TWIGS _FJOA Quarterly Newsletter

~ TWIGS ~

Quarterly Newsletter of

Friends of Jensen - Olson Arboretum

Winter Issue January 2023

Quarterly News and Updates

For your Winter reading enjoyment, this issue is

bursting with updates and stories...

Winter thoughts by JOA Manager, Ginger Hudson; A message from Pat White, FJOA President; The Primula Spotlight! By Pat Harris with notes adapted from Merrill Jensen’s “A Primula Minute”; A photo collage of tracks left by a winter visitor; An update on the Primula Database by FJOA member Christine Schmale; and finally a look toward spring primulas by JOA Manager, Ginger Hudson

The little glasshouse has stood mighty against many onshore storms,

but clearing the roof of too much weight is a must.

What Happens at JOA in the Winter. . .

. . .besides rain, wind, snow, and ice? That question, in some form or other, such as “you close in the winter, right?”, are posed to me often. Nope, the manager is the sole year-round employee keeping the trails blazed and parking areas clear. And picking up fallen limbs-creating piles to mulch and piles for fire wood, ordering tools, seeds, office supplies, and PPE. There are a couple of building maintenance projects happening on the facilities at JOA that will improve water quality and internet service. I’ve worked on five presentations so far this winter, and am proud to say I’ll be at the Northwest Flower and Garden Festival again this February. Writing articles–3 this winter as of this text, revising the annual budget, and fretting over the changing environmental conditions are constant.

Yes, my husband and I do take a vacation, this year it was in November. There is no reasonable way to take time off in summer, so we work around shoulder seasons and try to avoid the holiday crush. In the winter months I catch up on administrative work: required safety and cyber training, updating JOA’s professional and botanical club memberships, and amending the current budget. Outreach is always on the schedule, this winter I am working with P&R staff to remodel the CBJ-JOA website. The new site will feature photo galleries, more history, and trivia facts. As part of the effort I had to revise our event rental form and create a new commercial use application. Finding the best places to utilize our small advertising budget has to be done in winter because most venues require ad placement in spring. Identifying groups to partner with in the upcoming season is always an effort as is trying to find ways to increase activity with specialized groups.

This winter I am seeking a seat on the Alaska Community Forestry Council in an effort to learn how we can create an urban forester position in Juneau. At the time of my request, there was no representative on the state group from Juneau. Because we live in a national forest, we love our trees, and we have concern for climate challenging those trees, it makes sense that we develop proactive management plans with qualified representation.

Our forests and cultivated plants are enduring extreme weather events that impact their health from many angles. The ground becomes saturated and trees lose grip, hot temperatures allow insects and invasive plants to flourish, and less snow cover means more exposed roots in winter. In addition to learning from other foresters of the state, I am working to increase JOA’s participation in the Alaska Invasive Species Partnership. Alaska has been at an advantage of tackling invasives due to the climate and remote location from outside pests. However, the situation has evolved in recent decades. Part of managing a public garden is to lead by example. If we can remove plants that once were “features” but have adapted a bit too well and become a problem, we can contribute to our ecosystem’s health. Participating in these groups takes time and attention, it’s much easier to do in winter than summer when I’d rather be in the gardens.

Our fist major snowfall brings out the John Deere riding mower that is converted to snowblower in winter.

Winter at JOA is not all sitting around the computer for writing, meetings, and data entry. The snow and ice keep me moving to give folks access to the parking lot and the grounds. To answer the question whether or not we are open, yes, the grounds are open Friday - Sunday, 9a - 4p from October to March. It is my responsibility to keep the parking lot clear–believe me, I’ve tried to shift it off! Hitting the snow earlier, daylight or not, is best. If any of you drive out the road on snow days, you’ve probably seen me or my husband Ken in our safety vests breaking down the DOT berm and clearing the parking lot. The accessible parking is kept clear and I do my best to keep a trail through the snow on the grounds. Benches are cleared, and gravel is spread on the pavers if they get icy. Last winter we had to clear snow off the roofs, this winter has not been so bad. In fact, as of January, this has been the 5th lowest snow season on record. Regardless, as the photo shows, we do have to keep weight off the little glasshouse, and now we monitor the wonderful new potting bench cover. The structure is solidly engineered and was lovingly built by Bill Ehlers and Ken Murphy. I have all faith that it is not going anywhere!

Sometimes not all the outdoor tasks of closing the previous season are completed. With help from FJOA volunteers, all of the word stones were inventoried and safely stored just before freezing temperatures arrived. A few veggies were not harvested but survived in good health–some potatoes and Brussels sprouts were donated to local services. FYI, Brussels sprouts remain on the stalk, in great condition, through freeze cycles! Yum!

