Great cities have botanical gardens. The Alaska Botanical Garden needs your support.

I hope you have read, at least once, the “garden calendar” that accompanies each of these columns. The first item is always something about the Alaska Botanical Garden, an institution which I believe every area gardener (at least) needs to join and support.

Simply put, great cities have botanical gardens. Some are associated with a university, like the Georgeson Botanical Garden in Fairbanks, and others are privately funded using donations, member dues and gate receipts. That is the case with The Garden in Anchorage.

Early in the life of this column, a big committee of horticultural folks wanted to start an arboretum. They settled on the muni-owned tract off Tudor Road. I was for Kincaid Park but dropped out of the group after the columnist for the other paper threatened to quit if I didn’t. He hated that I was urging my readers to use high-nitrogen fertilizer on lawns, against his suggestion to use high-phosphorus stuff. Anyhow, today I can assure you that if you followed his advice, your yard won’t need phosphorus for another 100 years.

That was back in 1986, and one day the word went out and folks were asked to come to the location of the new garden with some flag iris from their yards, which we planted off the old Army tank trail not far from what has become the Big Erratic, the huge boulder now to the left of The Garden’s main entrance. The official opening of The Garden was in 1990.

Off folks went, raising money, developing a master plan, fixing trails, creating beds and planting stock. The idea was to have a set of different gardens within The Garden and to leave much of the 110 acres in a natural state.

You won’t find any iris in their original spot, but the Alaska Botanical Garden is a gem in a city decidedly not known for its beauty. (Remember author John McPhee’s assessment that the people who built Anchorage should never be allowed to build anything else ever again.) It lives up to its mission of educating and showing Alaskans the potential when it comes to plantings in their yards.

Today, The Garden (the first organic botanical garden in the U.S., by the way — an early director even banned bug sprays) features trail gardens, two perennial gardens, an herb garden, a world-class rock garden, a heritage garden showing what early Anchorageites grew, a shade garden, a wildflower trail and a nature trail. Plus an outdoor classroom, a terrific nursery that sells plants, a research area and a staff building.

What we now have is a real botanical garden with a tremendous staff. Mike Monterusso is executive director, Will Criner heads the Gardens & Facilities team and Stacey Shriner is in charge of education, just to name a few of the dedicated folks who run the place so well.

Where is this headed? The loyal reader knows: It is a plea for you to join the Alaska Botanical Garden now. Every single gardener should join. Why? Well, to attract tourists, to be able to drop off Uncle Bob and other summer guests who need something to do so we can get some free time, and of course, to learn what is possible in our yards.

As a temptation to join, if not an inducement, go right now to The Garden’s website and check out the ”Brighter Winter Nights” event. The staff and volunteers have turned our botanical garden into a dazzling winter wonderland with botanical-themed light displays and stick sculptures, ice luminarias, a kicksled trail, model train display and cozy fire pits around which to enjoy hot chocolate with friends and fellow members.

You can buy tickets for this event at the gate (though until Jan. 5 you need to order online. It is $10 for members but $16 for nonmembers. Kids under 6 are free. Join first and you will have already saved $6 due to your membership.

There are so many more benefits awaiting those that join. Take, for example, first dibs on nursery plant sales. The Garden has some of the best and certainly the hardest-to-find perennials in Southcentral Alaska. And there are social and educational events to take advantage of. Join and take advantage of all the The Garden has to offer.

Jeff’s Alaska Garden Calendar

Alaska Botanical Garden: See above and do join at www.alaskabg.org.

Pelargoniums: Take cuttings now if you have any indoors. Let the cuttings callous over for 48 hours and then plant in damp sand or potting soil.

Plants: Turn them so they grow straight.