Tag Archives: Göteborgs botaniska trädgård

Edimentals, Ferns, Garden tour

In the gardens at the Gothenburg Botanics in January

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I also walked around the outside gardens during my visit to the Gothenburg Botanical Gardens on Saturday 25th January 2020. In the mild weather, there were many people out walking and running in the garden. Here’s an album of pictures of edibles and other interesting plants and a video of the large Actinidia arguta in the Asiatic woodland garden. 

  • Hotell Krypinn: a great insect hotel
  • Cornus mas flower buds swelling
  • Hemerocallis shoots
  • Hemerocallis fulva var littorea
  • Ficaria verna (Lesser celandine / vårkål)
  • Yucca filamentosa “Color Guard” is a great edimental! (Edible flowers, shoots and fruits)
  • Magnolia stellata “Centennial” (the buds may be edible like other Magnolias)
  • Flowering Hamamelis (witch hazel)
  • Fertile fronds of ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris)
  • Crambe cordifolia buds
  • Eleutherococcus setchuenensis: A family / genus with many edible plants, but no ethnobotanical information on this one
  • Eleutherococcus nodiflorus: A family / genus with many edible plants, the root is recorded stewed with chicken in China
  • Serratula coronata var insularis (the young shoots of this species is recorded eaten in China, but the bitterness is first boiled / soaked away)
  • Claytonia parviflora from North America (I haven’t tried this species)
  • Smilax rotundifolia (edible shoots)
  • Cardamine californica (all parts are edible)
  • January flowering Rhododendron dauricum
  • Zanthoxylum piperitum (Japanese pepper, sansho)
  • Acanthopanax koreanum: A family / genus with many edible plants, but no ethnobotanical information on this one
  • Lonicera caerulea var kamtschatica already in leaf
  • Polypodium vulgare (sisselrot, sweet fern)
  • The world famous Gothenburg Rock Garden
  • Garden art on a dead oak tree which is also beneficial for insects by UK artist Stuart Ian Frost
  • Garden art on a dead oak tree which is also beneficial for insects by UK artist Stuart Ian Frost
  • Cyclamen (leaves of some species are eaten)
  • I also visited the greenhouses for the first time, but that will have to be a separate post
Actinidia arguta
  • Gymnospermium albertii
  • Gymnospermium albertii
  • Colchicum atticum
  • Colchicum doerfleri
  • Colchicum triphyllum
  • Iris reticulata
  • Colchcum atticum
  • Iris danfordiae
  • Crocus siehanus
  • Crocus sieberi
  • Hyacibnthus transcaspicus
  • Corydalis ledebouriana
  • Iris reticulata “Sunshine”C
  • Colchicum mirzoevae
Non-edibles in the Bulb Garden
Bulbs, Garden tour, Winter shoots

Edibles in the January Bulb Garden at the Gothenburg Botanics

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On my way north from Vienna to Oslo, I found myself unexpectedly with a 4 hour wait in Gothenburg in Sweden, and there was no hesitation to visit one of the great botanical gardens. I had no idea what there would be to see in January but with the mild winter I was surprised how much there was to see. Here are a collection of wierd and wonderful edibles in the unique bulb house!

  • The bulb house is unique with open sides
  • Lomatium canbyi (Canby’s biscuitroot) was used by native americans in the Pacific NW and North California!
  • Lomatium canbyi (Canby’s biscuitroot) was used by native americans in the Pacific NW and North California)!
  • Claytonia rosea (Madrean or Rocky Mountain springbeauty) grows in dry pine and oak woodland in USA
  • Viola trinervata (from NW USA)
  • Young shoots of Cymopterus planosus (Rocky Mountain springparsley); Cymopterus is a genus of native american food plants. I grow C. sessiliflorus, failed with planosus
  • Scorzonera spp.
  • Lomatium nudicaule (pestle parsnip) is also used by native americans and is one of the easiest to grow.
  • Lomatium ciliolatum (Yolla Bolly biscuitroot) is endemic to California
  • Tropaeolum polyphyllum (soldadito grande de la cordillera; meaning great soldier of the mountains)
  • Tropaeolum polyphyllum
  • Megacarpaea gigantea in the Brassicaceae is in a genus with at least two important edible plants. This one is from Central Asia.
  • Crocus kotschyanus is one of several species where the corms are used for food (in Turkey)
Berries, Bushes, Garden tour, Perennial vegetables, Trees

Walk with Bosse in the Gothenberg Botanics

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I visited Bo “Bosse” Blomquist last year outside of Gothenburg and despite it being a bit late in the day and almost dark at the end, I was really impressed by his collection of edible trees, shrubs and bushes! He works in Gothenburg and is a regular visitor to the gardens! We agreed to meet before my talk and a group of friends also joined us!! It was great to walk in the garden with Bosse as he knew all the interesting edible woody plants! Thanks!! Here are a selection of pictures!

Garden tour, Talks

Talk at the Gothenburg Botanical Gardens

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It was a great honour to finally get to talk at the Gothenburg Botanical Gardens last night….not just once but twice as the first talk (picture) was sold out…and as I told them Gothenburg is my favourite edible garden anywhere there was a big cheer (second talk). The garden has around 30,000 accessions and with an estimated 1/3 of all plants edible, that makes for a huge diversity of food plants all in one place…. I just hope the garden doesn’t have problems with “grazing” after my visit  ;)
Thanks to Johan Nilson, Mats Havstrøm and the staff for making me feel welcome, to Johan for the tour around the greenhouse collections of Alliums and much more and the garden “forage”. Finally, it was great to meet Bosse Blomquist and friends who guided us around the more unusual collections of edible nut and fruit trees, many of which I hadn’t seen before!P1770926
Perennial vegetables, Talks

Talk in the Gothenburg botanical gardens

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Tomorrow evening, I’ll be giving two talks in the botanical garden in Gøteborg (Gothenburg) in Sweden, the first at 1700 is sold out, but there are I think still tickets for the second at 1900!
I’ll be selling signed copies of my book Around the World in 80 plants at SEK 250 (remember cash/paypal also accepted)!
The talk will be a little different this time as I will be showing many pictures of edimentals (edible ornamentals) taken in the botanical gardens, but keeping to my Around the World in 80 plants / perennial and forest gardening vegetable theme :) Welcome!
 
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