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Although this could very well be a picture of me finding a new treasure at a favorite nursery, it's actually an illustration by David Catrow for a children's book called Plantzilla.

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Visiting the Garden at the Palmer Visitors Center

Palmer (website with interesting history here) is a town in the Matanuska Valley in  south central  Alaska.  This is the area of the state renowned for growing giant cabbages and other vegetables. The combination of fertile soil and summer days with 19 hours of daylight encourage rapid growth.  Just to the south of the Visitors' Center is a wonderful garden showcasing plants grown in Palmer from it's colonial beginning through the present.    
 
So, not a lot of green this time of year but there's  loveliness  to be found in this special garden. 


The varitey of  browns, tans, and golds seems endless and the bluegreen of the evergreens is beautiful.

 
The plants are all well labeled so that both local and visiting gardeners can learn about plants hardy enough to live through the winter in this harsh climate.

There's even a crevice garden. 
And raised area for alpines.
Plant graveyard I assume:-)
When colors and plant choices are limited, one really appreciates the winter color contrasts available. 
 
With background scenery like this, you could temporarily forget the garden.

There were a few minutes of sun - yea.  I tend to think of frost as a fleeting thing that melts off at sunrise.  Here, the frost just stays until spring. 



Bless the saxifrages for providing some of the only green other than the small conifers.
These are tough little buggers!

The Bohemian Waxwings and Pine Grossbeaks will be glad for these crababble and mountain ash snacks!




 
My niece was disappointed that there weren't a few feet of snow on the ground during my visit.  There was snow in some areas but not a lot in others.  The average first snowfall in Anchorage is October 17 but it can happen as early as September.  The last snowfall is typically in April but in one out of every four years, it's still snowing in May.  It's certainly a gorgeous place to visit.

15 comments:

  1. It's interesting to see this garden at this time of the year when the cold takes hold for months on end. The place is pretty in it's own right. And a crevice garden too, now that was a surprise!

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    1. The crevice garden made me laugh because Loree has been posting about them lately. Didn't think I'd see one in AK!

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  2. That's a very impressive garden, I love the labelling! Thank goodness for the frost painting everything with its brush of magic, especially the saxifrages and their fantastic patterns.

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    1. It was fortunate that there wasn't much snow when I visited so that I could see all this great stuff. Haven't seen any snow pictues on your blog yet this year.

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  3. In the photo with the beautiful mountain range I was taken with the raised planter box that instead of being just a "box" was actually several of them together in different heights. Love it! Of course all those frosty seed-heads, flowers and berries are gorgeous...as long as they are in someone else's garden. No permafrost welcome here!

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  4. Epilobium angustifolium, or Rosebay Willowherb as it is known here, is A Pain In The Arse in my garden. I'm glad someone appreciates it though.

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    1. We call it fireweed and it's a wildflower in Alaska. When it appeared in my garden one year, I was delighted. No more! It has become quite a rampant spreader with which I fight annualy.

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  5. I love the limited palette... and the way the reds pop... and the frost...and the light...guess I just love it all.

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    1. It's lovely and was so enjoyable to visit but it would be difficult to go back to a 3 month growing season even though the days in the summer are so long. I've become quite spoiled by our climate!

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  6. It looks so cold and arid, compared to here. The mountains are gorgeous!

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    1. It's aways fun to visit places with climates that differ from ours.

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  7. Yes, it looks really cold; a great place to reflect. Oops sorry that sounds quite sombre. Love the photos & colours though, & the backdrop is magic! I wished it snowed in oz.

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    1. Snow is beautiful but think of all the amazing plants that you can grow in oz. Looking at blogs from parts of your country makes me wish we had warmer winters so that we could grow more of your gorgeous native flora!

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  8. I love these frozen berries and saxifrages. Mine are under the thick snow now. They are evergreen and their green leaves are the first in my spring garden.

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    1. I have saxifrages in my own garden but didn't realize that they were evergreen in the far north. I now respect them even more. Your garden must look beautiful covered with a thick blanket of white!

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Thanks so much for taking the time to comment! I love to hear your thoughts.