Notes from Norway

[Robert]

I think that Black Flies, various Gnats, Deer Flies, and other blood sucking insects could be added to the list. Seems to me that an outhouse is a good idea. I certainly would not turn it down.    And then there is the -20 F with the 40 mph wind or the driving sleet. The outhouse starts looking better all the time. 

Although I have some stories about outhouses that are humorous but not very pleasant, I will stop here. 

[Chris Johnson]

I would think the protected, humid, damp environment of the outhouse would be an ideal residence for midges and other biting insects. Your backside would come out a rather different complexion than when it went in. 

[johnralphcarpenter]

Do we need a separate outhouse topic?

[Hoy]

Do we need a separate outhouse topic?

Oh yes! Seems to be a popular topic

The mentioned one actually sits in the middle of a cluster of cabins so I think not insects are the main issue Not when you sit there but maybe for the cabins

[Hoy]

We have been at our mountain cabin to make it ready for the winter. It is probably several months to our next visit and then it will be cold and much snow.

We got a taste of the coming season when we woke up one day to a few cm of snow. It didn't last long but the weather has been grey and wet with rain, sleet, fog but fortunately no wind. Everything is dripping wet and the soil is soaked. Not the conditions for long walks.

View of the neighborhood and the lake Mykingsjøen.




Larch trees (Larix decidua) are not native but often planted as a forest tree. This is a seedling I found in the road verge and moved to our property.




Rowan trees (Sorbus aucuparia) are native and very frost hardy. Yet they are a bit rare up here because all kind of browsing animals seem to chew on them.




Yellow bedstraw (Galium verum) is more common in the lowland where it flowers early in the season. Up here it is a late blooming plant - very late this year as the summer was cold.

[Hoy]

A nosy friend (a stoat) had paid us a visit during the night.




Sheltered by a spruce we could still admire the fall colours of the bog bilberry (Vaccinium uliginosum).




The neighbour plant (Greater knapweed, Centaurea scabiosa) is not a native up here but seems to thrive although it almost never finish flowering before the winter arrives. Some years though the seeds have time to ripen!






Another late bloomer is the field gentian (Gentianella campestris). It is a biennial and some individuals start flowering in late July but other wait till September and continue into winter.

[Robert]

Trond,

The photographs with the new snow are magical. How beautiful!

Vaccinium uliginosum grows here in the Sierra Nevada at high elevations. I do not see it very often. Much more common is V. caespitosum. This species has brilliant orange-red fall foliage too. In is native habitat it is often seen growing right next to Phyllodoce breweri. When the Vacciniums turn color in the autumn, the color contrast between the Phyllodoce and Vaccinium is spectacular.

I have tried to repeat this combination here at the farm. I am able to grow both the Phyllodoce and Vaccinium caespitosum, however so far the Vaccinium has never colored well for me.....yet. Maybe it is too young. The Vaccinium grows very slowly.

Another native Vaccinium I grow is V. parvifolium. It needs extremely acid soil to grow well. The fruit is bright red and very attractive. My plants are too small to produce fruit, but maybe I will be able to photograph some wild plants.

Gentianella campestris is the sort of species I like to grow. Maybe someday I will be able to give it a try. Our native Gentianellas are biennial-annual and quite nice. I looked all over for them this season and did not find any. Maybe drought, maybe I did not have enough time to look. I was certainly looked in the right location.

I enjoyed your photographs tremendously. I am looking forward to some sites with snow cover. This can be very beautiful too. For me, it will also be very interesting to see what wintertime is like around your coastal climate home.

[Hoy]

Robert,

Glad you like the pictures but I am not always on friendly terms with my camera

Vaccinium uliginosum is very variable in fall colour while V. myrtillus usually is plain yellow. It is however, Arctostaphylus alpinus that has the best autumn colour. We saw some from the car but didn't stop to take pictures.

Here is a picture from a previous year:



You need sunny days and cold nights to get the best colours. I think it is to hot at your place

V. parvifolium looks nice!


I hope it still is at least 2 months till we get snow down here!

In 2011 we got the first snowfall December 17:

[Hoy]

The winter seems still to be far away although some plants have started to dress in the fall clothing.

Part of my woodland - not much colour yet. But it is obvious that I need to remove a couple of trees




Some rhododendrons have started blooming again:
a repens hybrid




r. hippophaeoides 'Haba Shan' - very nice blue!




And some haven't finished - R. auriculatum. Although very pristine when just opened the flowers soon get brown spots. But the fragrance is excellent




Forgot the name of this one - the big leaves are often damaged by strong wind in winter. Last winter it lost all the new leaves except a few although it is planted in shelter.

[Hoy]

A self sowing annual weed, Impatiens something.




An Oxalis.I think it is a perennial but have forgotten the name




Late flowering Clematis heracleifolia hybrid.




Phygelius capensis flower all summer and much of the fall also.




Chelonopsis moscata.

[Hoy]

The shrubs are loaded with berries, like this Ilex cornuta pernyi.




Also Cotoneaster bullatus has many berries - but it always have. Here together with an Impatiens.




Cyclamen hederifolium in the wood.




The Asplenium scolopendrium has grown a lot this summer. The fronds are up to 80cm.




3 different Saxifrages on the roof.

[johnw]

Trond - I think your Ilex cornuta is either I. pernyi or Ilex 'Aquipernyi'.  I've heard I. cornuta doesn't ripen its berries in the higher latitudes and that was certainly the case here, not enough heat or light.  Lost them all over time but they were certainly beauties.

john

[johnw]

Trond - Jens Birck's selection of R. trichostomum is in full flower here for the third time this year.  Also as with you R. hippophaeoides 'Haba Shan'.  I blame the dry periods.

john  - +19c here today the same for the next few days.  The autumn colour in the city is non-existent for the most part.

[johnw]

Wow that Arctostaphylus alpinus!

[Robert]

Trond,

Acrtostphylos alpinus caught my eye last year when I saw photographs. It would be fun to give it a try around here and see what happens.

The large 30 year old Rhododendron auriculatum in our garden has survived the drought! The flower spot here too.    I thought that it was the heat, as it generally blooms in early July. I like its structure and the fragrant flowers - I think I will keep it.  It does put up with the heat, .......maybe reluctantly.

With your climatic conditions your garden looks so lush and green. Here, it was 33 C today. Everything looks so tired from the heat and drought. Even the native vegetation is highly stressed (at least in some places). I was finally able to get away to Rock Creek for a few hours today and will report on what I saw in a few days. Very mixed observations.

Great plants! Everything looks so good.