Seattle Waterfront Perennials
It’s mid-June on the Seattle Waterfront, and the newly planted perennials have relaxed into the easy-breezy verdancy of early summer. If you take a walk, here’s what you might see.
Along Alaskan Way, Hakonechloa macra, or Japanese Forest Grass, forms rippling carpets that catch passing breezes and echo the feeling of the water beyond. Its simple massing habit and gentle movement are easy on the eyes, offering refreshing moments of tranquility within this rich and varied landscape.
Hakonechloa macra, or Japanese Forest Grass
Elsewhere, the diaphanous inflorescences of Helictotrichon sempervirens and Nassella tenuissima create depth and intrigue. The light-hearted pinks and yellows of Achillea millefolium ‘Lilac beauty’ and Achillea millefolium ‘Moonshine’ are gradually revealed as you travel along the path to the ferry terminal.
Achillea millefolium ‘Moonshine’
Achillea millefolium ‘Lilac beauty’
Late spring bulbs such as Allium ‘Globemaster’ and Allium ‘Summer Drummer’ are just finishing. The exuberance of their blossoms is slowly being replaced by the quiet dignity of their seed heads. With forms resembling diminutive fireworks, they will carry their spark even as their color fades.
Allium ‘Globemaster’
Meanwhile, Aruncus dioicus, our native goatsbeard, and a few select cultivars have begun throwing up their lacey plumes. In a sea of Carex comans ‘Frosted Curls’, they become splashy whitecaps. On the corner of a planted median, they emerge as a festive exclamation from a drift of Epimedium versicolor ‘Sulphureum’.
Aruncus dioicus and Carex comans ‘Frosted Curls’
Aruncus dioicus
Elsewhere, Persicaria amplexicaulus ‘Taurus’ is quietly preparing to stun with its profusion of wine-colored racemes. Paired harmoniously with the soft, blush-tinged flowers of Pennisetum ‘Karley Rose’ and more strikingly with Oregon native Iris douglasiana, it will be buzzing soon with a variety of pollinators drawn to its abundant nectar.
Persicaria amplexicaulus ‘Taurus’
Iris douglasiana
Tried and proven in countless public and private gardens, these are just a few of the hundreds of herbaceous perennials that we selected for the waterfront due to their high stress tolerance and adaptability. Evolving in meadow and steppe conditions where temperatures fluctuate, moisture levels vary, and grazing pressures are ever present, these long-lived species have learned how to thrive by developing deep roots and vigorous growth habits.
Their superpower is found in their suppleness. Unlike their shapely yet brittle shrub cousins, herbaceous perennials can be trampled and cut back in winter and still regenerate the following spring. To be selected for this public garden, however, regenerative tendencies alone are not enough. To provide a year-round aesthetic experience, we selected cultivars that hold their form, bloom in sequence, and have flowers that turn into beautiful seed heads.