Visiting Botaniska Trädgården Göteborg (GBG)

 

It is always a pleasure visiting the Botaniska in GBG. There is always something to see and it is a very nice park in the middle of the city center. A lot of citizens use the park to go outside for a walk or fika. You can also start your walk in the Botaniska and walk out of this park to nature in direction of Mölndal of visit the higher parts and enjoy the view on GBG. At the moment the Botaniska is renovating the glasshouses, so it is a little bit a mess, nevertheless worth visiting. They finished already building a new glasshouse on top nearby the entrance. 

Porcelin klocka

Not snowdrops but Springbells

Under a glass roof you will find very rare sorts of bulbs from al over the world. They are flowering now!

And in the new build glasshouse they show threatened plants by climate change. Specially plants growing in the coldest arias (like Antartica or Himalya) of the world are having more and more problems to survive in a warming up world. 

View on Goteborg

When you want to have an indication what it can be like in summertime, just have a look on the pictures from the Botaniska I made in earlier days. For more information about opening times, what exhibitions or events they offer, when they finish renovation or something else, please visit their website. 

Spring arriving in Småland Sweden

For now we are still in the Snowdrop season in Sweden, in general the earliest flowers of the season. They are giving there best for now, growing bigger every day. As every year I start looking for small sign for spring. Like some years ago when we still had a real winter.  Also this year I find found some traces.

Till the moment of spring arrives, I try to enjoy myself inside with sowing Lavendel and Passion plants and making plant cuttings, mostly pelargon. Last season I already made new Hydrangea Annabelle, Skimmia Green Jewels and Hydrangea Paniculatum. They are doing very well outside. They survived "autumn"time and are starting to grow now. 

After a little walk around I found the first flowering Crocus. Only the left overs. The most of them are eaten by the Sork. That is a small active animal, something in between a mouse and a cavia here in Småland. We try to scare them away by watering garlic water in the holes. 

We also heard the first Cranes some weeks ago, already the beginning of March. Quit early actually. Last week they also arrived by our lake, very close to our house (only 50 meters) but we can not see them from our place. First only one, screaming all day to inform the partner who arrived later. First days screaming each morning, so we waked up early too. Now they are quit ok. Feeding after the big travel from the south of Spain. It is hard to belief they can make that long journey, survive the challenges of modern times and know what direction to fly to. We tried to make a picture of them but they are very scared. So I only can offer you a far away picture, there are some grey/white things in the left corner. Our cranes. We saw them much more close but then couldn't make a video in time. Today we were working outside, we saw several groups of cranes arriving in Sweden. A fabulous view and sound to witness. 

Cranes hiding in the reed

But finally half of March, expecting spring, you wake up and see only snow. A total white world. With beautiful sun this time. Suddenly time to clean the path again (before it's getting icy). And next step,  just throw all your things you are busy with away, put on your winter clothes and just enjoy the day today! Don't forget to make nice pictures 😎. By the way, the snow disappeared as suddenly as it came. 

So we went on with inside jobs to do. I started sowing the more difficult plants (like Passiflora, Crocosmia or Hemerocallis (Daylily), or the ones who need warmth and coldness or a long time to germinate (like Pinus, Verbena, Lavendula). Next weeks it is time for the Lathyrus to sow. But I need to create place first 😉. So the Pelargonias have to move from their winter place to a little warmer and more sunnier place for waking up. 

Meanwhile we have been outside sometimes, not only to have some healthy movement, but also looking for more spring signs. We only found them hidden far away between the leaves: the blåsippa. It has been so cold and grey till now, I can understand they are still hiding (frosty in the nights, max 5 at daytime). But I have good news too. Last week we got suddenly some days of spring, temperatures around 10 degrees and totally sunny every day 💛😍. We have been outside as much as possible, enjoying the light and sun (we even got sunburn in our faces). 

Hiding Blåsippor (Hepatica)

Of course the Blåsippa started flowering immediately, it was waiting for the first sun and warmth too. We have been enjoying sun for nearly a week. Having breakfast early in the morning (with a wintercoat, in the sun out of the chilly wind). It's like nature is exploding. Everything in nature is in a hurry suddenly. "Grow now, we only have some months left before its getting winter again." Daylight gets already less form end of June 😬....

We still need some more patience, because we also went back to winter again. Maybe we will have some spring in the beginning of April?.....Hope next time we meet, spring has started 🙏.

