The native flora are both abundant and varied, including towering Douglas firs and tiny calypso orchids, spectacular rhododendrons that set the mountain trails ablaze in May, and the subtle greenery of maidenhair ferns. Not surprisingly, Seattle is a green city. Corporate headquarters are swathed in gardens, and tiny urban yards spill down sidewalk strips into vacant lots and traffic circles. Dramatic container gardens encircle tall office buildings, baskets dripping with flowers decorate windows and lampposts, and community gardens, called P-Patches, beautify otherwise unused city property.
Downtown rooftops and terraces are green with gardens.
Freeway Park drapes the midcity interchanges with verdant curtains of ivy, the incessant roar of the traffic obscured by whispering stands of bamboo. Volunteer Park on Capitol Hill boasts magnificent specimen trees and a splendid Victorian conservatory overflowing with flowers. Here are some of the area's outstanding gardens, most of which may be visited without charge. Although this garden opened only in 1992, it has quickly become a popular year-round destination. Walking up the steps to the entrance, visitors are greeted by a cleverly designed water feature that is both visually striking and pleasing to the ear.