By Sara Peterson
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| A young Carl English |
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| Carl and District Engineer Colonel Eineigl |
The gardens at the
Hiram M. Chittenden Locks—or as many people call them, the Ballard
Locks—might not be the often-photographed and popular gathering
place they are today if it wasn't for Carl S. English, Jr., the
gardens' namesake. English was a budding botanist even in his
formative years, and his lifelong love for and fascination with
plants and flora can be seen in every tree and flower that decorates
the locks.
Carl S. English, Jr.
was born on October 22, 1904, and grew up on his family's farm near
Camas, Washington. His green thumb most likely came from his mother,
who took care of the farm's many houseplants and garden flowers. Carl
made his own foray into the world of plants at age 16, when he built
a 16-by-50-foot greenhouse using his own money and with very little
help.
A high-school botany
course solidified English's interest in the subject, and he
eventually enrolled at the State College of Washington (now
Washington State University) to become a botany specialist. It was
while he was in Pullman, Washington, that English met his future
wife, Edith Hardin, at the school's herbarium. She was a zoology
major herself, but was just as interested in botany as Carl was. They
were also both students of Dr. Harold St. John, a botany professor
who later taught at the University of Hawaii.
English graduated
from college in 1929 with a degree in botany, and he and Edith moved
to Portland, Oregon. While there, English did landscaping work with
the Swiss Floral Company. In addition, he and Edith maintained a
small seed and plant business of their own, focusing on plants native
to the Pacific Northwest.
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| Aerial view on locks grounds and Ballard industry in background 1928 |
The Englishes moved
north to Seattle, Washington, in 1931, and that November, Carl began
working with the Corps of U.S. Engineers as an assistant
horticulturist for the then-called Government Locks (now the Hiram M.
Chittenden Locks). English would eventually become the locks' main
horticulturist. He and Edith also brought their growing plant and
seed business with them from Portland, as it was quite successful in
its own right.
With such an
interest in so many plant varieties, English felt compelled to apply
his expertise and enthusiasm to the Ballard Locks gardens. The
gardens' look had changed very little since the locks first opened in
1917. Original plantings for the gardens had come from materials
donated by the Seattle Park Development group, and mainly consisted
of a few shrubs. In fact, before Carl came along, the main duty of
the groundkeepers was mowing the lawn.
By 1940, English had
been placed in charge of the gardens, and starting then he made it
his responsibility to build the gardens into something special.
Little by little, he replaced many of the original plants with ones
he had grown himself from seeds. It was actually quite challenging to
find plants that would thrive or even grow on the grounds, due to
poor drainage over a lot of the area. But English and his wealth of
knowledge were up to the task.
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| Carl S. English, Jr., horticulturist at the locks. 11 April 1962 |
He sought to
transform the gardens into a showcase for all sorts of trees, shrubs,
and plants. Thanks to his seed and plant business, Carl had access to
a variety of plants from nearly all parts of the globe, and at
virtually no cost. The Englishes had their own seeds and plants to
contribute to the project as well that they had collected on
vacations throughout the western part of the continent. Plus, they
had a lively seed exchange with foreign botanical gardens and with
friends who shared an interest in plants.
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| A small sampling of the plants and flowers throughout the garden. |
As Carl built up the
gardens, he used small greenhouses at the locks as temporary homes
for the hundreds of plants he grew from seed and tested in the garden
environment. Under Carl's direction and dedication, the gardens
eventually flourished into a haven for botanists and plant lovers
from around the world. And, of course, they became a popular
gathering place that many locals and visitors still enjoy today.
English loved
sharing his expertise and knowledge with anyone who showed interest.
In 1969, he put together a free list for visitors of the plants in
the locks gardens at that time, plants he had cultivated and tested
to determine their ability to survive in the northwest. And he always
had time to answer questions from visitors or summer helpers.
