October in Seattle

 

 Liquidambar styraciflua (Sweet Gum) in Madison Valley in October 2013

Hydrangea quercifolia (Oakleaf Hydrangea) in Madison Valley in October 2013

 Seattle Japanese Garden in October 2013

Hamamelis mollis (Chinese Witch Hazel) at the Washington Park Arboretum in October 2013

 

 Sorbus commixta (Japanese Rowan) at the Washington Park Arboretum in October 2013

October 2013 in Seattle was cooler & much drier than normal.  The mean temperature was 51.7F/10.94C.  The normal mean temperature is 52.8F/11.56C.  Total precipitation was 1.54 inches/39.12mm.  Normal precipitation is 3.48 inches/88.39mm.  The highest temperature was 73F/22.78C on 10/6.  The lowest was 38F/3.33C on 10/29.  There were 2 days with heavy rain, 4 days with rain, 11 days with light rain & 24 days with fog (12 of them with visibility at less than 1/4 mile) 15 cloudy days, 12 partly cloudy days & 4 fair days.      

There was an unusual amount of fog during an extended period of high pressure, drought & dense low clouds.  Warm-weather systems coming from both east & west trapped cool, foggy air over the city for two weeks from 10/10 to 10/24.  Some people were unhappy with this, but it could easily have rained instead.  I love fog & have pleasant memories of my walk to school in that mysterious atmosphere.  When the month of October started, most deciduous shrubs & trees were still green.  By the end of the month, most, but certainly not all, had turned to red, orange, brown, yellow & gold.  Only a few had lost all or most of their leaves.  There was very little wind to strip away the foliage.  I moved from an apartment at Othello Station to a house with space for a garden in Rainier Vista on October 31.  I was very excited about that.

Acclimatized: Heaven & Earth 5 at Carkeek Park

Spiritual Play Tower by Alan Fulle in September 2013

Tree Pods by Elizabeth Gahan in September 2013.  These are made from campaign signs.

As I walked with a friend through Carkeek Park on the beautiful 1st day of September 2013, I was surprised to find art strewn about.  I'd seen temporary art installations in parks before.  And in fact, this was the 5th year art had been presented in the park.  But it is always arresting to see art where usually there is none.  This outdoor art exhibition was orchestrated by the Center on Contemporary Art, better known as CoCA.  There were 14 artworks.  I found these 2 to be most attractive.  I want a gazebo like this in my garden.

Here is what CoCa has to say about this exhibition: In addition to the obvious reference to climate-change adaptation, Acclimatized: Heaven and Earth 5 hinges on the skill of 14 intrepid artists in placing various eco-artworks in the park that are designed to withstand the intensity of scrutiny by an estimated 100,000 summer visitors to the park. Acclimatized is one of the region's only venues for site-specific artwork in an urban forest setting where part of the exhibit includes a walking tour of an hour or more.

Sidewalk Garden on E Thomas Street

Lavandula stoechas, Bergenia, Fuchsia magellanica, Mahonia aquifolium & Miscanthus sinensis in the 

Sidewalk Garden on E Thomas Street October 2012

Vaccinium corymbosum, Mahonia aquifolium & Philadelphus in the 

Sidewalk Garden on E Thomas Street October 2012

Vaccinium corymbosum, Mahonia aquifolium & Philadelphus in the 

Sidewalk Garden on E Thomas Street October 2012

Berberis thunbergii & Nandina domestica in the Sidewalk Garden on E Thomas Street October 2012

 

 Mahonia aquifolium in the Sidewalk Garden on E Thomas Street October 2012

This is one of the most exuberant sidewalk plantings I have encountered on the streets of Seattle.  I really love it.  The plants are great.  They provide color throughout much of the year & fruit in the summer & fall.  Many of the plants are repeated.  But they are not repeated too often, which is the most disappointing aspect of landscape design in general.  Some of the plants most used in this garden are Bergenia (Elephant Ears) Fuchsia magellanica (Hardy Fuchsia) Lavandula stoechas (Spanish Lavender) Mahonia aquifolium (Oregon Grape) Nandina domestica (Heavenly Bamboo) Philadelphus (Mock Orange) Vaccinium corymbosum (Blueberry) & Vaccinium ovatum (Evergreen Huckleberry).  Blueberry is not a good choice for a sidewalk garden, because it does not tolerate dryness.  Lavender is a very xeric plant & commonly used.  

