I recently visited a botanical garden I had not been to before: Soos Creek Botanical Garden and Heritage Center, located in Auburn, Washington. I must say that I was awe-stricken with the beauty and size of the garden, which is actually made up of several gardens, each with their own particular types of plant species. The main trails are well manicured with gravel, with gentle sloping in some areas. As an alternative, one can walk the long, rolling green area between the two main trails, which actually connect together. Other natural, side trails loop through small forested areas, as well as some rather steep trail steps that lead down to Soos Creek at the far end of the trail. This particular trail section is suitable only for those physically fit and able to climb up and down stairs. I did not negotiate this part of the trail at this time, but plan to in the future. In fact, I had not realized that the garden was so big, and I didn’t have the time to explore all of it on this particular day.
Right now, the usual summer blooms are absolutely gorgeous, especially the Hydrangeas. If you love Hydrangeas, this garden has lots of varieties and colors of Hydrangeas—some of the most beautiful I have ever seen!
Here are some species of Hydrangeas blooming in the garden, to include Mophead, Lacecap, and Panicle.
Here are a few other flowers species I encountered during my stroll through the garden.
Dahlias
Rose of Sharon
Hibiscus
Cosmos
Black Eyed Susans
Globe Thistle (Echinops)
Clematis
Pond Garden
The garden also has over 100 hybrid varieties of Rhododendrons, which I’m sure are absolutely gorgeous in the springtime! There are also many species of flowering trees and shrubs, many of which flower in the spring as well. Also, I’m looking forward to visiting the garden during the autumn season to view the changing leaf color of the many species of deciduous trees in the garden.
Also located on the garden grounds is an aviary that holds doves, peafowl, cockatiels, and parakeets—something you don’t see in most gardens!
As well, there is the Soos Creek Heritage Center, devoted to the history of the early settlers of the area. Here you will find a collection of photos, maps, and artifacts dating back many decades ago.
The garden is open on a limited basis and by donation. Please check their web page for details.
All images property of Peggy A Thompson
northwestphotos 
Terrific shots. You keep getting better and better. Cheers.
Beautiful flowers!
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed the flowers! I’m excited about this new botanical garden I found!
Something that I thought was odd (although quite normal) for that region was the prominence of blue hydrangeas and the lack of pink hydrangeas. In the Santa Clara Valley, it used to be just the opposite. I could get hydrangeas to bloom blue with fertilizer, but they would revert right back to pink when they got the chance. Modern cultivars are a bit more cooperative, but even reliably blue cultivars tend to be somewhat purplish.
I suppose it has to do with the acidity and mineral content in the soil?
Yes; the soil of the Santa Clara Valley is innately slightly alkaline. The soil of most of the Olympic Peninsula is slightly acidic.
What an amazing garden. The hydrangeas are gorgeous, but I think my favorite is the Cosmos.