Flowers in Alaska? Yes, indeed! Flowers abound here. Even the drab tundra of interior Alaska sports many varieties of wildflowers that bloom briefly during the summer months.
These include Labrador-tea (Ledum groenlandicum), tundra-rose (Potentilla fruticosa), and various saxifrages, to mention only a few.
Driving along the highway in June and July, one sees a colorful panorama:
- Shooting-stars (Dodecatheon Jeffreyi)
- Marsh marigolds (Caltha palustris)
- Milk vetch (astragalus)
- Numerous other flowers announcing the arrival of spring
Alaska’s Fireweed
Early August produces fields brilliant with the vivid magenta of Alaska’s fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium).
Alaskan gardeners successfully transplant many of these wild beauties to their flower gardens, where they bloom with domestic plants, each enhancing the other.
Most Alaskan residents have transplanted themselves from various parts of the State. We have each brought from our particular area ideas about the cultivation of a beautiful garden.
Some flowers have been known to flourish here even better than in most sections of the States. Delphinium, for example, grows to a height of 7’ feet! Lavish nasturtiums border many lawns and gardens because they bloom so prolifically.
Lovely pansies bloom all summer and usually survive the winter in the Anchorage area. I picked pansies from under the first snow last October. Sweet peas produce unusually large blossoms as well as luxuriant foliage.
Of course, our short growing season prohibits the normal growth of many plants, which are assumed to be standard materials for every garden back home. Regardless of this, we persistent gardeners like to grow what grows in our stateside gardens.
We like to experiment with what “can’t be raised here.” So many of us have answered this challenge successfully that our gardens now boast many different flowers.
Starting Plant Indoors
Flowers that are hampered only by the short growing season can be started inside in mid-March or early April. Milk cartons serve as individual pots. They line many sunny Alaskan windows each spring.
Early June brings weather warm enough for transplanting outside— the “spring” planting. By starting plants early indoors we add gladiolus, petunias, zinnias, stocks, snapdragons, and many others to our list of “will-grows.”
Small Backyard Greenhouses
Quite a large percentage of garden enthusiasts in Alaska have small backyard greenhouses.
Usually, homemade affairs vary in size from a 3-by-4-foot lean-to to a much larger structure. The average home greenhouse here measures 8 by 12 feet.
Most of them have been constructed very economically, using polyethylene as a covering instead of glass.
Though the structure is often makeshift in appearance, the principles of heat and ventilation are adhered to, and the results are often astounding! Most greenhouses are also used to raise tomatoes and cucumbers, difficult outdoor crops here.
Climate and Growing Season
The climate in the Anchorage area is not as extreme as people assume. We are hampered by a late spring: the average date of the last spring frost is May 23.
On average, the first killing frost in the fall appears on September 13. Sometimes freak frosts occur as early as mid-August.
But sometimes, too, snow appears before extensive frost. Pansies have been preserved all winter under the protective blanket of snow. When the sun uncovered them in early May, the plants were in perfect condition.
Our growing season averages 113 days. During that time, we were blessed with much sunshine. Many summer days display sixteen to twenty hours of sunshine! Alaska’s short summer season is hectic.
Plants accustomed to more leisurely growth habits in more temperate climates grow rapidly during the long summer days.
Fertilizing
Contrary to popular opinion, even virgin soil in Alaska needs fertilizing. Very few areas need lime, but good fertilizing habits are a necessity. Many home gardeners collect moose manure for organic matter and fertilizer.
Flower gardening in Alaska is often discouraging, even exasperating at times. Frost may nip the tender buds before one bloom has presented itself.
But each year, the patience and persistence of flower lovers are rewarded by more problems solved, more kinds of flowers grown, and more satisfaction for the grower!
44659 by Caro Mcdowell