Perhaps the most fun activity of the winter is working with the FJOA board to create a slate of events for a wonderful summer season. The board meets for a strategic planning session to identify key goals and expertise. We’ll meet again to make final decisions on events, dates, volunteer needs, and how to partner with local programs. A few items I believe I can share, JOA hopes to work with Harborview again to either bring students to JOA to plant Tlingit potatoes, or plant them at the school. Theater Alaska will visit JOA again this summer. Logistics will change so the grounds are not over-crowded or loaded, be on alert for details in the future.

Planning, cleaning, strategizing, worrying, the same tasks gardeners everywhere face in winter. They are a little more intense when you’re part of a beautiful place that is in the public eye. Never-the-less, it’s a place I am happy to see grow, and am grateful to the enthusiastic support from FJOA. Friends help make fun happen and share in the excitement!

Ginger Hudson

JOA Manager

Top Left: As temperatures rose in January, snow turned to slush turned to ice. While not much can be done at the time, the condition does prompt winter plans of building up beds into mounds.

Top Right: Remember when we had snow, at the end of December?

Bottom Left: New Year’s Eve snowfall path and bench clearing, inviting weekend visitors to enjoy the scenery.

Bottom Right: Hitting the snow early is key to keeping the parking lot clear.

Message from the President

Hello Dear Friends of the Arboretum,

For both gardeners and non-green thumbers alike public gardens provide a window into the beauty and complexity of the plant world.

Visiting a public garden can be a great source of stress reduction. Research has shown that while visiting a public garden our stress is reduced and our breathing evens out to access the parasympathetic nervous system, which is our relaxation response.

Public gardens offer the opportunity to learn plants, habits and conditions for successful gardening in Southeast Alaska. And beyond the educational benefits the horticultural tableaux in gardens can be a source of inspiration for visitors representing the best of human design principles in partnership with natural elements.

This in turn offers opportunities for artistic expression and human connections.

The Friends of the Jensen-Olson Arboretum extends an open invitation to visit us at 23 mile Glacier Highway.

Pat White,

FJOA board President

Winter Photo by Pat Harris

Primula Spotlight!

Pictured Below:

Photo from Edelweiss Perennials.

Primula kiosana, aka the hardy primrose, is native to Japan and seems at home in Southeastern Alaska. It is a favorite of mine because it doesn’t mind growing in partially-shady spots, and forms a naturalized robust ground cover with minimal effort on a gardeners part. It has survived and spread in my small primrose garden which is under trees and is basically forest soil with added compost.

Other pluses: kiosana attracts butterflies and is not favored by hungry deer.

Bright pink to rose-violet flowers in loose umbels on stems to 8” tall bloom in May and June. Both the large leaves and flowering stems are covered with downy white hairs. Like many other primroses, kiosana does well in moist, well drained, organic soils. It is reportedly hardy down to -20 degrees F.

At the arboretum, P. kiosana can be found in area 7, the bed on the waterside of the lawn leading to the Chilkat Shelter.

Information is adapted from: Jensen, M., The field Guide of Selected Plants, Jensen-Olson Arboretum, p97. Arant, Sally. 2003. Alaskan Primrose Primer, p43. Missouri Botanical Garden. Gardens and gardening, Plant finder. Accessed 1/02/2023.

Pat Harris,

FJOA Board Member

An Unexpected Winter Visitor

We are still indecisive, black or brown? Either variety it was startling to see them fresh one early December day while inspecting the grounds.

Ginger Hudson

JOA Manager

Updating the Primula Database

In the winter of 2022, I took the Alaska Master Gardener’s class through the University of Alaska Cooperative Extension Service. To finalize my certification, I needed to complete 40 hours of volunteer service. I have a fondness for primulas and have enjoyed many visits to the Arboretum in the past. I thought this would be a good place to seek an opportunity to volunteer and give back to a place that makes me happy. After a conversation with Ginger Hudson, we decided on the task of updating the database inventory of primulas found throughout the garden.

When I started, the database inventory contained 297 varieties of Primula including 90 varieties noted as having died in years past. Through the process of adding new varieties to the inventory and noting labelled varieties that appeared to be dead (n = 5), I located 106 known varieties alive in the garden. There are quite a few varieties remaining in the inventory that I was not able to locate or identify so there is more work that could be done. There are some primulas in the garden that we may never know the name of, but we can enjoy their beauty, nonetheless.

Christine Schmale

FJOA member

By January 24 even the ice had melted, the ground was soft, and concerns rose for exposed beds knowing the temperatures would fall again.

Ed. Note: JOA’s Manager, Ginger, will be presenting “Spring Color with Versatile Primula” as part of a panel titled “Not Your Granny’s Plants” on February 16 at the Northwest Flower and Garden Festival in Seattle. For the benefit of those with other plans, here is an excerpt of her talk.

Spring Primula will be Here Soon!

Primula rosea blooms in April and flowers

appear before the reddish-green foliage.

We’ve all been through some challenging and record breaking weather stirred up by climate change in recent years. These events bring gardeners shifting USDA hardiness zones. Changes in seasonal predictability connect us in many ways.

