My folks have lived in Southeast Alaska for over fifty years. Southeast Alaska is an arboreal rainforest that receives an average of 58 inches of rain a year, making it green and lush. Most of Alaska is a wild garden, but Southeast Alaska seems especially beautiful. The Sunset climate zone is A3 (mild, maritime climate, with influence from the interior of Alaska and Canada), and the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone is 5b-7a. The growing season is short but intense, with 12 to 18 hours of daylight during the summer.
Mom and Dad have tamed the wilderness surrounding their home, clearing the dense underbrush to create a small lawn and several raised flower beds. They frequently grow containers of beautiful flowers, many started from seed by my sister-in-law early in February. In the back yard they grow rhubarb, and harvest wild blueberries that are wonderfully flavorful from the moist, tannic soil. Gardening in Southeastern Alaska has many challenges, including the short season, drainage issues, blue clay, mold, not enough sun, and too much rain. But the rewards are well worth the effort.
Mom is a lot like her garden – gracious, beautiful, welcoming, hardy, and tenacious. She is at home in the wilds of nature (whether cold, damp forest, or hot, dry desert), and in concert halls, opera houses, and theaters (a consummate Lipstick Adventurer)! Mom is a continual source of inspiration and encouragement, and an oasis is the wilderness of life.
Mom and Dad have tamed the wilderness surrounding their home, clearing the dense underbrush to create a small lawn and several raised flower beds. They frequently grow containers of beautiful flowers, many started from seed by my sister-in-law early in February. In the back yard they grow rhubarb, and harvest wild blueberries that are wonderfully flavorful from the moist, tannic soil. Gardening in Southeastern Alaska has many challenges, including the short season, drainage issues, blue clay, mold, not enough sun, and too much rain. But the rewards are well worth the effort.
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| Mom's garden in Southeast Alaska |
Mom is a lot like her garden – gracious, beautiful, welcoming, hardy, and tenacious. She is at home in the wilds of nature (whether cold, damp forest, or hot, dry desert), and in concert halls, opera houses, and theaters (a consummate Lipstick Adventurer)! Mom is a continual source of inspiration and encouragement, and an oasis is the wilderness of life.
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