Georgeson Botanical Garden is the the farthest north accredited Botanical garden in the United States. People from around the world have visited Georgeson Botanical Garden to look at the beautiful peonies that bloom 120 miles south of the Arctic Circle. The distinction is that peonies bloom here, in Alaska when they have stopped blooming everywhere else in the world! This fills a huge niche in the international peony market as peony producers in Alaska, and in the interior cultivate and ship thousands of peonies to everywhere in the world. American Peony Society has designated the Georgeson Botanical Garden as an official peony reference garden. It’s one of the nine gardens that have this designation in the nation. What a great honor! And it adds to the many other recognitions that GBG, as its affectionately called, has garnered over the years.
This is a site of ongoing research of high altitude horticulture for over 100 years. The garden showcases the abundance and beauty of many plants an flowers that thrive in short subarctic summers.
Display Gardens include Alaska’s famous giant cabbages, A spectacular children’s garden that boasts a hedge maze that spans two acres, a collection of peonies that showcase 118 plus cultivars and a food demonstration garden that showcases variety trial research of food plants that are most easily adaptive to climate of interior Alaska. Thus answering the question, “what grows well here” ?
Take a listen to the wonderful story of the original experimental farm in Fairbanks in 1906, and then the botanical gardens that started evolving in 1989. Today, the work keeps evolving, incorporating display as well as research gardens. So many trials are occurring that one wonders where it is all going. Well, its all thoughtfully and creatively being worked on to become what it is, a nationally recognized, and accredited garden where thousands of people visit each year to admire, learn or just sit and enjoy the beauty and serenity.
If you time it right, every Thursday evening there is Music in the garden from mid May to mid August. Its free. Bring your family, friends, a blanket and a picnic and enjoy some of the best music in Interior Alaska. This is indeed a garden to behold and to admire, creating joy and opportunities for community to gather together.
Interested in visiting? Its located on University of Alaska Fairbanks campus, admission is free, but you can donate to keep the gardens looking beautiful when visiting. There is a donation box, but you can also go to georgesonbotanicalgarden.org. and click the donate button.