Katja

Oaxaca (v)

128 I was most intrigued by the cacti in the Oaxaca ethnobotanic garden. The life force in these inhospitable plants, and the beauty in the patterns on their skins. It amazes me. This is pure survival. And I must admit, the cacti and pond installation in the end of the guided tour was really aContinue reading “Oaxaca (v)”

Wanås (ii)

127 The outdoor art museum in the Wanås castle grounds is really impressive and surprising. I truly enjoyed strolling around there in the twilight hour. However, what left the deepest impression on me was still the tree. The Snapphane oak. It was already standing there when the first castle was being built in the endContinue reading “Wanås (ii)”

Lund (ii)

126 The small greenhouses in Lund University botanic garden are neat and well-frequented by primary school children. I took shelter there away from a heavy spring rain when I visited in 2017. But weather is fickle that time of year. No sooner had it stopped raining, than the sun came out and turned the wholeContinue reading “Lund (ii)”

Kew (iii)

125 The Kew Royal Botanic Gardens are immense. One corner of the garden hosts most of the greenhouses and the meticulously planned thematic gardens. Most of the grounds, though, are made up of an arboretum. When I visited in 2013, it felt like an airy forest with many different kinds of trees, and it wasContinue reading “Kew (iii)”

Visby (ii)

124 I visit the Visby botanic garden at the peak flowering of autumn dahlias, green apples on the grass glistening with droplets of the rain that just fell. The rose garden is planted in a symmetric amphitheater, so delicious for the eyes. It might not be the most scientific botanical display among my collection ofContinue reading “Visby (ii)”

Glasgow (iii)

123 The arboretum in the Glasgow Botanic Gardens is in no way the largest or most species-rich arboretum that I’ve been to. Kew in London, for example, has one that is immense. But the location in Glasgow, along the River Kelvin. I don’t know, there is something with the slowly moving water that brings outContinue reading “Glasgow (iii)”

apartment garden (i)

122 Today was a crap day for thesis. Today, it snowed – which was quite beautiful to watch through the window, if I’m being honest. But it felt wrong, anyway. But I’m very much enjoying how the returning light has lured my house plants into bloom, pinks and purples. Even a little white. Photos: FalseContinue reading “apartment garden (i)”

Göttingen (iii)

121 The greenhouses in the historic botanic garden in Göttingen. Seriously. The greenhouses! Old and quite small, so intensely green it almost feels like they were planted and then left to rewild in their tiny universe of tropical rainforest in the middle of chilly autumn Germany. The first one I entered was completely dedicated toContinue reading “Göttingen (iii)”

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120 My friend Josh messaged me: “Let’s just both remember that it’s only a phd and no one will die if it sucks.” My mantra for the coming five months. I booked the date of my defense today. Photo: Alter Botanischer Garten in Göttingen, Germany, September 2017. Posted on Instagram April 20, 2021.

Hamburg (ii)

119 The old botanic garden in Hamburg has a greenhouse complex, built in 1962. Large, with different rooms, like walking through the tropical biomes in miniature. It felt, somehow, a bit more ornamental than some of the very systematic greenhouses that I’ve visited, like the one in Meise, but it was intensely green and lushContinue reading “Hamburg (ii)”