Alaska Master Gardener Blog – Page 15 – Where Master Gardeners share their knowledge.

Keep a little messiness in your fall garden

October 17, 2017February 8, 2022 Mountain Gardener

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As autumn ends abruptly in Alaska, gardeners are still busy in their yards winterizing, preparing for the snow and hoping to create a tidy landscape before spring. I would like to make the case for keeping a little bit of messiness in your garden this fall (and hopefully every fall moving forward). Leaving fallen leaves, dried grasses and twigs and other natural debris can benefit a gardener in the short and long term in a variety of ways. Soil and plant health: Leaf litter, smaller twigs, lawn trimmings and other Read More …

Peony Pride in High Country Southcentral Alaska: One Gardener’s Trials, Tribulations, and Eventual Success

October 16, 2017February 8, 2022 T-roy

By: Troy Weiss, Student at Alaska Master Gardening Class UAF On-Line, Fall 2017 Description When I was planning my garden a few years ago, a more experienced gardening friend suggested I start growing peonies because they are hardy perennials that require little maintenance once established. I went online to research them, and instantly fell in love. I admired the amazing colors and sizes, and their ability to last as cut flowers. Peony plants can live for 75 to 100 years. They don’t produce flowers until they have matured 2-4 Read More …

Tropical Alaska: Growing Indoor Tropical Plants in Anchorage

October 10, 2017February 8, 2022 cngriffin

It’s October and the birch and cottonwood leaves color the ground yellow outside, while the annual flowers planted around Anchorage have been pulled up. The termination dust has already frosted the peaks of the Chugach Front Range, and it won’t be long before winter arrives. So what is a plant enthusiast to do during the dark and cold winters in south-central Alaska? One solution is to visit the Mann Leiser Memorial Greenhouse in Anchorage. Operated by the Municipality of Anchorage from 8:00 am to 3:30 pm daily, the two adjoining Read More …

Confessions of a Gardener

October 9, 2017February 8, 2022 Grace

As a gardener, I have many things to confess. The ideal image of a person bending over neat rows with gloves, apron, hat and trowel, with that odd tiny rake sitting off to the side ready to be used (does anyone ever actually use that thing?) is not me. Not even close. Confession number 1: Clothes don’t make the gardener. I am the person who gets out of their car after work to “quickly” go check on a plant that has been on my mind, and is pulled out Read More …

Even shaded area can be colorful

October 9, 2017February 8, 2022 sebigelow

Even shaded areas can be colorful If you are looking to incorporate color, beauty and low maintenance into areas of your yard that may be shaded, I hope you consider Astilbe, a perennial from the Saxifragaceae family that flourishes in shady areas and/or containers. Typically described as “a beautiful, showy flower atop glossy, fern-like foliage,” they can add color and texture to places where full-sun flowers fail to thrive. Astilbes are native to mountain ravines and woodlands, blooming mid-spring to late summer in zones 4-8. (For zoning questions Jeff Lowenfels Read More …

Hare today, Gone tomorrow: Grafting to Replace Apple Trees Decimated by Hares.

May 22, 2017February 8, 2022 Sarah

The hare population seems to be booming in Fairbanks. This winter, some hares were able to walk right over the fences and completely girdle some fruit trees by eating the bark Girdling happens when the phloem, the inner most layer of the bark, is removed from the tree. The job of the phloem is to conduct materials created in the leaves (for example, sugar) down to the roots of the tree. Over time, girdling results in the death of the parts of the tree above which the bark has Read More …

Seed Starting for Beginners Part 2

March 6, 2017February 8, 2022 sjkesting

Time to light it up! The little plants are pushing their shoulders out of the soil. Within hours, they will be pushing skyward in a life saving race to find the sun. It is very important to put the light on them quickly so that they do not get too leggy in their sun worshiping pursuit. I like to purchase the fluorescent lights at the local hardware store. They are typical “shop lights” and come with a plug. Unless you are an electrician, be careful not to buy the ones Read More …

Seed starting for Beginners Part 1

February 26, 2017February 8, 2022 sjkesting

Its that time! It is the time of year – time to appease our need for the smell of soil and the love of nurturing green life. Many people spend a fortune in plants at the box stores and green houses. Good for them, there is nothing wrong with that. However, paying $2-3 per cabbage plant makes me wonder why they don’t just buy cabbage at the grocery store. Not only is it expensive, but missing the seed starting is missing one of the best parts! Watching and nurturing the Read More …

Making seed tape and trying new carrot recipes. A good task for the long nights of winter

January 28, 2017February 8, 2022 sjkesting

Why make seed tape? I hate to thin my seedlings. It’s just so sad to pull one of my dear little plants. I am also terrible at taking the time to seed carefully in the midst of the busy spring. This is particularly true when using tiny seeds like carrots. Buying seed tape from the store is very expensive. Making seed tape is certainly something that only a home gardener would do. This is not time saving enough for true carrot farming. Honestly though, I really just enjoy making seed Read More …