It never ceases to amaze me that we are always looking for additional plants to put into our gardens, whether they are perennials or annuals, hardy or half hardy or just plain hardy…the difference being that the hardier they are the more they will withstand cold temperatures, depending on where you are in the world!
Yet there are some very hardy plants that actually grow in some of the most extreme cold conditions our planet can throw at them without any bother… the Arctic!!, how amazing is that, and how do they actually manage to do this, let me very briefly explain in a straightforward way.
When we think of plants, we picture them as trees, shrubs grasses and even ferns these are the so called vascular plants, because they have a system of roots, stems and leaves…then there are mosses and liverworts, these are simple plants that lack the water transporting structure.
Lets get back to the Arctic plants, there are roughly around 1,500 species that live on the Arctic tundra such as dwarf shrubs, flowering plants, grasses and mosses, so what is the tundra? Well basically it is a layer of soil and decomposed organic matter that is frozen all year round and only a thin layer of the soil (the active layer) thaws and then refreezes every year. This is why the plants that have only very shallow root systems will grow and survive in this extreme environment, so typically the plants that grow here are only small (enabling them to also avoid the extreme cold winds) no more than a few centimeters in height that grow close together… below are a few of the plant species that can actually grow in this cold Arctic extremity;
Arctic Willow: a dwarf shrub sometimes known as the ‘tongue plant’ because of its leaf shape.
Purple Saxifrage: this plant grows in a low tight clump and is one of the first to bloom.
Arctic Poppy: grows to around 10cm tall and the flower heads follow the sun all day.
Cottongrass: named after its fluffy white tufts.
Bearberry: a low growing evergreen with red berries.
You should be now more aware the next time you go shopping for plants be it hardy, half hardy or extremely hardy that there are plants available, and that are suitable for any environment our planet has to throw at them!
This article was inspired by the BBC documentary series ‘The secret life of plants’
Arctic Poppies: Photo Credit: Phil Wickens
Yet there are some very hardy plants that actually grow in some of the most extreme cold conditions our planet can throw at them without any bother… the Arctic!!, how amazing is that, and how do they actually manage to do this, let me very briefly explain in a straightforward way.
When we think of plants, we picture them as trees, shrubs grasses and even ferns these are the so called vascular plants, because they have a system of roots, stems and leaves…then there are mosses and liverworts, these are simple plants that lack the water transporting structure.
Lets get back to the Arctic plants, there are roughly around 1,500 species that live on the Arctic tundra such as dwarf shrubs, flowering plants, grasses and mosses, so what is the tundra? Well basically it is a layer of soil and decomposed organic matter that is frozen all year round and only a thin layer of the soil (the active layer) thaws and then refreezes every year. This is why the plants that have only very shallow root systems will grow and survive in this extreme environment, so typically the plants that grow here are only small (enabling them to also avoid the extreme cold winds) no more than a few centimeters in height that grow close together… below are a few of the plant species that can actually grow in this cold Arctic extremity;
Arctic Willow: a dwarf shrub sometimes known as the ‘tongue plant’ because of its leaf shape.
Purple Saxifrage: this plant grows in a low tight clump and is one of the first to bloom.
Arctic Poppy: grows to around 10cm tall and the flower heads follow the sun all day.
Cottongrass: named after its fluffy white tufts.
Bearberry: a low growing evergreen with red berries.
You should be now more aware the next time you go shopping for plants be it hardy, half hardy or extremely hardy that there are plants available, and that are suitable for any environment our planet has to throw at them!
This article was inspired by the BBC documentary series ‘The secret life of plants’
Arctic Poppies: Photo Credit: Phil Wickens