For six years, I have lived in the town with
the world's northernmost botanical garden, which has collections of plants from arctic and alpine climates around the world, as well as a rhododendron garden and a collection of plants that have been used in people's gardens in Northern Norway.
Yesterday, I visited it for the first time.
( Flowers! And a magpie, surveying its domain. )(More photos at
Flickr, 14 altogether)
One of the main features at this time of year was a collection of gentians in full bloom, but it seems I didn't get any pictures of them that I was satisfied with.
To my amusement, they did have a Persian hogweed (or
tromsø palm, as it is known here) in the gardens, near the Russian section. Its flower crowns were cut off, certainly as a precaution: if the seeds were allowed to develop and spread, there'd soon be nothing else in the garden. They were imported over a hundred years ago by people who wanted them in their gardens, and are now the best known and most persistent local noxious weed.
There was construction work going on in one corner, where it seems they're planning on adding a collection of plants from South America, next to the African collection.
Having seen how the place looks now, at the end of the growing season, I am already looking forward to seeing it in spring and summer next year :)
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