Good Time To Visit Anchorage Botanical Garden

 There's a great display of peonies right now at the garden.  The early ones have big seed pods.  It's just past the fire station off Campbell Airstrip Road.  Same parking lot as the Save High School.

And then there are the ones that are in full bloom.   

Someone had a camera set up to take time-lapse photos these.  

Peonies play a huge role in traditional Chinese art.  Next time you see a Chinese scroll look at the flowers carefully.  

And, of course, there are plenty of other things blooming as well.  I try to stop by at least once a week on one of my bike rides so I can check out the every changing selection of plants to buy.  

I think this is a globe flower, not quite in bloom yet.

And below are Martagon Lilies.

[Update July 23, 2025:  While I was looking for a different post about this time I came across this one.  I'm embarrassed to say, I'd called the first flowers above rhododendrons.  Of course, I knew better, but something in my brain did that.  So today I changed them to peonies, which, of course, is what they are.  If I just make grammatical corrections of fix typos, I don't note that, but when I make a substantive change like this, I do.]