Alaska’s weather expectations, like all environments, were once reliable and predictable. Snow was welcome, it benefits our gardens acting as a blanket during the cold, and lights up long dark nights. Yet today, the region is experiencing more exposed ground in winter. Precipitation is converting from snow to rain, and rain events are becoming heavier. Increased winds and extended periods of wet ground undermine plant stability– an issue along the Pacific coast from Alaska to Washington to California.

For those of us who retreat to our landscapes to relax, we’re all experiencing stress about the erratic changes in weather on our gardens. Rest-assured, public garden managers also struggle to adjust.

The Jensen-Olson Arboretum, like most public gardens, exists to share knowledge, ideas, and experience. Hardy primroses are cheerful plants that have survived, and thrived through southeast Alaska seasons–weather predictable, or not. Here is a brief visit to JOA to see what has stood the test of time and dramatic changes in weather over the past 10 years.

Many decorative primula survive dormancy through our maritime winter even if snow melts, and returns. A marvelous example of stamina rests on a bed of moss. It is a diminutive, buttery-yellow primula affectionately called ‘Irma’s Gold’. ‘Irma’s Gold’ is not only an early primrose, it’s one of the earliest blooming perennials along with snowdrops and Corydalis.

It could be a romantic notion, but it is believed that, ‘Irma’s Gold’ sailed over from Germany, snugly tucked into a steamer trunk belonging to the Peterson family who claimed the property in the 1880’s.

Each spring Primula denticulata, P. veris, P. ‘City of Bellingham’, P. ‘City of Juneau’, P. ‘Lady Greer’ and various Polyanthas provide a calliope of candy colors blanketing garden beds. ‘Wandas’ , P. hoffmanniana, and P. ‘Jay Jay’ create small patches of groundcover as the days continue to lengthen. Soon the varieties rotate through bloom cycles and taller species appear mid- to late summer: P. japonica, P. chungensis, and P. alpicola, with one blooming until near frost: P. florindae.

JOA selects plants based on USDA plant hardiness zone ranges 3-7. Many plants have been tested over the past fifteen years, adding and losing varieties along the way. A loss is always an opportunity to try a new species. This is where the American Primrose Society comes in handy. As members, JOA donates seed to the society’s seed exchange. Members of APS get first notice of seeds to purchase. For non-members of APS, now is the time to check their website for available seed, americanprimrosesociety.org

Native insects have adapted to varieties of non-native perennials including the primroses.

Sryphid flies, bumble bees, hawk moths, and even hummingbirds have been observed at Primula nectaries. If these plants benefit the endemic wildlife, can we use them to educate about pollination and other wildlife uses? So far, we have found that most of these primroses are helpful and beautiful without running rampant. One late bloomer Juneauites keep an eye on is Primula florindae because of its penchant for drainage areas.

Each year the arboretum tests new varieties of plants; adding or replacing primroses; requesting specimens from gardens in similar climates; and exploring our backyard looking to highlight regional plants. There are native Primula in Alaska and JOA strives to cultivate examples. This is a challenge that takes patience as the state’s native species thrives at higher altitudes than the arboretum’s sea-level vantage.

Home gardeners do not have to do the research on their own. We use resources that just about anyone can access: our local garden clubs, local master gardeners, the forest service, native plant societies, national groups like the North American Rock Garden Society and the American Primrose Society, and of course, you, our neighbors.

Ginger Hudson

JOA Manager

Left: Hoar frost sparkled in the short days of early December.

Below: It was a treat to watch cones develop last season on the Japanese White Pine, Pinus parviflora “Glauca”. They began to open in early November

Jensen-Olson Arboretum Events Spring 2022

May 13: Super Plant Sale (FJOA is hosting!)

May 14: Mother's Day

May 21: Primula Day

May 27: Alaska Public Gardens Day

More events to be announced next month.

Look for these highlights in the Spring issue of TWIGS

* A complete summer events list

* Updates about the Super Plant Sale

* What to expect from Summer 2023 at the Arb? What's new with FJOA?

Please consider supporting the Friends of Jensen-Olson Arboretum through Pick.Click.Give. when you file for your 2023 PDF.

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You may have noticed...

We featured articles written and photos taken by FJOA members in this and previous issues of TWIGS. If you would like to be included in a future issue, please contact friendsjoa@gmail.com. We love being a platform to share our members' expertise and experiences. Our community is full of incredible gardeners with unique perspectives. If you have something you would like to write about, we want to know about it!

Frost grows on western hemlock needles in early January.

Mission Statement

The vision of the Arboretum is to provide the people of Juneau a place that both teaches and inspires learning in horticulture, natural sciences and landscaping - to preserve the beauty of the landscape for pure aesthetic enjoyment - to maintain the historical and cultural context of the place and its people.

Caroline Jensen