Anchorage explodes in a cascade of color each summer. Walk around downtown and see hundreds of hanging baskets overflowing with marigolds and trailing sapphire lobelia – mirroring the colors of the Alaska state flag. The city plants more than 80,000 flowers in 270 flower beds around town. Dinner-plate sized dahlias, fuchsias, begonias and more – it’s floral nirvana!
Anchorage celebrates its distinction as a bloom town each year with the Festival of Flowers in June. Gardens grow very well here due to long daylight hours and cooler temperatures, exploding with color almost overnight in the most vibrant hues.
Anchorage Flower Gardens
Take a floral field trip to enjoy the garden variety of Anchorage.
Starting downtown, the sod roof of the Log Cabin Visitor Information Center grows Jacob's Ladder and wild onions. Its entrance features several flower varieties that continue along a path in front of Historic City Hall to Peratrovich Park at E Street and Fourth Avenue.
Town Square Municipal Park, adjacent to the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts, is one of Anchorage’s largest planting areas with 15 beds and more than 9,000 plants brightening the walkways that crisscross through the city center.
The Delaney Park strip, between Ninth and Tenth avenues from A to P streets, features 150 fragrant tea rose bushes in Centennial Rose Garden and another 4,000 dazzling annuals scattered throughout the park. Nearby, seven beds containing 3,000 vibrant flowering plants surround the Anchorage Museum.
One of the most visible arrangements in Anchorage is the Mystery Garden, where flowers are planted to form a different design each year. The garden can be seen when driving south from downtown Anchorage on Minnesota Drive, just after 15th Avenue. Visitors and locals alike have a lot of fun trying to solve the floral mystery.
To learn about flora native to Southcentral Alaska, stroll through the 110-acre Alaska Botanical Garden. Wildflowers, perennials, annuals and herbs grow along interpretive nature trails in a natural boreal forest. Pick up a Discovery Duffel for kids, who will also enjoy Storytime in the Garden held weekly in summer.
Operated by the Municipality of Anchorage, the Mann Leiser Memorial Garden features more than 500 plant species, an annual plant test garden and a tropical display. Open daily, except for holidays; admission is free.
Print an Anchorage Downtown Walking Tour Map to locate these spots and other Anchorage points of interest.
The Fireweed Legend: This perennial herb blooms in late summer and autumn, painting roadsides in rich hues of rose and magenta – much to the delight and dismay of local residents. When fireweed reaches its full splendor, the six-week countdown to winter begins. As legend has it, every fireweed plant is the soul of a tree that was burned in a forest fire.
One Flower You'll Remember: The official state flower is the Forget-Me-Not. You won’t forget the beautiful golden eye that stands out from the soft blue petals. It's a tiny plant - and a bit ironic for the largest state in the union!
Monster Veggies: 'Round these parts, one cabbage can fill a wheelbarrow. Visit the Alaska State Fair and feast your eyes on these weighty wonders. Current record holders:
- Broccoli - 39.50 lbs.
- Cabbage - 105.60 lbs.
- Celery - 63.30 lbs.
- Mushroom - 25.30 lbs.
- Pumpkin - 1,287lbs.
- Squash - 569.00 lbs.
- Watermelon - 168.60 lbs.
- Sunflower (tallest) - 16.75 ft.
