Question: Does flowers grow in Artic ?

Amelia Frizell-Armitage answered on 18 Mar 2014:

Yes flowers do grow in the arctic, but they are a bit different from any you might have seen in the UK, or any where else in the world for that matter!
Because the weather conditions are so harsh with all the cold, snow and ice, plants have to have very special adaptations to cope with this.

The soil in the Arctic is frozen all year round apart from a very thin layer at the top which is not frozen in summer. This means that Arctic plants have to have very shallow roots that only stay in this unfrozen section of soil.

Most plants in the Arctic are very very small. In fact trees can’t grow at all because it is too cold. Growing close to the ground is the best thing in the Arctic because the plants are able to trap a layer of warm air around them in summer, and in winter are protected by snow which is very insulating. Being small also protects you from wind.

Some Arctic plants grow a fine layer of hairs all over their body which looks and acts like a fluffy blanket and keep them warm!