Meet Alaska’s Wildflowers in Summer

Come see what’s blooming in my yard

Meet Alaska’s wildflowers in Summer. Perhaps you expected forget-me-nots in the top photo. After all, they are Alaska’s state flower. But the wild rose (prickly rose, rosa acicularis) is much more prominent throughout the state as well as around my home. You won’t have to scroll very far to see why this delicate rose is so captivating.

I’m a rock garden enthusiast who loves my perennials. I’m also a bit of a nature girl who considers the woodland 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 landscaping. Yes, I do need to tame some of the wilderness around me, but not too much!

Photo Tour- Alaska’s Wildflowers in Summer

I thought you might like to see photos of some of my favorite wildflowers around the studio. They’re 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 from Mid June to early July. If you’re interested in more, I also wrote an earlier piece called “Meet Alaska’s Wildflowers in Spring” .

*Note: all photos by the Author

Forget-me-not (myosotis)

The forget-me-not is the official state flower of Alaska. These dainty, 5-petal flowers with yellow centers are easily propagated by seed. The ones I have in my garden are transplants. There’s quite a few of them! I just love their cheerful, bright blue color. But despite their popularity, forget-me-nots are not easy to find in the wild.

From the beginning, I wanted a rock garden to show friends and visitors some of Alaska’s wildflowers they might not otherwise get to see. Not everyone can traverse rugged trails or manage steep mountainous terrain. For that reason, I keep natural vegetation close at hand so they can smell the roses, pick and eat the berries, and take home a more personal experience with this majestic place.

Prickly Rose, Arctic Rose

The prickly rose (Rosa acicularis) is also known as the arctic rose. It’s very thorny, thrives in poor, dry soils, and can grow to heights of 8 feet tall. There are masses of them that line the main road to my house. In mid June, four of those miles are arrayed in solid pink. Due to their prominence, you’re much more likely to encounter the prickly rose than the forget-me-not.

Despite their petite size, they have a lovely, rose fragrance. They congregate around a willow tree next to my garden shed. Whenever a breeze blows, I get a whiff of their perfume. Sadly, the prickly rose is only in bloom for about two or two-and-a-half weeks. Then, that gentle breeze will send pale pink petals to the ground.

Because it is such a photogenic flower, it was really hard to select which images to use for this post. So I included several here that show the various stages and hues that make Rosa acicularis a favorite. I share these as a gift to you.

More of Alaska’s Wildflowers in Summer

Siberian Aster

Like the arctic rose, the Siberian Aster (Asteraceae) grows naturally on my property. I dug up a patch or two to spare them from the bulldozer when I began building my little place. They also thrive in poor and ‘disturbed’ soils (often found along gravel river bars) and grow their colonies by underground runners.

Common Harebell (campanula rotundifolia)

Also called “Bluebells of Scotland”, these are another transplant in my rock garden. The harebell grows in little crevices along steep mountain cliffs. They look so delicate in among boulders and scree, their bell-shaped heads bobbing in the wind.

Wild Geranium (Geranium erianthum)

Also known as Cranesbill, this striking mountain meadow flower is another of Alaska’s wildflowers in the summer. Quite easy to grow from seed. It also favors the woodlands around my place and were one of my mom’s favorite flowers.

Northern Yarrow (Achillea borealis)

It surprised me to learn that yarrow is in the Aster family. It grows along roadsides and open fields in poor, dry soils. Yarrow is popular at greenhouses and sold as a perennial in yellow and peach colors. Here in Alaska, it’s a weed. But I’ve come to find that many of the perennials we plant are considered weeds, somewhere.

But, Northern Yarrow has its redeeming qualities. Looking at it up close, the white-flowering one has always reminded me of a little wedding bouquet! Yarrow is a tight cluster of multiple tiny blossoms that sometimes display a more pale pink hue. It looks awesome in a wildflower bouquet and lasts a long time as a cut flower. It’s quite valuable for dried flower arrangements later in fall. Maybe it’s not so bad, after all!

Wild Chamomile

I found this daisy-looking flower on the property when I bought it. Just another one of those scrappy plants that thrives in poor rocky soils in ‘disturbed’ areas, roadsides and dry meadows. It’s either “German Chamomile” (matricaria recutita) or a close relative. The soft, feathery fern-like leaves remind me of Cosmos.

Like dandelion, it may not be native to Alaska as quite a few plants are hitchhikers, or intentionally or non-intentionally introduced. However it got here, chamomile is a herb with many beneficial uses.

A word of Gratitude

Finally, I owe much of my knowledge of Alaska’s wildflowers to Verna Pratt (1930-2017). Verna was revered as a leading authority on Alaska’s wildflowers and a renowned field botanist. In 1982, she founded the Alaska Native Plant Society. Although I did not know her personally, her book “Field Guide to Alaskan Wildflowers” has gone with me on every hike and mountain bike trek. I bought this exceptional color-coded guide when it first came out in 1989 and it’s still the one I refer to today. So far, it has sold 100,000 copies and as of 2019 is now in its 16^th printing.

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

Other Resources:

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

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

You may also enjoy the companion to this article called “Meet Alaska’s Wildflowers in Spring”