Topic Trail - Gardening in the North

Gardening in the North

Changes in latitude mean changes in attitude, as the song says, and for northern gardeners that means adopting different strategies to successfully garden at high latitudes. These resources can help. Click on the titles for location and availability and to place a request.

If you need more help, please ask at any Reference Desk, call Telephone Reference at 562-READ (7323), or email us through Ask-A-Librarian.

Books
Good books on plants and techniques for northern gardens may be found in the regular collection as well as the Alaska Collection (N).

The Alaska Gardener's Handbook Lenore Hedla	N 635.9 HEDLA
Alaska Gardener's Manual Cooperative Extension Service, University of Alaska	N 635.04 ALASKA
Alaska Gardening Guide: Volume 1, Alaska Vegetables for Northern Climates Ann D. Roberts	N 635.9 ROBERTS
Dirr's Hardy Trees and Shrubs Michael Dirr	635.977 DIRR
Growing Perennials in Cold Climates Mike Heger	635.932 HEGER
Growing Roses in Cold Climates Jerry Olson	635.933734 OLSON
Growing Shrubs and Small Trees in Cold Climates Nancy Rose	635.976 ROSE
Hardy Roses Robert Osborne	635.9333732 OSBORNE
Integrated Pest Management Guide for Alaska Lois Bettini	N 632.9 BETTINI
Landscape Plant Materials for Alaska Cooperative Extension Service, University of Alaska	N 635.977 EPPS
Lois Hole's Perennial Favorites Lois Hole	635.932 HOLE
Lois Hole's Vegetable Favorites Lois Hole	635.0971 HOLE
The New Northern Gardener Jennifer Bennett	N 635.0971 BENNETT
Organic Gardening in Cold Climates Sandra Perrin	635.048409795 PERRIN
The Propagation of Alaska's Native Plants Richard Baldwin	N 635.951 BALDWIN
Trees and Shrubs for Northern Gardens Leon Snyder	N 635.977 SNYDER
The Zone Garden (vol.1, zones 3-4-5) Charlotte Frieze	635.0973 FRIEZE

Videos
Alaska Gardening Secrets	VHS 635.09798 ALASKA
How to Grow Cool Weather Vegetables	VHS 635 YARDENI
How to Grow Plants in a Greenhouse	VHS 635.9823 HOW-TO
Integrated Pest Management	VHS 632.9 INTEGRA

Catalog
To find more, click on these subject headings to search the library catalog:

Gardening - Alaska	Container Gardening
Landscape Gardening - Alaska	Rock Gardens

Periodicals
Some general gardening magazines also cover topics of interest to northern gardeners:

The Avant Gardener	Fine Gardening	Horticulture
Organic Gardening	Sunset Magazine

To find gardening articles in magazines online, go to Online Databases in the library catalog. Use the Ebsco Host or Gale InfoTrac periodical databases and try these keyword searches: gardening alaska, or gardening north.

For local news stories on gardening, use the Anchorage Daily News online database.

Recommended Internet Sites

Alaska Cooperative Extension Service
Online versions of their free horticulture and home gardening publications.
Alaska Botanical Garden
Garden highlights, map, and event calendar for our local botanical garden.
Alaska Master Gardener Association - Anchorage Chapter
Anchorage zone map, gardening tips, local gardening events, and garden club information.
Alaska Rock Garden Society
This local group of alpine enthusiasts is hosting the North American Rock Garden Association convention in Anchorage in 2002.
I Can Garden
A Canadian site with many features, including "Gardening from Alaska" articles by Jeff Lowenfels.
Northern Gardening
Written by a master gardener in Minnesota, this site has many articles, tips, and suggested reading.
Northern Gardening Forum
Questions and answers covering northern gardeners' concerns.
Regional Gardening: Alaska
Useful links from About.com.

Topic Trails are produced by Anchorage Municipal Libraries Adult Services.
4/2002