.6C.  The lowest was 39F/3.8C.  Total precipitation was 2.05 inches.  Average total precipitation is 1.94 inches.  There were 15 days with light rain, 3 days with rain, 7 days with fog, 15 cloudy days, 10 partly cloudy days & 6 fair days.

April Garden Pictures

Bellis perennis & Lamium maculatum 'Beacon Silver' April 2012

Narcissus jonquilla April 2012

Paeonia mascula April 2012

Rhododendron campylogynum 'Celsum' April 2012

Tulipa 'Little Princess' April 2012

April 2012 was a normal month.  The mean temperature was 50.8F/10.4C.  The normal mean temperature is 50.3F/10.2C.  The highest temperature was 74F/23.3C, the lowest was 35F/1.7C.  Total precipitation was 2.68 inches.  Normal precipitation is 2.71 inches.   There was 1 day with heavy rain, 7 days with rain, 21 days with light rain, 1 day with hail, 15 days with fog, 2 days with haze, 21 cloudy days, 8 partly cloudy days & 1 fair day.

June Garden Pictures & Bloom Times

 Digitalis purpurea June 2011

Nectaroscordum siculum June 2011

 Oenothera versicolor June 2011

Penstemon serrulatus June 2011

 Thymus doerfleri 'Doone Valley'

Below is a list of plants that began to bloom in my garden in Seattle in June 2010. I recorded the date when the 1st flower opened, not when they were in bud. I think this information is helpful in planning your garden. If you have room for more plants that bloom in June, you can choose something new that will bloom along with something you already have, or you can fill temporal gaps between blooms.  Nurseries in Seattle usually sell plants when they are in bloom. I have included dates from previous years. Weather conditions probably account for most of the difference in bloom times.

June 2011 was cooler & drier than normal.  The average daily high temperature was 66.8F/19.3C.  The normal average daily high temperature is 70F/21.1C.  The highest temperature was 80F/26.6C, the lowest 38F/3.3C.  We had 0.67 inches of rain, 1.11 less than normal.  However, there were 1.25 inches in the rain gauge in my garden.  It rained on 13 days.  There were 13 cloudy days, 12 partly cloudy days & 5 sunny days.

06-01-11 Rhododendron 'Sappho' 5-04-10, 5-20-09, 5-18-08

06-02-11 Digitalis purpurea 5-26-09, 5-25-08

06-02-11 Erigeron glaucus 5-08-10. 5-29-09, 5-18-08

06-02-11 Paeonia 'Flame' 5-11-10, 5-25-09, 5-25-08

06-02-11 Rhododendron 'Purple Splendour' 5-26-09

06-03-11 Geranium cantabrigiense 5-15-10, 5-20-09, 5-18-08

06-03-11 Geranium orientalitibeticum 5-25-09

06-04-11 Campanula portenschlagiana 5-18-10

06-04-11 Ceanothus thyrsiflorus 'Victoria' 5-10-10, 5-30-09, 5-28-08

06-04-11 Rhododendron macrophyllum 5-18-10, 5-26-09, 5-18-08

06-05-11 Allium unifolium 5-27-10, 5-30-09, 5-25-08

06-05-11 Linnea borealis

06-05-11 Sisyrinchium californicum 5-25-10, 6-05-09, 6-12-08

06-05-11 Stachys chrysantha

06-06-11 Iris hartwegii 5-13-10

06-06-11 Sedum obtusatum 6-02-10, 6-03-08

06-07-11 Oenothera versicolor

06-07-11 Penstemon x mexicali 5-16-10, 6-05-09. 6-03-08

06-07-11 Rosa rugosa 'Hansa' 5-18-10

06-09-11 Echinocereus reichenbachii var. albispinus 5-25-10, 5-25-09

06-09-11 Kniphofia nelsonii 5-14-10, 6-01-09, 5-28-08

06-10-11 Penstemon serrulatus 5-30-10, 6-5-09, 6-12-08

06-10-11 Sisyrinchium striatum

06-11-11 Magnolia ashei  6-04-09, 6-03-10

06-11-11 Rosa nutkana

06-13-11 Digitalis obscura 06-05-09, 6-05-08

06-13-11 Lupinus arboreus

06-13-11 Rosa glauca  6-05-08,

06-14-11 Campanula persicifolia  6-09-10, 6-10-09

06-14-11 Lychnis coronaria

06-14-11 Thymus argenteus

06-15-11 Aruncus aethusifolius  6-02-10, 6-11-09, 6-21-08

06-15-11 Tanacetum parthenium

06-17-11 Paeonia 'Mischief'

