With spring well underway here in Seattle, new life is popping up everywhere from the flowering trees to the blooms lining the sidewalks and edges. Cherry Blossoms, magnolias, rhododendrons, daffodils, hyacinth, and more recently even tulips are making an appearance. Leaves are sprouting all over adding some much needed color to the dull backdrop of the winter months.
Still hanging onto Summer at Volunteer Park’s Dahlia Garden
Late last week, I realized that although we enjoyed the dahlias around the neighborhood and at the farmer’s markets, we never got the chance to pop over to the beautiful little garden at Capitol Hill’s Volunteer Park. I discovered the dahlia garden late last summer, and with it now being almost mid-October, I thought for sure the blooms would be long gone.
No visit to Volunteer Park would ever be a wasted visit with one of best playgrounds in the city, towering trees, a conservancy, and water tower among so much more, so we made the trek up to find out for sure. As you can probably guess, we lucked out. Yes, many flowers were worse for wear due to some pretty serious rainfall that Seattle has experienced in the last couple of weeks, but there were just as many amazingly beautiful dahlias to view and admire. And actually, the rain from earlier in the day added a lovely shine to flowers making the colors pop even more.
It turns out that the master garden’s of the Puget Sound Dahlia Association, the people behind the garden, don’t dig up the tubers until early November so as long as some of the blossoms hang on, we have a few more weeks to enjoy the colorful display!
Are you experiencing fall-like weather in your neck of the woods? How are you enjoying the outdoors?
Come join the conversation! We’d love to have you join us on all of our adventures by “liking” our facebook page and following us on twitter! You can also keep up to date with each and every post by subscribing to the blog via email.
Related Posts:
Seattle’s Volunteer Park Dahlia Garden
Here in Seattle we really can’t believe it’s fall. I keep waiting for things to change (and the rains to come), but here we are again with sunny skies, and 70 degree temperatures. I’m honestly worried. Am I overreacting? Nevertheless, we are certainly enjoying ourselves.
Our parks are still hanging on to summer as well. Just a few days ago on one of our afternoon walks, we visited Volunteer Park in the Capitol Hill neighborhood (just East of Downtown). We love Volunteer Park for it’s beautiful conservatory, water tower giving you unique views of the city, and wide open space. New to me this summer is Volunteer Park’s Dahlia Garden. The Dahlia Garden has been around for many years though, and given the fact that dahlias just happen to be my most favorite flower, I can’t believe I’ve missed the garden all this time! Where have I been? Why hadn’t anyone told me about it?
So many colors, shapes, sizes, and styles are represented in this modest garden located across from the conservatory and in front of the rhododendrons. I could have stayed for hours inspecting each and everyone. Lucky for Slaed and Bergen, who were not so fascinated, there is a playground hidden among the trees just a short distance away. So when they were bored of looking at flowers, they escaped to slide, swing, and climb. Norman and I were left alone to admire.
Info to Know
- The Volunteer Park Dahlia Garden is located in Volunteer Park (near the conservatory), and maintained by the Puget Sound Dahlia Association.
- 1247 15th Ave East Seattle, WA 98112
- Hours: 6 am-10pm
- The dahlias are planted every May, and dug up the following October. Peak viewing is in the month of August, though the season is July-September.
- A visit to Volunteer Park makes a great outing. Some of the other features include, the Seattle Asian Art Museum (SAAM), the water tower, wading pool, playground, and conservatory.
Have you “liked” our facebook page? You’ll find more photos there, and you can keep track of ALL our adventures!