Accolades keep coming for Willow gardener

One of Alaska's top gardens is also one of the world's most recognizable gardens now.

Willow gardener Les Brake's Coyote Gardens recently is featured in the January/February issue of Country Living Gardener, making it the 10th national or international magazine the garden has been featured in since 1998.

"This one was really exciting for me because it was the 10th time," Brake said. "I know that makes it the most featured garden in North America, and I would bet that it has been featured more times than any other garden in the world.

"I keep an eye out for other gardens and pay attention to all the gardening magazines, and I don't know if I've seen another garden featured so many times in that six-year period," Brake added.

Brake's Coyote Gardens is a sprawling acre of bursting colors and aromatic scents. Cut pathways invite visitors to walk through the more than 2,000 annuals and countless more perennials to seating areas that include fireplaces and homemade wood furniture.

Brake started with a vegetable garden in 1984, and "it just grew out from there." He started with vibrant colors, but enjoys a more subtle color scheme now. In 1988, he cut a few paths through the flowers, because, "the rest of the garden would follow those paths." Since then, the garden has grown into one of the top private gardens in not just Alaska, but the entire country. It has even been a cover story for Sunset, another top gardening magazine.

Being featured so prominently has a lot to do with his garden, and a lot to do with geography.

"People don't connect gardening and Alaska, but we are getting our 15 minutes of fame now," Brake said. "People are interested in reading about gardening in Alaska because they don't normally associate it with Alaska."

More than 1,000 people visit the garden each summer. In the winter, Brake does ice luminaries, and they too have been featured in national magazines.

Brake said he has seen the January/February issue of Country Living Gardener magazine at Carrs, and he believes Fred Meyer also carries the magazine as well.