Striving towards Excellence

-Karthik Gurumurthy

This garden was founded in 1814 and is part of Natural History Museum  in Oslo. This living part collection includes more than 4500 different plant taza from around the world , and is used in education, conservation, outreach and research.

Although the Botanical Garden is an important recreational area for Oslo's population, it differs from a regular park in a collection of herbs, trees and other plants. About 90 % of the their plants from tiny herbts to colossal trees, came to the garden as seeds. They know who collected each seed and where they originated from, and all documentation is stored in their database.

Let me give you a casual rundown of this fascinating garden in Oslo!

This isn't your average park - it's a botanical garden that's been around since 1814 and is basically a living museum with over 4,500 different plants from all over the world. Pretty much everything here (about 90%) started as seeds, and they keep track of where each plant came from.

The place has some really cool sections:

• A rock garden that's like a mini mountain landscape with about 1,500-1,700 different plants
• A herb garden full of plants used for everything from cooking to making rope
• A "systematic garden" where plants are arranged like a family tree (with related plants growing next to each other)
• A super sweet area called "Great-granny's garden" that preserves old Norwegian plants from before the 1950s - it doubles as a sensory garden for people with dementia
• A climate garden where kids can learn about weather through fun activities
• An aromatic garden designed for visually impaired folks and wheelchair users, with raised beds of sweet-smelling plants
• Picture stepping into a living time capsule! The Viking Garden is like taking a trip back to when the Vikings ruled the scene (793-1066 AD). It's not just about warriors and longships - you get to see the actual plants, animals, and even rocks that Vikings used in their everyday lives. Think of it as a hands-on glimpse into how these folks handled their daily business, from what they ate and wore to how they treated their ailments and made their tools. It's basically ancient Scandinavian life brought to life through nature!
• There is also Willow Garden. Think of it as a natural playground for kids! This special area is like a mini adventure zone - it's got fences to keep the little ones safe, cool caves to explore, and these awesome sculptures made from living willow trees. The fun part? There are all these tree logs and stumps lying around that kids can drag around to make their own obstacle courses or create cozy spots to sit. It's basically nature's version of building blocks where kids can let their imagination run wild!
• Stone Garden- Think of it as a hands-on rock playground! Kids get to go on this cool time-traveling adventure through Earth's history, but with actual rocks they can touch and explore. There are these massive, colorful rocks and super interesting formations that kids can actually get their hands on - no "don't touch" signs here! It's like being a mini geologist where you can learn to "read" rocks to figure out where they came from, kind of like being a rock detective. Plus, you get to discover how these rocks connect to stuff we use every day, like where metals come from. It's basically science class, but way more fun because you get to climb, touch, and explore!

• Victoria House-  Imagine a really special greenhouse that's like stepping back into the 1800s! Back then, every fancy botanical garden in Europe was dying to show off this massive water lily from the Amazon - it was like the Instagram-worthy plant of its time. Remember, this was way before people could hop on a plane to see exotic plants, or even watch them on TV! The Victoria House (opened in 1876) is basically split into three cool areas: The main show is this pool with giant water lilies (they grow either Victoria cruziana or some fancy hybrid version). If you're lucky, you might catch some lotus flowers blooming too. Around the pool, they've got all these tropical plants you probably use in your kitchen but might never have seen growing - think ginger, coffee, and cinnamon plants in their natural state! Then there's this room on the right with plants from subtropical places - some of these guys go dormant when it's dry, either dropping their leaves or hiding out as bulbs underground. The botanists here have actually discovered some new species from Africa, and some are so rare that this greenhouse might be the only place they still exist! The left room is like a mini rainforest canopy - imagine looking up into the treetops! Along one wall, they've got these cool carnivorous plants (yes, plants that eat things!), and throughout the room there are plants that grow up in the treetops, called epiphytes - mostly orchids and some relatives of pineapples.
• Palm House: This old greenhouse from 1868 is like a time machine split into three rooms. The middle room is super cool - it's showing off plants that tell Earth's history! You've got these ancient cycads (think dinosaur-era plants), and this amazing "living fossil" tree called Wollemia that everyone thought was extinct until they found it hiding out in Australia in 1994. There's even this awesome 50-million-year-old rock from Svalbard with leaf prints that look just like today's trees! On one side, you've got this Mediterranean paradise where you can catch camellias and orange trees blooming in the dead of winter (talk about beating the winter blues!). The other side is home to cacti and succulents that tough it out in a super dry climate.

Here's the ironic part - it's called the Palm House, but it's actually too short for palms! Though it did have one famous resident palm that grew there for 185 years. They called it "Smith's Palm" (named after the garden's first boss), and it was such a determined grower that they had to keep raising the roof to make room for it! It was like the garden's celebrity until it finally called it quits in 2000.

In Latin, arbor means tree.  hey've also got this massive tree collection (called an arboretum) with 1,200 different species from around the world. While some old-timers have been cut down over the years, they keep planting new ones to keep the collection growing.

Oh, and heads up - they do have some poisonous plants, so kids need adult supervision while visiting!