University classes, arboretum units, garden clubs, and other groups
could sign up for free tours of the gardens led by English himself,
though these hour-long tours were so popular that reservations
usually needed to be made a year in advance.
Outside of the
locks, Carl and Edith were extremely active in the community of plant
lovers. They offered once-a-week classes out of their home on
horticulture or botany. In the summer, they would either take their
regular seed-collecting trips, or else accompany horticulturists and
botanists on mountain field trips to help identify plants the
visitors wanted to study.
The English house
was known for its library of horticultural and botanical books, which
the Englishes happily let Garden Club members use. Both Carl and
Edith were members of the American Rock Garden Society's northwestern
unit, and the group gave the Englishes an award in 1966 that
recognized the many contributions they had made in the field of
plants. Carl was also a member of the Men's Garden Club of America,
the American Horticultural Society, the Scottish Rock Garden Club,
and the Alpine Garden Society of England, plus he was a fellow with
the Royal Horticultural Societies of Kew, England, and Edinburgh,
Scotland.
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| Lieutenant Colonel Allan P. Nesbitt presenting the Outstand Performance Award to Carl S. English, Jr. July 31 1967 |
To honor his
tireless work both at the locks and with plant communities around the
world, Carl was named 1969's outstanding civil servant of military
agencies by the Seattle Federal Executive Board. But perhaps an even
greater honor was bestowed on Carl on December 10, 1974. That's when
a bronze plaque was erected at the entrance of the locks gardens,
dedicating and naming the gardens after Carl.
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| Plaque dedication ceremony. |
English had retired from his position at the locks shortly before the
gardens were named for him. But despite no longer working at the
gardens officially, Carl's influence was ingrained everywhere. His
dream of botanical splendor had become a reality, so much so that
when Carl retired, experimenting with rare plants as further possible
additions for the gardens petered out for a while. According to
Walter Lyon, the head gardener for the locks after Carl's retirement,
English's vision for the gardens was pretty much complete, and no one
saw any need to mess with it.
About two years
after retiring, on August 10, 1976, Carl S. English, Jr. suffered
what proved to be a fatal heart attack near the parking lot of the
locks. But decades later, his gardens still flourish. And though
updates have been made to some of the plants Carl introduced to the
grounds, his vision of the gardens as a location that plant lovers of
all levels could enjoy is still alive and strong, as he continues to
look on from the dedication plaque that bears his likeness.
Find a link to the Carl English Photo Gallery on the right side of the page or select this link
Carl English photo gallery
and enjoy.
Carl English photo gallery
and enjoy.
Sources:
American
Horticulturist. Summer 1972. "The Garden at the Hiram M.
Chittenden Locks in Seattle." 29–31.
Dress, William J.
"Plantsmen in Profile, III: Carl S. English, Jr." Baileya
vol. 5 (Sept. 1957): 141–46.
Epstein, Harold.
"Mr. and Mrs. Carl S. English, Jr." American Rock Garden
Society Bulletin vol. 24, no. 3 (July 1966): 75–8.
Koykka, LoAnne B. "A
History of the Gardens at the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks." Paper
submitted for landscape architecture class (Landscape Architecture
331 taught by Professor Norman Johnston) at the University of
Washington. December 1, 1969.
Kruckeberg, Arthur
R. "The Gardens at the Government Locks in Seattle."
University of Washington Arboretum Bulletin, Published by the
Arboretum Foundation vol. 40, no. 1 (1977): 25–8.
Lyon, Walter L. "The
Contribution of Carl English." Compilation by one-time head
gardener at Hiram M. Chittenden Locks. February 1, 1978.
Meyer, Dick
(submitted by). "Memorial Note on Carl S. English."
Obituary notice. August 13, 1976.
Roberson, Frances K.
"Carl S. English, Jr.: October 22, 1904–August 11, 1976."
University of Washington Arboretum Bulletin vol. 40, no. 1
(1977). Published by the Arboretum Foundation. 24.
