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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.

Thursday, August 14, 2014

Being a Tourist in Downtown Anchorage

 
Fun Facts:
Alaskans eat more ice cream per capita than any other state.
Anchorage is the northernmost city in the United States with more than 100,000 residents and the largest community in North America north of the 60th parallel. With a population of approximately three hundred thousand people, Anchorage is home to forty percent of Alaska's population.
 
We decided to drive into town, wander around and do some shopping.   One way to get height in a planter.

Long before the green roof was a trend folks had roofs like this one on the visitor's center/cabin.


Remember when we used to se municipal plantings like this one more often.  In Alaska, these annuals will look beautiful all summer.

Someone asked about a previous post how they kept bear from entering stores.  Here we see that they sometimes don't and unwary tourists can become victims.  He was told to stay in a group, make noise, and wear a bell but did he listen?  NO!



 You may recall a winter visit to Town Square Park here.  I think you'll agree that it looks much different in July.  I'd forgotten how joyful giant swaths of bedded out annuals can be.



Planting for winter interest would be silly in beds that will be covered with snow for months so we get to revel in the intensity of everything blooming at once.


It's all about the flowers!



Imagine, kale/ornamental cabbage looking great in the summer. 


It's interesting how combining these same orange tuberous begonias with blues and purples changes the mood so much from the earlier planting with yellows, pinks and other oranges.



Another fun fact for all my garden blogging pals in Texas:


Don't feel to bad as Alaska's land mass is 1/5 the size of the entire continental U.S.
Alaska superimposed on the lower 48
So, back to the park.   Bold colors!

Hope you enjoyed our little walk and the Alaska garden visits!

22 comments:

  1. OMG! That picture of Tom with the bear is hilarious! I guffawed quite loudly. Sometimes I miss the days of colorful bedding annuals. It's never really been my style, although all the Nasturtiums I planted in my front garden this year comes close. They just work so well in the tropical/hot colors theme.

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    1. Poor Tom, always in the wrong place at the wrong time. I enjoyed seeing all that bright color against the concrete all around but this would be pretty labor intensive here where the beds would have to be totally redone every three months or so.

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  2. So. Much. Color. I think I need to go sit in a dark room for awhile to let my eyes recover.

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    1. In Alaska, they have this dark room thing called winter that allows their eyes to completely recover and actually become hungry for a riot of color again.

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  3. Ohh Alaska's a big one :)) enjoying your series of post about it, a place that is rarely featured on garden blogs.

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    1. It sure is! There are lots of gardens and gardeners in Alaska!

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  4. Who would have THUNK it?!? What an interesting - and colorful - city!

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    1. Anchorage is a great city! You should visit sometime!

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  5. That's the Alaska I remember - flowers everywhere!

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  6. After a winter of all white, I would welcome gaudy flowers, too.

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  7. Wowzer! so much wonderful color. Love all those annual plantings.

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    1. Reminds me of not so long ago when that's the way most municipal plantings were done.

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  8. ah, yes. That's what I remember about Anchorage.

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  9. It makes me think of Butchart Gardens where I remember annuals playing a big part. I wouldn't have pictured Alaska so full of colorful flower beds.

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    1. Things grow so beautifully there with the long daylight hours and cool nights (at least close to the coast.)

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  10. In terms of green roofs, Judy South Dakota relatives lived in a sod house built into the side of a hill decades ago ... so far ahead of their time! I entirely admire all those colorful annuals ... and I can understand the thirst for color in any place with such a long winter.

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    1. I used to grow a lot of annuals when I gardened in Alaska as it was a one season affair. Here, the beds would need to be replanted every few months. Too much work!

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  11. What a wonderful celebration of summer, so much colour after a white winter is fantastic!

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  12. Haha, I see Alaska has delusions of grandeur that rival Texas's. Except Alaska's aren't delusions! I'd love to visit one day. My problem is that I want to see it in summer bloom, under the winter Aurora, with polar bears (from the safety of a tall viewing vehicle), and, well, everything. And it's way too big!

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