Sorry, some of the videos are without English subtitles. This is an ongoing process.
What is a Botanical Garden?
Signs in The Botanical Garden
In a botanical garden, you will find many signs. The signs provide information about the various collections. Each collection has a main sign. Additionally, each individual plant has its own sign. In the video below, gardeners Reidun Mork and Lisbeth Breland talk about the different signs in the garden.
Living Scientific Collections
Origin of a plant
A botanical garden has categorized collections of living plants. We have information about each plant in the collection. We know what species the plant is, where and when it is found, who found it, who identified it, and how it looked where the plant was found alive and growing.
The selection of plants in a botanical garden is determined by each institution, as well as the availability of plants. In the video, Reidun Mork talks about our Monastery Garden. This is one of our most important collections. The plants in the Monastery Garden have been gathered from ancient monastery sites and are part of our clone archive. The purpose of the clone archive is to preserve genetic resources for the future.
In a botanical garden, it is the origin and genetic material of the plant that are the most interesting aspects, not necessarily how the plant looks. Therefore, we cannot simply purchase a new plant if one is lost. As Reidun and Lisbeth will demonstrate in the upcoming videos, close monitoring and proper care of plants are required to ensure their survival for the future.
Breeding of the Norweggian "vossakvann"
To preserve the plant's genetic material, vegetative/asexual reproduction (cloning) is essential, but the botanical garden also engages in breeding work. Plant breeding involves cultivating improved varieties of crops or developing new cultivars.
In the video, Reidun is involved in the breeding of "Vossakvann", a sort of the angelica plant, in the millennium garden. The millennium garden is divided into epochs, and one of the epochs is the Viking Age - here you will find plants that were common garden plants during the Viking Age.
Weeding- Caraway or wild carrot?
One of the most important tasks for gardeners in a botanical garden is weeding. Weeds are plants that grow in a location where they are not wanted. Sometimes, it's not easy to distinguish between what is a weed and what is the desired plant. In fact, at times, weeding can be so challenging that it requires a botanist or another knowledgeable person. In the video, Reidun demonstrates and explains how weeding of wild carrots and caraway is done.
Overwintering of tubers
In the botanical garden, we have a large collection of dahlias. These are an important part of the garden's clone archive, and therefore, it is essential to preserve the genetic material of these plants. If we take seeds, the genetic material will not be conserved. Therefore, we save the tubers every autumn, let them overwinter indoors, and plant them in spring. It involves a lot of work, but the result – beautiful blooming dahlias – makes it all worthwhile!
In the video, Lisbeth demonstrates how we store dahlia tubers during the winter.
Propagation - Vegetative and Sexual
In the botanical garden, vegetative propagation is used to preserve the genetic material of the plant. Plants can reproduce sexually or asexually. Asexual reproduction is commonly referred to as vegetative propagation. Through vegetative propagation, plants clone themselves, meaning they don't require a 'partner' to produce new offspring. This results in the new plant having identical genetic material to the parent plant.
In sexual reproduction, however, the plant needs a partner. In this process, the flower must be fertilized by pollen from another plant (through pollination) to produce seeds. These seeds germinate and grow into new plants. The offspring of the plants don't have identical genetic material to the parent plant, but a combination of both parent plants. Many plants have the ability to reproduce both sexually and asexually.
In the videos, Reidun Mork demonstrates three examples of vegetative propagation: cuttings, side bulbs, and plant division (offsets/side shoot).
Vegetative and Sexual Reproduction - Seeds and Cuttings
Vegetative Propagation - Cuttings taken during pruning of fuchsia
Vegetative Propagation - Bulblets from Madonna Lily
Vegetative Propagation - Offsets of Primula
Beneficial Insects and Pesticides
Some of the plants in our collections are up to 400 years old, so it is important that we take good care of them. Unfortunately, like many other gardens, the botanical garden faces challenges in protecting plants from pests. We aim to use minimal chemical pesticides. Instead, we prefer biological pest control, using beneficial insects whenever possible. In the video, Tor Harald Staddeland explains how we use ladybug larvae to kill aphids.
Green areas in the garden
Our botanical garden is not only a place for scientific collections, research, teaching, and learning. We also want the garden to inspire and be enjoyed by the public. The Willow Hut is a good example of this; it is both beautiful and functional. Everyone is welcome to enjoy the green areas in the botanical garden, provided they show consideration for both others and the garden itself.
Cacti House - exhibition green house
We have one of Norways largest collections of cacti and succulents. Many of these plants need to stay indoors all year-round as they cannot survive the Norwegian climate. They live in the Cactus House (our exhibition greenhouse), where the conditions are mild and favorable throughout the year.
We also have a dedicated area for producing new plants, a 'production greenhouse.' This greenhouse is not open to the public and is located next to "Glasshuset" ("glass house"). "Glasshuset" serves as a winter shelter for plants that cannot survive the Norwegian winter but can withstand the Norwegian summer.
In the video below, Reidun demonstrates how we produce Lithops, also known as 'living stones.' Lithops are cultivated in the production greenhouse. When they reach a sufficient size, they are displayed in the Cacti House.
Collecting seeds for seed lists
In the fall, we collect seeds, record information and add them to our seed list. The seed list contains information about the seed, including the growing location of the parent plant. This seed list is shared with other botanical gardens, allowing them to order seeds with known origins.