<\/a>Ginger Hudson, seen here on July 23, 2021, stepped up as the manager of the Jensen-Olson Arboretum in January of 2021, taking over one of the northernmost arboretums in the world, as well as one renowned internationally for its collection of primrose plants. (Michael S. Lockett \/ Juneau Empire)<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
Hudson came to Anchorage more than a decade ago after spending most of her life in Austin, Texas. The opportunity for someone with that northern garden management experience was a fortuitous one for her and the city<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
“There are very few botanical gardens up north,” Hudson said in an interview at the arboretum on Friday. “It just all worked out great that I had the in-state experience and the willingness to move and understand the location.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
Hudson’s background in outreach in teaching also lends itself well to a vision of an expanded role for the manager of the arboretum.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
“We would like to have more workshops out here, more teaching seminars,” Hudson said. “There’s been a lot of children’s programs historically, but not a lot of adult programs.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
[Growing from the ground up: Longtime arboretum manager retiring]<\/ins><\/a><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t The Jensen-Olson Arboretum is world-famous in certain circles for its primrose collection, leaving a weighty responsibility on Hudson’s shoulders to maintain the garden well for the flowering plant.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t “It’s really important nationally and internationally,” Hudson said. “It is a really big weight. Fortunately, I was familiar with the plant family so it’s not a huge learning curve. There is a learning curve with the weather, which is a little different.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Hudson also said getting used to the arboretum’s plant and wildlife, different from Anchorage’s in ways big and small, has been pleasant. Some of the plants growing in the arboretum grow in very few places else on the planet, such as the Himalayan Blue Poppy.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t