06-18-11 Campanula poscharskyana  6-11-10, 5-26-09, 6-12-08

06-18-11 Digitalis lutea  6-02-10, 6-22-08

06-21-11 Allium cernuum  6-18-10, 6-12-09, 6-22-08

06-21-11 Digitalis dubia

06-21-11 Penstemon pinifolius  6-04-10, 6-11-09, 6-22-08

06-21-11 Sedum aizoon  6-23-10, 6-23-09

06-21-11 Sedum forsterianum 6-22-08

06-22-11 Clematis integrifolia  6-11-10, 6-11-09

06-22-11 Paeonia 'Nippon Beauty' 6-03-09

06-23-11 Sedum sexangulare  6-26-10, 6-16-09, 7-06-08

06-23-11 Stachys byzantina 6-18-08

06-25-11 Hypericum ‘Hidcote’  6-06-10, 6-10-09, 6-20-08

06-26-11 Erigeron 'Blue Beauty' 6-11-09

06-26-11 Prunella vulgaris

06-27-11 Acanthus hungaricus

06-27-11 Achillea millefolium

06-28-11 Hebe salicifolia  6-14-10, 6-16-09, 7-10-08

06-29-11 Triteleia ‘Queen Fabiola’  6-23-10, 6-11-09, 6-22-08

06-29-11 Ligularia stenocephala ‘The Rocket’  6-21-10, 7-06-08

06-29-11 Sedum dasyphyllum  6-26-10, 6-16-09, 6-25-08

06-30-11 Aconitum napellus 6-21-09. 6-30-08

May Garden Pictures & Bloom Times

Brunnera macrophylla 'Jack Frost' May 2010

Heuchera americana 'Plum Pudding', Primula japonica May 2010

Lamium maculatum 'Beacon Silver' May 2010

Trillium luteum, Saruma henryi May 2010

Vaccinium ovatum May 2010

Below is a list of plants that began to bloom in my garden in Seattle in May 2010. I recorded the date when the 1st flower opened, not when they were in bud. I think this information is helpful in planning your garden. If you have room for more plants that bloom in May, you can choose something new that will bloom along with something you already have, or you can fill temporal gaps between blooms.  Nurseries in Seattle usually sell plants when they are in bloom. I have included dates from previous years. Weather conditions probably account for most of the difference in bloom times.  May 2011 was colder & wetter than normal.  The average daily high temperature was 59.7F/15.4C.  The normal average daily high temperature is 64.4F/18C. We had 3.2 inches of rain, 1.42 more than normal.  There were 18 cloudy days, 9 partly cloudy days & 4 sunny days.

05-04-11  Lewisia leeana 5-05-09

05-05-11  Sedum kamtschaticum 4-18-10, 5-03-09, 5-15-08

05-06-11  Syringa vulgaris 4-02-10, 4-28-09, 4-28-08

05-06-11  Tulipa batalinii ‘Apricot Jewel’ 4-22-10, 5-03-09

05-07-11  Hypericum cerastoides 4-24-10, 5-10-09

05-07-11  Rhododendron decorum 5-10-09

05-09-11  Lewisia columbiana

05-09-11  Weigela coraeensis 4-17-10, 5-08-09, 5-10-08

05-09-11  Weigela florida ‘Variegata’ 4-23-10, 5-10-09, 5-18-08

05-10-11  Smilacina racemosa 4-24-10, 5-08-09

05-12-11  Allium karataviense 5-01-10, 5-09-09, 5-10-08

05-12-11  Eschscholzia californica 5-26-09

05-12-11  Cerastium tomentosum

05-12-11  Primula japonica

05-12-11  Rhododendron ‘Cynthia’ 4-24-10, 5-06-09, 5-05-08

05-13-11  Camassia quamash 4-25-10, 5-10-09, 5-10-08 

05-13-11  Campanula carpatica 5-15-10, 5-23-09, 5-18-08 

05-13-11  Paeonia suffruticosa ‘Renkaku’

05-13-11  Paeonia suffruticosa ‘Yoshinogawa’ 4-17-10, 5-08-09, 5-10-08

05-15-11  Crambe maritima 5-01-10, 5-15-09, 5-18-08

05-15-11  Maianthemum dilatatum 5-09-09

05-15-11  Rhododendron ‘Blue Peter’ 4-24-10, 5-14-09, 5-10-08

05-16-11  Allium aflatunense 5-08-10, 5-18-09, 5-18-08

05-16-11  Allium ‘Globemaster’ 5-04-10, 5-18-09, 5-18-08

05-16-11  Geranium sanguineum 5-03-09

05-16-11  Pratia pedunculata 5-04-10, 5-16-09, 5-10-08

05-16-11  Rhododendron occidentale 4-27-10,

05-16-11  Rhododendron ‘Pink Pearl’

05-18-11  Euphorbia nicaeensis 5-16-09

05-18-11  Ornithogalum umbellatum 4-28-10 , 5-10-09, 5-15-08

05-18-11  Syringa meyeri ‘Palibin’ 5-01-10, 5-16-09

05-19-11  Geranium himalayense 5-10-10, 5-18-09, 5-18-08

05-19-11  Geranium ‘Johnson’s Blue’ 5-01-10, 5-20-09

05-19-11  Trillium luteum 4-09-10, 5-08-09

05-19-11  Viburnum sargentii ‘Onondaga’ 5-03-10, 5-19-09, 5-22-08

05-20-11  Rhododendron yakushimanum ‘Yaku Princess’ 5-11-10, 5-14-09, 5-15-08

05-21-11  Allium cristophii 5-16-10, 5-26-09, 5-25-08

05-21-11  Iris macrosiphon 5-01-10, 5-18-09, 5-19-08

05-21-11  Paeonia veitchii 5-18-10

05-22-11  Homoglad (Homoglossum x Gladiolus)

05-22-11  Nectaroscordum siculum 5-07-10, 5-20-09, 5-22-08

05-22-11  Sorbus rehderiana

05-23-11  Neillia affinis

05-23-11  Rosa rugosa ‘Blanc Double de Coubert’ 5-06-10, 5-18-09, 5-15-08

05-24-11  Iris douglasiana 5-07-10, 5-18-09, 5-18-08

05-24-11  Weigela florida ‘Rubidor’ 5-10-10, 5-25-08

05-25-11  Erigeron karvinskianus

05-25-11  Iris chrysophylla 5-08-10

05-26-11  Alchemilla mollis ‘Select’

05-26-11  Antirrhinum sempervirens

05-27-11  Heuchera micrantha

05-27-11  Sedum spathulifolium

05-27-11  Sorbus ‘Birgitta’

05-30-11  Allium schubertii 5-22-10, 5-23-09, 5-25-08

05-30-11  Gaultheria shallon 5-04-10, 5-20-09, 5-22-08

05-30-11  Scilla peruviana 5-03-10, 5-25-09, 5-19-08

05-30-11  Sorbus gonggashanica 5-13-10, 5-18-09, 5-25-08