Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Garden

More about the garden:

Puget Sound Daylily Club Display Bed at Carl S. English Jr Botanical Garden

In the heart of the Puget Sound, is the city of Ballard, Washington.  The city’s origins began with the settlement of many settlers from the Scandinavian regions of Europe with the main industry of fishing. To encourage commerce and the fishing industry the concept of creating a canal to link the Puget Sound to Lake Union was conceived and in 1916 the locks were completed and renamed Hiram Chittenden Locks in 1956.  Pretty dry stuff, but visualize now seven acres of an English style garden, created by one of the masters of gardening, Carl S English Jr.  Mr. English was contacted in 1931 to create this amazing garden for the public to enjoy year-round and for 40 years he curated this garden under the auspices of the Army Corps of Engineers that manage this park today.   Today, this garden is visited by tourists from not only the United States but from all points of the world.  How many languages will you hear when you visit?

In 1913 at the locks, the Army Corps of Engineers began construction on several buildings built in the elegant, second renaissance revival style with completion in 1948.  The Administrative Building, which sits across from the display bed was designed by noted Seattle architect Carl F. Gould.   The lovely buildings house a museum, gift shop, and public restrooms.  The garden is managed to this day by the Army Corps of Engineers and has become a destination botanical garden.

Imagine walking through the pillared, shaded entryway, 7 acres containing several curated display gardens, one of which features the Puget Sound Daylily Club’s display garden.  The Puget Sound Daylily Club is part of Region 8 of the American Daylily Society.

The visitor will find that the botanical garden contains mature trees native and non-native, open areas for sunning and picnics, and long walkways to enjoy, bounded on one side by the locks. In the background one can hear the cries of seagulls, ship vessel horns, the chatter of guests, and the sound of water spilling down the fish ladder.   Smell the scent of briny saltwater and watch boats and vessels, small and large, plain or opulent waiting to pass through the locks to enter Lake Union or continue through to the Lake Washington Ship Canal to Lake Washington for a day of leisure or business.

The display garden, while not exclusive of other hybridizers, its intention is to feature the cultivars hybridized by respected northwest hybridizers that have created lovely and colorful daylilies. These daylilies thrive not only in the Northwest but in other locals. Come find delight in the diversity of form, color, and patterns of the daylily.  The peak season for daylilies is mid-June to mid-July with extended bloom until September.   In late July, the Puget Sound Daylily Club traditionally hosts an off-scape bloom show with the public voting for their favorite bloom.

The Carl S. English Botanical Garden is handicap accessible and provides easy terrain to navigate. The botanical garden design was created to provide year-round seasonal interest for the guests to enjoy.  The fish ladder is open to the public year-round with peak salmon runs through August.