Most of the dahlias on display in Volunteer Park, including this flashy red and white stripe, will be on sale next spring from the Puget Sound Dahlia Association. Cactus dahlias, like this yellow and pink 'Camano Messenger,' are among the largest blooms. Some reach 15 inches across. One of the oldest Seattle park gardens is the Carl S. English Jr. Gardens at the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks. Many people come to the locks to marvel over the salmon leaping the ladders, or to watch the spectacle of the boat-filled locks filling and emptying.
Visitors appreciate the shade of the venerable trees and picnicking on the grassy hillside.
But there is much more to admire. When it built the locks to connect Puget Sound with our lakes, the Army Corps of Engineers set aside seven acres for a residence and landscaped grounds. The garden's waterside location provides some of the most moderate temperatures in Seattle, ideal for growing a wide range of plants. Most of the older trees at the locks are grown from seed English collected in exchanges with individuals and arboreta around the world. This tradition of seeking out the new and unusual continues, and it was here that I first saw Brugmansia grown large enough that I could walk beneath its bell-shaped flowers for a full hit of fragrance.