Notes from Norway

[Hoy]

Flying into Bergen from Copenhagen I could easily have been landing in Halifax, small rocky islands & shores with spruce though we lack those majestic mountains.

johnw

Johnw,

The more majestic mountains are located a bit east to us here, or north. When I drive to Bergen (one underwater tunnel and still one ferry but only 100km drive) I meet the mountains again when I approach Bergen.

[Hoy]

Robert,

It is a lot of tunnels in Norway, especially at the west coast. Here is the roundabout on the way to our mountain cabin: (The challenge is to let the central column stand)



http://www.vegvesen.no/Vegprosjekter/Hardangerbrua/InEnglish/Nyhetsarkiv/the-hardanger-bridge-is-opened

It is interesting to see where plants grow naturally - both those you already have in your garden and those you hope to get one day. And sometimes you have to realize that it may be impossible to get a plant or impossible to grow it properly! Like some of your California natives

Fortunately most of the WW2 remnants here are not dangerous. We have a lot of underground bunkers (or remnants of them) all along the coast. I have not heard of collapsing mines in Norway but they have a big problem in Sweden and have to remove the whole city of Kiruna! Here, try some news in Norwegian:

http://www.abcnyheter.no/nyheter/2013/05/27/hele-kiruna-ma-flytte
http://www.nrk.no/verden/flyttingen-av-kiruna-fascinerer-verden-1.12262094

[johnw]

Trond  - This was also a big surprise in Tromsø, even the parking garage was several stories below the downtown. 

They said it would rain constantly in Bergen in lae May so bring umbrellas, it was very warm and we sat outdoors drinking beer with Faroe & Shetland Islanders at Milde till the wee small hours at 20c.

They said there would be metres of snow and nothing in flower in Tromsø in late May, they had a very early spring with no snoiw on the ground, the best saxes I've ever seen in flower and M. punicea in drifts.

john

[Hoy]

Not so much rain here last week but cool weather, and the weekend has been wet and cold too.

Managed to make a round in the garden between the showers.

The plants seem to like the cool weather and flower for weeks but some nasty slimy pests also prefer this kind of weather. Lots of damaged plants


Here are some not so damaged ones:

Anemone x lipsiensis. This clone is not old but has spread a little already. Many produce two buds but in another way than the A. ranunculoides does.









This clone of A. ranunculoides has two or three flowers on each plant.






A blue clone of A. nemorosa (I have forgotten which one) has also spread a little in few years. Doesn't seem to like the weather. The flowers are somewhat damaged by small snails.






The biggest Anemone nemorosa I have - my own collection. It is past its best though!

[Hoy]

Another favorite genus of mine is Chrysosplenium, and fortunately the gastropods seems to avoid it.

The native C. oppositifolium does like the humid climate!






In fact, all I have tried do! Like this C. davidii.






Also this Primula hybrid has been left this year - so far!






A North American favorite is Synthyris. The first flower of a seedling of S. missurica.






A late Scilla is coming into bloom, S. lilio-hyacinthus. A bulbous plant that really like woodland conditions!

[Hoy]

The Rhododendrons do like the humid climate but not the wind. Here are some that is little affected by the storms last winter.

Behind the garage this nameless on is in full bloom now.






High up in the canopy the R. thomsonii is almost out of sight!






This one I got as R. lanatum aff.






Down in the bog the Lysichiton americanus shows the color.






And along the side road the Osmanthus  spreads perfume in the air!

[Maggi Young]

The rain makes the colours on your plants look very good, Trond.

[Hoy]

Yes, thanks Maggi! But the low light level makes it difficult to take decent pictures

[Robert]

Trond,

It appears that spring is a very long, drawn-out affair. This certainly would have its benefits. Around here the flowers can come and go in a blink-of-an-eye.

Believe it or not, slugs can be a problem here too.

For me it is enjoyable to see how others use plants that I will no longer consider. The drought has changed everything garden oriented. There will be no return to business as usual when the rains return.

[Hoy]

Robert, yes spring is a long affair! In fact about 6 months. We have 1/2 year spring then 1/2 year fall. No real summer and no real winter

I have considered changing my garden inventory to be more gastropod-proof but so far I am still hoping for better times with no slugs and less rain in spring!

[Tim Ingram]

Trond - do you have good success with Clintonia andrewsiana in the garden? Our spring so far has been very dry so plants are going over more quickly - not so many gastropods fortunately!

A few pictures from the daily walk with the dog. North Kent is fruit growing country and quite intensively farmed - not so many wild flowers on this particular walk.

[Hoy]

Tim,

I have one plant which looks good, flowers and sets fruits every year (but some culprit steal the berries). The slugs don't touch it - not much anyway.
I had two more plants that where out-shaded I believe - forgot to move them when the shrubs got too big

Your part of the world looks green and nice! More like the south part of this county on the other side of the Boknafjorden. 50 years ago it was small farms, sheep and herring fisheries here at the north side. Now it is oil and gas related industry and shipping which bring in the money.

The fruit land is at Hardangerfjorden 1 1/2 hours drive from here.

[Robert]

A few pictures from the daily walk with the dog. North Kent is fruit growing country and quite intensively farmed - not so many wild flowers on this particular walk.

Tim,

I love the photographs of the farm county! I have to admit that you get me pining away for the fields of grain. At one time I grew small amounts of Heirloom Wheat, Barley, and Rye - all done with hand tools. Folks at the farmers' market enjoyed seeing how it was done the old way. I would thresh grain at market (sort of a mess) with my hand threshing tools. It brought quite the crowd with considerable interest. The best grain one could ever eat too - fresh and grown on rich, well composted soil. Nothing else taste like it! It is fun harvesting a field of rye that towers over your head, and so beautiful. Thanks for sharing.

[Hoy]

Sunday May 10. Nice weather about 8^oC in the morning and 12^oC in the afternoon.

We decided to take a noon trip to the highest point in our vicinity, Ådnafjell, 126m.




The first 10 meters goes along the old road which were used 35 years ago when we moved here. Not easy to see the road now!




We walk along a path which is much used by people on their afternoon or Sunday walk. In old times the hills where used much more than now so the path is made for horses and wagons. Not so much tended any longer, it is very wet some places but the old bridge still stands. The birches is not greener than 3 weeks ago due to the cold nights. The days have not been warmer either. May is in fact colder than normal so far.



The creek runs from a small lake down to the fjord, about 1km away.




The bog myrtle (Myrica gale) grows along the creek and also in abundance on other moist and wet places which are rather common here.

[Hoy]

The first part of the trip is in a typical birch wood.Birch is the commonest tree here. On rocky outcroppings in the wood you can find the common ferns like common polypody and long beech fern.

I used to chew the rhizomes of the polypody as a kid. They tasted a little like licorice, especially the new growth. The Norwegian name "lakrisrot" actually means licorice root.




I don't know if the long beech fern has bee used to anything. The Norwegian name "hengeving" means hanging wings.




In wet places you can find meadow horsetail (Equisetum pratense). It is still early in the season so it is not fully developed.




Bilberry/blueberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) is also common here.




The junipers are often infested by this rust fungus Gymnosporangium clavariiforme which alternates between the common juniper (Juniperis communis) and hawthorn. Hawthorn is badly damaged but the juniper tolerates the fungus.