Georgeson Botanical Garden
Encyclopedia
The Georgeson Botanical Garden is located at 117 West Tanana Drive on the University of Alaska Fairbanks
campus in Fairbanks, Alaska
, USA
. The five acre garden hosts a variety of research and educational programs in subarctic horticulture. It is open to the public during daylight hours, May through September, for a fee. It is part of the Alaska Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station
. The garden was named after Charles Christian Georgeson
, USDA
Special Agent in Charge of Alaska Investigations as of 1899. Dr. Georgeson arrived in Alaska during the Gold Rush to research the possibilities for agriculture in Alaska. He surveyed the land near Fairbanks and started the Fairbanks Experiment Farm. A portion of the land was later annexed for use as the first campus of the University of Alaska.
Research at the garden involves a variety of plants including annual flowers, vegetables and perennial ornamentals with an emphasis on Alaska native plants. A ten year effort begun in 2001 to explore the possibility of exporting fresh cut flowers has led to a small industry centered around peonies. Flowers have been exported to retail and wholesale markets since 2007. Because of Alaska's northern environment, many flowers bloom later than other regions, providing a competitive advantage on world markets. Research results are available on the GBG website. Research also emphasizes domestication and management of wild stands especially of Alaska wild blueberries and lingonberries.
University of Alaska Fairbanks
The University of Alaska Fairbanks, located in Fairbanks, Alaska, USA, is the flagship campus of the University of Alaska System, and is abbreviated as Alaska or UAF....
campus in Fairbanks, Alaska
Fairbanks, Alaska
Fairbanks is a home rule city in and the borough seat of the Fairbanks North Star Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska.Fairbanks is the largest city in the Interior region of Alaska, and second largest in the state behind Anchorage...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The five acre garden hosts a variety of research and educational programs in subarctic horticulture. It is open to the public during daylight hours, May through September, for a fee. It is part of the Alaska Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station
Alaska Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station
The Alaska Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station was established in 1898 in Sitka, Alaska, also the site of the first agricultural experiment farm in what was then Alaska Territory. Today the station is administered by the University of Alaska Fairbanks through the School of Natural...
. The garden was named after Charles Christian Georgeson
Charles Christian Georgeson
Charles Christian Georgeson was a agronomist, born on Langeland, Denmark.Georgeson immigrated to the United States in 1873 to attend college, graduating from Michigan State College in 1878...
, USDA
United States Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture is the United States federal executive department responsible for developing and executing U.S. federal government policy on farming, agriculture, and food...
Special Agent in Charge of Alaska Investigations as of 1899. Dr. Georgeson arrived in Alaska during the Gold Rush to research the possibilities for agriculture in Alaska. He surveyed the land near Fairbanks and started the Fairbanks Experiment Farm. A portion of the land was later annexed for use as the first campus of the University of Alaska.
Research at the garden involves a variety of plants including annual flowers, vegetables and perennial ornamentals with an emphasis on Alaska native plants. A ten year effort begun in 2001 to explore the possibility of exporting fresh cut flowers has led to a small industry centered around peonies. Flowers have been exported to retail and wholesale markets since 2007. Because of Alaska's northern environment, many flowers bloom later than other regions, providing a competitive advantage on world markets. Research results are available on the GBG website. Research also emphasizes domestication and management of wild stands especially of Alaska wild blueberries and lingonberries.
External links
- Georgeson Botanical Garden website
- Georgeson Botanical Garden Society (nonprofit support and fundraising organization)