And oh yes my neighbor Andreas made very close pictures from the cranes only 50 meters away in the lake. Beautiful to live to closely. It was funny because this time there were invaders, the Cranes man got concurrence, but was chased away. The cranes wake up us nearly every morning when the daylight starts to come, very early around 5 o'clock 😳. See you next time!

The light is back

Yes, finally. At least the light is back, you can really feel it. It is earlier light, at the end of the day it is much longer light and even during daytime it is getting slowly better. The sun is already climbing much more higher as in winter, so the days are less dark and grey. It has been a long time already. We started already 5 months ago. I used a lot of blue energy light to keep the mood upp. Even my plants got some extra help to get healthy through winter.

On the first of Februari it is Imbolc, the celebration day of the Celts. It is the moment the light is coming back. The godess Birgit stood symbol for the party of light. The sun is coming back and days getting longer for half a year. The Celts lived very close with nature, in the rythm of nature, mostly agricultural. They followed the sun and marked the time of year on a wooden stick. This is was also a to do list. What jobs to do in which season. In winter season (where the days are shorter as the nights), what started beginning of november with the Festival of the light called Samhain, it was mostly keeping busy with handcrafts and slowing down a little. Reload for the activities next half year. The new season started end of April. It is still celebrated in Sweden, being the celebration of the spring. It is called Valborgsafton in Sweden (also known as Walpurgisnacht in Germany). 

Photo de Charlie Sivlér sur Unsplash

Climate wise it is a very short season for gardening in Scandinavia. When you are lucky you can start early in spring but it can be frosty till the beginning of June. I remember a holiday time in the Norwegian mountains. In June the animals and plants come out of winter and have only three months to flower, set seeds as a guaranty for next generation. End of August there can be snow and frost again. 

In The Netherlands they have a much longer season. Of course situated more South and having a sea climate, a big difference. With a little luck you can start in your garden in March and the forst can come till half of May. Here in Sweden we have a land climate. That means it takes longer to wake up because the earth takes longer to warm as sea. 

This season it nearly hasn't been winter att all. Second time, like last year. It's still like having a very long autumn. Suddenly we got a surprise, one week with coldness and snow. We could even have a walk on the lake. We heard the typical sound of the ice, wonderful to experience. 

But it is a pity, it disappeared as suddenly as it arrived. Next day it was the normal grey and around 4 degrees again. Business as usual again. Hope to see you in spring, whenever it will start. Next step is less grey, more sun and above 5 degrees 🙏. 

See you next time!

Winterstop

We really hope you a nice Christmas Time. Of course we wish you a very good gardening season in 2025. For me it is time to think about next season.

I will quit with the garden cafe. It is a hard decision. Because I did it with all the energy I had. I worked very hard for many years to open a countrygarden who is worth visiting. I did it with my whole heart and love for nature. It is my passion to share my love for gardening with other people. To try to make the distance between people and nature a little smaller. To see the beauty and power of nature. Because actually we are the nature. Without nature no more humanity. We can not rule nature, it rules us. 

For me it is not worth the effort anymore, to less visitors, to high costs and to much hours of work preparing. Sometimes for nothing. Maybe there will be an open garden in future, when I will join the national garden days in 2026, we will see.

This means I will not join the Lingonstallen anymore either. Most of their activities take place out of the gardening and holiday season, which is the most the most important season for me. So it doesn't make sense anymore. Of course I will continue gardening meanwhile, -I can not imagine a life without gardening- and having a plantmarket with small cuttings or seedlings at the street side. 

Spring is still far away. Winter too. It's looking like a very long autumn without light or sun. It has been grey and dark for a long time now. No snow. No coldness. No winter at all. Very boring weather. We have the lights on in the house, every singel day. We tried to escape form the country and the bad weather to the Netherlands, but the weather over there was even worse. It was the darkest time in 50 years, in 6 weeks we only had 4 days with sun. Though we were living close to the seaside we could hardly see the sea. So when the sun finally appeared for some hours, we really needed to cherish the moment. 

Finally little sun in The Netherlands

Back home in Sweden. The usual grey again. I found out we are living in the region Småland with as less light as in Lapland. Maybe it is even worse. In Lapland they have snow, which make the days more light. No winter yet. Only endless autumn. Time to start some home projects and just keep on moving. Just start counting. Spring is coming soon. We are more then halfway. Only 10 weeks left to go.