Dahila Beds

We started incorporating Dahlias into the Temple Gardens 4 years ago (Spring of 2016), and we have never looked back.  It is one of our highlights every year to watch and grow, as sure i'm sure it is for others coming to visit the grounds.  We have continued to find other flowers or plants to put with them, and experiment with different designs.  Richard Nelson does a good job designing, planting and watching over the dahlias.  Here are some pictures Richard took a few weeks ago while "summer" was still around in Seattle. (haha)  This summer was a short one and not as hot!

Getting the Beds Ready for Fall Flowers

It's that time of the year already!  We had a cold spell that came in over the weekend, which basically turned it into the Autumn season.  So we are getting ahead start on our fall flowers/bulb preparation in our flower beds.  Temperatures dipped into the 30's for the first time this weekend so the flowers will be dying off anyways.  This just helps us plant our fall flowers (pansies, ornamental kale, heuchera, and others) sooner so they have a chance to set their roots.  We will follow a week later planting bulbs in between the flower plants.  It will be difficult to find a time as the rainy season makes it a muddy mess to figure out, but we will trudge ahead.  Here is a before and after shot of the work we did while the temple was closed on Monday.

A Quick Seattle Summer at the Temple

Well, this year has been an interesting one relating to the weather.  We had rain the week leading up to the 4th of July and it has remained relatively cold (60's - 70's) most of the time.  We have had several week chunks of 75-85 degree days which has helped to get out of the rainy blues.  The temple grounds has had the irrigation turned off for multiple weeks throughout the summer which is a rare situation.  The grass has reaped the benefits of a cool summer and has looked really nice.  The flower beds have had some ups and downs as they like an early hot summer, with less rainy week sprees.  Some of the cherries have had some fungus issues with die back on the branch tips because of the cool, wet weather.  Overall, it has been a great summer, and we look forward to Autumn.  Here are some pics of what's been going around here.

Photo by Jason Jarman, President of the Bellevue South Stake, September 2019

The flowers in the traffic circle have been a little spotty this year, mainly the pink osteospermum daisies, not sure why.  The white ones you can see in this picture are blooming really well.

The dahlias keep getting bigger and bigger since we started them 3 years ago, one of our favorite flower beds each year!

A new Dahlia we planted this year called 'Pooh'

Primary group that came to volunteer from the May Valley Ward, Richard cut them some Dahlia Flowers

The new carpet for the entire 4th floor that was done during the summer shutdown recently

Richard, Jacob, and Zach Turner watching the first ever World-wide Temple Grounds Conference via live stream Aug. 30

We put a new floor in the grounds shop giving it a much needed face-lift

Turning the Chiller bed into a shrub bed, due to the grass not performing to temple standards in recent years. We plan to put ferns, hostas, and some Japanese forest grasses here.

Mid-Summer Report

We made it from spring into summer, although the weather has been quite rainy.  The 4th of July was 75 degrees and cloudy, but the day before was rainy and cold.  We seem to have waves of a few weeks of rain and moisture, then 75 degrees for a week or so then more clouds and rain.  It is a little different to manage as we are not in need of water in areas, but weeds are taking over certain areas, since we can't spray in the rain.  We are trying some other methods and they seem to be working. Our crew this summer is awesome and we are having a good time getting the jobs done. We feel blessed to work in a great environment with great people.  This job sure comes with its challenges, but we are fortunate to be where we are.  Here's to a great summer!

Springtime Photo Shoot

Spring is such a wonderful time for fresh perspective, growth, and new opportunities. I believe that is why the Resurrection of Jesus Christ was such a significant event that needed an appropriate setting. I always love catching plants highlighting their beauty in the springtime. Here are a few pictures from the temple grounds I took recently.

Cherry Blossoms in Full Swing

Every year our cherry trees put on a show for the patrons as they come to the temple.  We have had great weather too, so the camera was rolling! They are one of my favorite things about spring!

Winter Shutdown is Officially Over and No More Snow...?

The temple opened today after a four week closure for maintenance.  Out on the grounds the first two weeks were dealing with the snowstorms and then we were able to get a few projects done on the latter two weeks of shutdown.  Spring should be right around the corner, since I noticed the first 60+ degree day on the temperature app on my phone.  One can only hope! 

Hydrangea Pruning will help these plants look amazing this summer!

Elder Jensen and Richard Nelson clearing out the "Tub" so new lights could be installed.
This will help the front sign stand out by adding these new bar LED lights

It's a muddy and very tedious job due to it being a tight spot without much room for the shovel to move.  It was about 4 feet deep.