Arctic-Alpine Botanic Garden

Arctic-alpine Botanic Garden, the valley Tromsdalen and the mountain Tromsdalstinden can be seen in the background.

The Arctic–Alpine Botanic Garden is the world’s northernmost botanic garden. It is in Tromsø, Norway. The Tromsø University Museum runs it. It opened in 1994. The garden shows Arctic and alpine plants from places in the northern hemisphere.

Location

The garden is southeast of the University of Tromsø Campus. It has a view of the mountains to the east and south. There is no gate or barrier. There is no entrance fee. The garden is open all day and all night all year round.

Climate

The location is like the north coast of Alaska. You might think it has an extreme Arctic climate. But, a part of the Gulf Stream goes up the coast of North Norway. This makes the climate milder. Tromsø has mild winters.

Averages for January and July

Type	January	July
High Temperature	−1 °C (30 °F)	15 °C (59 °F)
Low Temperature	−6 °C (21 °F)	9 °C (48 °F)
Mean Temperature	−3 °C (27 °F)	12 °C (54 °F)
Precipitation	65 mm (2.6 in)	37 mm (1.5 in)
Humidity	81%	81%
Dew point	−6 °C (21 °F)	8 °C (46 °F)
Wind	19 km/h (12 mph)	13 km/h (8.1 mph)
Pressure	29.60 "Hg	29.88 "Hg
Visibility	16 km (9.9 mi)	18 km (11 mi)

^{Based on weather reports collected during 1985–2015.}

The season in the Botanic Garden is usually from end of May until mid October. From May 15 until July 27, the sun is always above the horizon in Tromsø. This period of midnight sun helps the plants grow, even though it is cold and the growing season is short. It adds an average of 200 hours of sunshine each month in May, June, and July. From November 21 until January 17, the sun never rises. Snow covers the ground from October or November on and stays until April starts. Snow then melts slowly and the ground will usually be bare around mid May at sea level while snow stays longer at higher altitudes.