2017 Summer

A towering lemon-lime-colored glass monolith (with surprising spiky edges all around) stretches steadfastly out of the ground toward the deep blue sky in Chihuly Garden and Glass.

Contrasting color bursts of flowers, foliage, forest and sky make the Portland Rose Garden a visual gem.

Unique upside down flower towers are signature sights at Glacier Gardens.

guided tour just outside the gift shop in the visitor center atrium. Be sure to look skyward to see planters with pastel petunia blooms cascading 12 feet from the atrium’s greenhouse ceiling. Tram tours begin every 10 to 15 minutes. Reservations are not necessary for small groups of eight people or less. Knowledgeable guides transport garden visitors via covered open-air vehicles through the lower landscaped gardens and into the natural rainforest immediately above. At the lower level, thousands of flowering annuals like brocade geraniums, impatiens, and begonias share nooks and crannies with shrubs and splendid perennials such as dracaena spikes and peonies. Red- leafed Japanese maple trees contrast gloriously with the deep green rainforest backdrop. Gentle waterfalls from the onsite stream enhance the idyllic scene. In the upper rainforest area, your driver will likely point out red elderberry and blueberry bushes, skunk cabbage, feathery ferns, buttercups, and velvety patches of moss. Tour paths are pleasantly shaded by the tall green canopy of the surrounding Sitka spruce and western hemlock rainforest. “Upside-down flower towers” are signature sights throughout Glacier Gardens. The very first topsy-turvy flower tower was overturned in the heat of themoment—

when Steve Bowhay’s rented excavator clunked into a boulder. The plucky tree stayed standing with root ball pointing upward and its former top planted deeply in the soft mud of the lower gardens. Bowhay was instantly inspired to plant colorful annual blooms in the tree’s bowl-shaped jumble of roots, and Glacier Gardens’ trademark upside down flower tower was born. Since then, many more flower towers have appeared at Glacier Gardens, thanks to trees uprooted by natural causes, then flipped so their unearthed roots can be re-purposed as sky-high flower pots. (You can learn how to build your own flower tower on the Glacier Gardens’ website.) During the tour, you might see a pair of Alaskan bald eagles that started nesting at Glacier Gardens in 2004. The pair returns every year and their eaglets development may be observed from the ground or close up through Eagle Cam with live video feed on the website. After you roll 580 feet up the rocky face of Thunder Mountain, you can hop off the tram with your guide to take in sweeping narrated views of Taku Inlet, the city of Juneau, its airport, and harbor. When skies are clear, Gastineau Channel, Douglas Island, Mendenhall Valley, and the distant Chilkat Mountains are also visible. Glacier Gardens Rainforest Adventure is a best bet

PACIFIC NORTHWEST GARDENS

COAST TO COAST SUMMER MAGAZINE 2017

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