Summit Slope Park & Unpaving Paradise P-Patch

Summit Slope Park July 2012

Unpaving Paradise P-Patch July 2012

Unpaving Paradise P-Patch July 2012

Unpaving Paradise P-Patch July 2012 with tool shed & alley behind

Unpaving Paradise P-Patch July 2012 with extra-long picnic table

Unpaving Paradise P-Patch is part of Summit Slope Park on the west slope of Capitol Hill in Seattle.  This is a very densely populated area.  The park & p-patch were created from a parking lot in 2010.  The design & execution were excellent.  This is among the nicest small parks in Seattle.  When I first saw the site, it seemed odd to me to have a p-patch in an area with so much pedestrian & vehicular traffic.  I thought vandalism would be rampant.  But I haven't seen any obvious injury to the space & now I really love it.  The largest part of the park is p-patch.  There are also 2 small pieces of lawn, some basic landscaping, areas of pavement including stairs, a tool shed, 1 barbecue grill & possibly the longest picnic table in Seattle.  There are 37 plots on land owned by the Seattle Department of Parks & Recreation.  The entire park covers 1/5th of an acre at the corner Summit Avenue E & E John Street, right next to the E Olive Way business district.  Click here to see more Seattle P-Patches.

Republican P-Patch

Republican P-Patch July 2012

Republican P-Patch July 2012

Republican P-Patch July 2012

Republican P-Patch July 2012

 Republican P-Patch July 2012

The Republican P-Patch can be found on Capitol Hill in Seattle.  So you should not expect most (or any) of the gardeners here to be Republicans.  Voters in this legislative district gave Obama 83.5% of the vote in the 2008 presidential election.  The Republican P-Patch is located at 503 20th Avenue E on the corner of E Republican Street.  The neighborhood here, known as Miller Park, is not as densely populated as other areas on south Capitol Hill.  It is composed mostly of smaller, early 20th century apartment buildings & houses.  This p-patch is one of the older community gardens in Seattle.  Established in 1986, it has 23 plots on privately-owned land, leased by the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods.  It has a quiet, earthy, yet urban feel.  Click here to see more Seattle P-Patches.

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.

Howell Collective P-Patch

Howell Collective P-Patch beside The Sanctuary. July 2012

Howell Collective P-Patch with Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower). July 2012

Howell Collective P-Patch & an entrance to a condominium at The Sanctuary. July 2012

Helianthus annuus (Sunflower) at Howell Collective P-Patch. July 2012

 Seven Hills Park. July 2012

The Howell Collective P-Patch lies in a strip between The Sanctuary & Seven Hills Park in Seattle.  The Sanctuary is a condominium development built within a beautiful & impressive old Christian Science church.  Entrances to a few of the units are visible next to the p-patch.  The old church, & to a lesser extent the p-patch, are the only compelling reasons to visit Seven Hills Park, among the blandest of parks in Seattle.  However, the park is certainly an improvement over the parking lot that preceded it.  Tables & barbecue grills are a nice touch.  The rocks that represent the 7 hills of Seattle are almost comically less than imposing.  The rest is mostly grass.  The Howell Collective P-Patch was established in 2011.  It is owned by the Seattle Department of Parks & Recreation.  There are no individual plots here.  The p-patch has been designed, planted, maintained & harvested together by the members of this community garden.  Click here to read the Howell Collective P-Patch Blog.  The garden & park are near the 15th Avenue E business district.  Click here to see more Seattle P-Patches.