The Georgeson Botanical Garden sits on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus and proves that serious gardening is possible at 65 degrees north. During the long summer days, plants here grow at astonishing rates — the near-continuous sunlight from May through August produces cabbages the size of armchairs and dahlias taller than most visitors.
The garden covers about five acres and includes trial plots, perennial beds, a peony collection, and native plant displays. It doubles as a research station for subarctic horticulture, testing which varieties can survive the Interior's extreme temperature swings. Peak bloom is July through mid-August. The garden is open daily during the summer season and charges a small admission fee. It is a quiet, beautiful spot that most visitors to Fairbanks miss entirely.