The major concern I have this garden is that it does not follow the guidelines set by the City of Seattle, which limits the height of plants in parking strips to 30 inches.  This is important because taller plants block the visibility of cars on the street & can be dangerous for driving.  I have often had problems while driving, when crossing streets, or turning onto them, because the plants were to tall to see approaching cars.  I have come close to collision several times.  This garden is on a street corner, which seems particularly unsafe.  That said, I must admit that the plants in my own sidewalk garden (the Cascadia Garden) exceeded 30 inches.  But that garden was mid-block, with no driveways on that side of the street.  The city does not inspect sidewalk gardens, unless there is a complaint.

From the Seattle Department of Transportation: Planting strip treatments: Plants in planting strips vary greatly in their potential to provide optimum pedestrian and environmental benefits. Though SDOT allows the installation of grass the department encourages the installation of low (24-30 inches) shrubs, perennial or groundcover plantings that provide a superior degree of separation between the sidewalk and street at reduced maintenance costs.

Schmitz Preserve Park

 Pseudotsuga menziesii (Douglas Fir) & Thuja plicata (Western Red Cedar) in Schmitz Preserve Park October 2011

Acer macrophyllum (Bigleaf Maple) in Schmitz Preserve Park October 2011

 Polypodium glycyrrhiza (Licorice Fern) in Schmitz Preserve Park October 2011

Blechnum spicant (Deer Fern) in Schmitz Preserve Park October 2011

 

SW Admiral Way Bridge over Schmitz Preserve Park October 2011

Schmitz Preserve Park in West Seattle is a natural wonder.  It covers 53 acres in a ravine filled with old growth forest, creeks, trails & a multitude of native plants.  Unfortunately, the Inaugural Day Storm of 1993 blew down several of the remaining old growth trees in the park, leaving precious few.  A larger old growth forest (120 acres) exists in Seward Park & some old growth trees can be found in Lincoln Park in a more park-like setting.  Schmitz Preserve was donated to the city in pieces between 1908 & 1912. The largest portion (30 acres) came from Ferdinand Schmitz, who served on the park commission at that time. It was Schmitz's idea to preserve part of the rapidly disappearing forest in its natural state.  Additions to the park were purchased in 1930, 1947, and 1958.  From the park, it is possible to walk down the ravine, past Schmitz Park Elementary School, through the Alki Playground to the Alki business district & Alki Beach Park.

September in Seattle

Brighton in September 2013
 

Chrysanthemum & Dahlia in Columbia City in September 2013 

Downtown Seattle on 5th Avenue in September 2013

Saint James Cathedral on 1st Hill in September 2013

 

 Pseudotsuga menziesii (Douglas Fir) along Lake Washington in Seward Park in September 2013

September 2013 in Seattle was warmer & much wetter than normal. The mean temperature was 63.2F/17.3C.  The normal mean temperature is 61.6F/16.4C.  The highest temperature was 93F/33.9C, the lowest 45F/7.2C.  Total precipitation was 5.01 inches/127.25mm, which set a record for the month of September.  Normal precipitation is 1.52 inches/38.61mm.  The previous record was 2.9 inches/73.66mm in 2010.  There were 3 days with heavy rain, 4 days with rain, 18 days with light rain, 9 days with fog, 7 cloudy days, 20 partly cloudy days & 3 fair days.  The high temperature of 93F/33.9C on 9/11 was a shock after a summer with very few hot days.  It was 80F/26.7C the day before & 78F/25.6C the day after.  The heavy rain (3.1 inches/78.74mm) that fell 9/28-30 was also a surprise.  So much rain in just a few days usually happens only in winter.

The Station at Othello Park

Come Dance with Me, an artwork by Augusta Asberry, at The Station at Othello Park in August 2013.  The plantings include Nasella tenuissima (Mexican Feather Grass) Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Nigrescens' (Black Mondo Grass) & Euphorbia x martinii.

Othello Station in August 2013

Hebe 'Champion' at The Station at Othello Park in August 2013

Gunnera & Liriope spicata at The Station at Othello Park in August 2013

Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola', Liriope spicata & Nandina domestica at The Station at Othello Park in August 2013

I lived at The Station at Othello Park from April through October of 2013, after my house in Mt Baker was sold & before the construction of my house in Rainier Vista was finished.  I thought the landscaping there was fairly good for a commercial project.  Much of it is visible from the sidewalks around the 351-unit, 7-floor building on the southeast corner of S Othello Street & Martin Luther King Jr Way S.  The building opened directly across from the Othello Station (light rail) in 2011.

