If you’re a regular reader of our blog, you probably think that all we do is think about and investigate food. And that is very nearly correct. But we do a few other things too. We’ve decided we’ll do at least one tourist-type thing each day. Our usual way is to explore our neighbourhood first and go farther afield over time (this also helps us to settle in). As it happens, the Oslo Botanical Garden is only about a 15-minute walk from our flat, and we took a recent trip there on a beautifully sunny day. To our way of thinking, there is nothing so wonderful as a garden in the middle of a city. Nature, but surrounded by civilization on all sides! And of course cultivated nature, so you can see both how humans manipulate nature and nature itself.
The Oslo Botanical Garden is part of the Natural History museum, which is in turn part of the University of Oslo. They established it in 1814 to conduct research that would help improve agriculture. Like many a botanic garden, the one in Oslo has lots of winding paths beneath beautiful shady trees. There are a number of specialty gardens including an herb garden and one with ‘Giftplanter’. If you know German, you’ll know that is not good, since ‘Gift’ in German means ‘poison’. And indeed there they were: hemlock, nightshade, foxglove and more. (This was very valuable research for Laurel who is writing a murder mystery.)
One of the most interesting specialty gardens within Oslo’s botanical garden featured what were called ‘red-‘ and ‘black-listed plants’. These are those which are endangered or nearly extinct in Norway. Many grow among mountain rocks, and they have a beauty of a sort we have not seen before. Some looked very rugged, others very delicate. There was also a palm house and a Victorian greenhouse, the latter with amazing light and a central circular water feature with lilypads. (See the picture.) And our well-organised selves loved the ‘systematic garden’, which arranges plants by classification.
After a couple of hours, we had only skimmed the surface, so we’re already making plans to return. And since there’s a nice café, ample shade, and beautiful outdoor seating, we’ll bring some reading material and make an afternoon of it.
