Meet Alaska’s Wildflowers in Spring

Come see what’s in bloom around my place

Nothing is more welcomed than Alaska’s wildflowers in the Spring. The season got off to a great start by showing up a little early. Here I am raking leaves in March and my mood is nothing short of ecstatic. (SEE short story “When Spring Comes Early”) Then, instead of the gradually increasing temperatures I expected, it suddenly turned cold. Cold for April.

Although disappointing after a long winter, weather like this is fairly normal for the season. Yet, even the cooler temperatures couldn’t stop the natural progression of things. My perennials started to emerge, just like they always do. Pussy willows and catkins appeared. The cottonwoods leafed out. And as for the birch trees, their leaves grew to the size of ‘squirrel ears’; an old folk saying which means a hard frost is unlikely to occur, so its safe to plant outside.

I consider the natural surroundings to be part of my garden as well. As I go about developing the outdoor spaces around my tiny home, I’m learning how to incorporate Alaska’s native trees, shrubs and wildflowers into the big picture. Yes, I do need to tame some of the wilderness around me, but not too much!

Photo Tour- Alaska’s Wildflowers in Spring

I thought you might like to see photos of some of my favorite wildflowers around the studio. It’s not all the perennials in my garden, just the ones that are native to Alaska. Also, the wildflowers featured here are only the ones that are in bloom as I go to publish. If I wait another week or two, these will be fading. That means, you’ll just have to come back for more!

*Note: all photos by the Author, unless otherwise noted

Alaska’s Spring Wild Flowers

Shooting Star

Draba

Did you know there are over 400 species of Draba? I’ve been trying to learn which variety this one is, but haven’t so far. I love it for many reasons. One, this perennial grows rapidly and develops a large clump that can be divided and shared quite readily. (Mine are at that stage now.) Two, it’s always, always my first blooming of Alaska’s wildflowers in Spring. I look forward to it’s cheerful masses of sunny, yellow flowers!

Mouse-eared chickweed

Don’t be alarmed by the word “chickweed”, it’s not what you think. Mouse-eared chickweed grows in a low, spreading mat. Some of my fellow Alaskans avoid white flowering perennials because they associate white with snow and by now, they’re ready for some color! Yet, that’s exactly what I like most about the mouse-eared chickweed! It’s mass of white flowers are so bright and showy first thing in the Spring.

Sedum Kamtschaticum

This is a variety of sedum that came over form Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula.

Instead of ‘read ’em and weep’, I say, “Sedum and reap!” Reap is right! These hardy perennials with an abundance of little flowers, are about 3rd or 4th to bloom in my garden right behind the Draba and Shooting Star. They propagate by seed. So, there’s always little babies coming up that I can either transplant elsewhere in the garden, or pot up for a friend.

Early spring bloomers of the woods

Blue Bells/chiming bells

The native Blue Bell is common around my home. While they do well in full sun, they are usually found growing in cool, shaded or semi-shaded areas that the woodlands provide.

This delicate little woodland flower is in the primrose family. It typically has 7 pointy petals.

Spring Flowering Shrubs

The Elderberry sets blossoms in mid May that bloom late May/early June. The flowers have a rather distinctive scent (some might say ‘odor’) that’s hard to describe. I would have to say its similar to that of a stargazer lily, but a tad more pungent. Right on its heels, later on in June comes the wild roses. Sometimes I just have to marvel that there’s a continuing array of scents that meet me as I walk down the driveway those few short weeks in Spring.

In the photo below, I love the way the lush, green elderberry frames my driveway. I’m pleased as punch that something already growing here makes such a wonderful landscaping shrub. It’s graceful branches are very easy to clip back when it over grows its bounds.

Thankfully red currants are plentiful in the thick woods around my home. They are shade dwellers and always seem to be in the same vicinity as devil’s clubs, which are also plentiful here.

You usually associate mushrooms with the Fall, not Spring. But in late May, the morels are here. Personally, I’m not a big mushroom fan, but many people harvest them. They’re considered a delicacy by gourmet cooks.

You may also enjoy the companion piece to this article called: Meet Alaska’s Wildflowers in Summer. Or see some of the resource links below.

To learn more about ALL of Alaska’s native wildflowers:

Other Resources for Alaska’s Wildflowers:

Forest Service/USDA https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd529923.pdf

Alaska Native Plant Society https://aknps.org/

Collecting, Preserving and Using Morel Mushrooms http://cespubs.uaf.edu/index.php/download_file/1518/