Colman Park P-Patch

Tool shed at the Colman Park P-Patch September 2012

Colman Park P-Patch September 2012

Colman Park P-Patch September 2012

Colman Park P-Patch September 2012

 

Colman Park P-Patch September 2012

Although the Colman Park P-Patch is fairly large, it is only a small part of beautiful Colman Park, itself only a very small part of the grand & venerable Olmsted Legacy in Seattle & other cities in the United States & Canada.  The p-patch fills the broad ravine at the top of the park, near 31st Avenue S.  Access to the p-patch is most easily gained from 32nd Avenue S, where it dead-ends into Colman Park, just south of S Massachusetts Street.  This is one of the most lovely settings for a p-patch in Seattle, surrounded by trees & sloping toward Lake Washington in broad terraces.  It was once a Department of Parks & Recreation nursery.  There are 47 plots here on 14,000 square feet of land owned by the Seattle Department of Parks & Recreation.  The Colman Park P-Patch was established in 1974.  You can walk from here to the excellent Bradner Gardens Park P-Patch, which is very different, but equally worthy. 

Volunteer Park Conservatory in September

The new ticket vending machine (near the entrance) in the palm house in September 2013

The seasonal display house in September 2013

The cactus house in September 2013

The fern house in September 2013

The bromeliad house in September 2013

Click here for more photos of Volunteer Park.

The Volunteer Park Conservatory is always a pleasure.  In September 2013, I found two major changes.  Following the results of a 2012 study Seattle Parks and Recreation conducted to identify a more financially stable model for operating the Conservatory, the City adopted the $4 adult entry fee beginning on February 1, 2013.  Also, the center of the seasonal display house had been cleared & paved, with a few benches & planters set in a symmetrical pattern.  I liked the open space, which had been cluttered before.  But I thought the planters were tacky.  The planting design is consistently excellent, better than I have seen in any other conservatory. 

Built in 1912, the Conservatory is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  The Volunteer Park Conservatory is open except on Mondays, even on holidays, from 10 to 4.  Summer hours are 10 to 7. The conservatory has 5 houses, each quite different. There are bromeliad, palm, fern, seasonal display & cactus houses.  It is hard to say which is most interesting.  The seasonal displays are changed 6 times each year.  Plants are often replaced in all of the houses.

I think Volunteer Park is the greatest park in Seattle.  Not only is the park beautiful, but it has a number of first-rate attractions including the conservatory, the Seattle Asian Art Museum, Isamu Noguchi's Black Sun & the panoramic view from the Water Tower.  The park is easily reached from Downtown Seattle by the 10 Capitol Hill bus, which stops at the park.

August in Seattle

Beacon Hill in August 2013. A myriad of plants, both native & exotic, thrive in Seattle.  Yet many home landscapes are little more than lawn left to brown in the perennial summer drought.

Seattle Central Community College on Capitol Hill in August 2013. This building opened in 1970.  Tracks are being laid for the First Hill Streetcar.

Oddfellows Building on Capitol Hill in August 2013.  Built in 1908, this building contains a collection of retail spaces, offices & creative users.  Perhaps the best known is the Century Ballroom.  This part of the hill, the Pike/Pine corridor, has been recently revitalized with new shops, housing, bars & restaurants.

Alcea rosea (Common Hollyhock) in NewHolly in August 2013

Hydrangea macrophylla & Fuchsia magellenica in West Seattle in August 2013

August in Seattle was warmer & wetter than normal.  The mean temperature was 69.4F/20.8C.  The normal mean temperature is 66.1F/18.9C.  Total precipitation was 1.35 inches/ 34.29mm.  Normal precipitation is 0.88 inches/ 22.35mm.  The highest temperature was 88F/31.1C, the lowest 56F/13.3C.  There was 1 day with heavy rain, 4 days with rain, 12 days with light rain, 1 day with fog, 5 days with haze, 10 cloudy days, 14 partly cloudy days & 7 fair days.  It was about as pleasant as August can be.

New Holly 29th Avenue Garden

New Holly 29th Avenue Garden August 2013

The New Holly 29th Avenue Garden is my favorite garden in the New Holly Development at the south end Rainier Valley of Seattle.  It was in sharp contrast to the very nearby & superficially similar New Holly Lucky Garden, which was quite a mess when I saw it in August 2013.  The New Holly 29th Avenue Garden was beautifully maintained.  I lived near New Holly from April to September of 2013.  The New Holly 29th Avenue Garden is located at 29th Avenue S & S Brighton Street.  It covers 2,000 square feet with 11 plots that each measures 100 square feet.  The land is owned by the Seattle Housing Authority.  This garden was established in 2001.  New Holly (formerly Holly Park) was the first of the large Seattle Housing Authority properties to be redeveloped.