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The goal of this website is to provide information about trees, shrubs, and vines known to be growing successfully in Alaska landscapes. It is intended to help you use the right plant in the right place and develop landscapes that fit into our native environs. The text is an extensive revision of the 1996 UAF Cooperative Extension publication, Landscape Plants for Alaska: A list of trees, shrubs, vines, and groundcovers for Alaskan Landscapes. Plant name: The botanical names used are based on Griffiths� Royal Horticultural Society 1995 Index of Garden Plants. If a name has changed recently, the old botanical name is listed in parentheses following the new name. Additional common names are listed in parentheses following the most common name. Height & spread: Estimate of the plants� expected mature size in Alaska. Distinctions: Characteristics that help identify the plant and its beneficial aspects. Limitations: Special cultural requirements or considerations related to the performance of the plant or its likelihood of success in Alaska. Hardiness: Designated by the regions of Alaska where the plant is known, or expected, to survive. The regions are: Interior (INT), Northern (N), Southeast (SE), Southcentral (SC), and Western (W). Kodiak Island is included in the southeastern climatic region because winter conditions are similar. Southwestern Alaska is not included in this website because there is little information about landscape plant survival in that region.
Origin: Knowing the natural range of a plant can help you match it to a similar site in Alaska. Alaska native plants are noted in this section. Vierek and Little�s Trees and Shrubs of Alaska (2007 edition) contains distribution maps and other information on native trees, shrubs, and groundcovers. Cultivars: Variations and cultivars of the species are included if known or expected to survive in Alaska�s growing conditions. Following the conventions of Griffiths� Royal horticultural Society 1995 Index of Garden Plants, these are listed as a cultivated variety (�Rubra�), a variety (var. pumilo), a subspecies (ssp. Nana), or a hybrid (x hunnewelliana). Many cultivars and varieties are not listed in this publication because their survivability in Alaska is unknown. A note about native plants: Many native species are, or have the potential to be, valuable landscape plants; however, before you consider digging a plant from its natural environment, learn about its status, growing requirements, and natural distribution. Plants may not survive the damage to their root system that digging causes without proper preparation and transplanting practices. Native plants often have very specific soil requirements that are difficult to duplicate in the landscape. Because of this, collecting seeds or cuttings is often more successful than digging a wild-grown plant.
Invasive non-native plants: In the United States, economic losses caused by invasive species total many billions of dollars annually. Help Alaska avoid this economic and ecological loss by preventing the introduction and spread of invasives. When selecting ornamental trees and shrubs for your landscape, select species that are not invasive in your area. Be aware that nonnative invasive plants can be imported in the soil of container-grown ornamentals. Alert nursery professionals if invasive plants or seeds are present in plants you purchase. Acknowledgements This website is a joint project between the Alaska Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects, the University of Alaska Cooperative Extension Service, and the State of Alaska Department of Natural Resources Community Forestry Program.
The website will be updated periodically. If you can document long term success of a tree, shrub, or vine not included on this site, please submit information regarding the plant, its location, years of survival, and a photo if possible. If you want to submit images for inclusion on the site, please note that the images must be in JPEG format and cannot exceed 550 kb and the dimensions must be 600-760 x 400-510 (portrait or landscape). For information about this website, please contact Ed Leonetti at |
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