Notes from Norway

[Gabriela]

Your Arctostaphylos is quite stunning Trond and so are the Rhododendrons - Haba Shan is a blue dream! One can tell you garden on a rainy location 

[Hoy]

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

Thanks John! You are right of course. It is pernyi

[Hoy]

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.

We often have rhododendrons in flower during the fall here regardless how the weather has been. Though it is rather dry for the season now but the temperature is only 10-14C during daytime.

[Hoy]

Robert,

I have read that Rh. auriculatum is rather heat and drought tolerant, in fact I am a bit surprised it don't suffer more during the winters here as it is very late growing.

I will look out for berries of A. alpinus!

Some unripe ones from 2013:



Looking forward to your Rock Creek report!

[Hoy]

Your Arctostaphylos is quite stunning Trond and so are the Rhododendrons - Haba Shan is a blue dream! One can tell you garden on a rainy location 

Thanks, Gabriela

Sometimes it is to much rain - sometimes it is to little 

[johnw]

We often have rhododendrons in flower during the fall here regardless how the weather has been.

I guess our growing seasons are just too long for these high alpine species.  Having said that I saw a 'Cunningham's White' in flower today, I think we can safely blame the dry summer and now wet autumn     for that; it's more unusual for it not to be in flower in the autumn.

john - +19c and heavy rain.

[Dave M]

I might have the opportunity to get over to Norway later this year on a work related matter. If I get across, I'm keen to see some really great examples of Norwegian upland alpine habitats and species in a landscape free of land uses issues that blight our upland ecosystems here in the UK. Id like to see some good alpine plants and birds but also natural (ideally mountainous) landscapes that also include woodland and scrub in the mix and natural river systems. Do you have any recommendations of where to head for and when?

[Hoy]

Dave

It is much to see but how do you get around? Car or train? The alpine zone is best visited in summer, maybe July, but depending on the amount of snow.

A lot of questions

Here are two options:

One option is walking the Aurlandsdalen (Aurland Valley). It is easily done in one day (or a couple more if you wish). You need a car to get there but the walk is not difficult but steep and narrow at some places. Very rich flora and a lot of birds also.

http://www.ut.no/tur/2.2886/

Another is the Finse area. You have to take the train from Bergen or Oslo (or use a bike) to get there. Here you can use a day or a week also. You can stay at Finse and take one day outings in different directions or you can walk for several days and use the mountain cabins in the area. Very rich flora here also, especially around Finse.

http://www.ut.no/hytte/3.2372/
http://www.ut.no/tur/2.7150/

[Dave M]

Many thanks really useful stuff. Will probably have a car and a week at my disposal so should be able to cover some ground and was looking towards July. Im keen to see some good plants but also get a look at the land management by way of comparison to what we have in the UK and what some of our sites could look like if re-naturalised.