GEOGRAPHIES OF BELONGING

a life through botanic gardens

There is something about botanic gardens. How human efforts and plant life intertwine. How they tell stories about us. How we have tried to make sense of, control, create wonder.

This is one of my stories: I travel, and I collect things. Here is my collection of botanic gardens and where I was in life when I met them.

Stockholm, Sweden:
Bergianska botaniska trädgård
Autumn and winter 2013
Swedish ethnobotany, 2016
Two seasons in the garden, 2018
On botanic gardens, in quarantine 2020
Bergen, Norway:
Muséhagen & Arboretet & Bergen botaniske hage
Spring and summer 2022
Cape Town, South Africa:
Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden
December 1997
Tromsø, Norway:
Tromsø Arctic-Alpine Botanic Garden
May 2025
Umeå, Sweden:
Arboretum Norr
May 2025
Montréal, Quebec, Canada:
Jardin botanique de Montréal
August 2024
Nordhordland, Norway:
Tjorehagen
May 2024
Rotterdam, the Netherlands:
Arboretum Trompenburg
March 2024
Turku, Finland:
Turun Yliopiston Kasvitieteellinen Puutarha
July 2023
Helsinki, Finland:
Kaisaniemen kasvitieteellinen puutarha
May 2017
July 2023
Göteborg, Sweden:
Göteborgs Botaniska Trädgård
June 2023
Berlin, Germany:
Botanischer Garten Berlin
September 2022 & June 2023
Tucson, Arizona, USA:
Biosphere 2
May 2023
Phoenix, Arizona, USA:
Desert Botanical Gardens
July 2012
May 2023
Hamburg, Germany:
Alter Botanischer Garten & Loki Schmidt Botanischer Garten
October 2018 (Alter Garten)
March 2023 (Loki Schmidt Garten)
Chania, Crete, Greece:
Botanical Park and Gardens of Crete
October 2022
Kristianstad, Sweden:
Hälsoträdgården
April 2019
September 2022
Östra Göinge, Sweden:
Wanås Konst & Slott
May 2017
September 2022
Erlangen, Germany:
Botanischer Garten Erlangen
September 2022
Ljubljana, Slovenia:
Botanični vrt Univerze v Ljubljani
September 2022
Uppsala, Sweden:
Botaniska trädgården & Linnéträdgården
Autumn & winter 2012-2013
September 2022
Visby, Gotland, Sweden:
The Botanical Garden of the Bathing Friends
September 2018
June & August 2022
Oslo, Norway:
Botanisk Hage i Oslo
January 2017
August 2022
Rosendal, Vestlandet, Norway:
Rosendal have
May 2022
Copenhagen, Denmark:
Københavns Universitet Botaniske Have
August 2013
November 2021
Bagarmossen, Stockholm, Sweden:
Bagarmossen Resilience Center
Autumn 2020
San Sebastian, Basque Country, Spain:
Jardín Botánico de Iturraran / Iturrarango Loratego Botanikoa
October 2018
Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain:
Jardí Botànic de Barcelona
October 2018
Lyon, France:
Jardin Botanique du Parc de la Tête d’Or
October 2018
Clermont-Ferrand, France:
Jardin Botanique de la Charme
October 2018
Oaxaca, Mexico:
Jardín Ethnobotánico de Oaxaca
November 2017
Göttingen, Germany:
Alter Botanischer Garten & Experimenteller Botanischer Garten der Unisversität Göttingen
September 2017
Brussels, Belgium:
Plantentuin Meise / Jardin Botanique Meise
September 2017
Paris, France:
Jardin des Plantes de Paris
September 2017
Zürich, Switzerland:
Botanischer Garten der Universität Zürich
August 2017
Lund, Sweden:
Botaniska trädgården vid Lunds Universitet
June 2017
Glasgow, Scotland:
Glasgow Botanic Gardens
May 2017
Edinburgh, Scotland:
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
June 2013
May 2017
Montpellier, France:
Jardin des Plantes de Montpellier
September 2016
Belem, Portugal:
Jardim Botânico Tropical
September 2015
Lisbon, Portugal:
Jardim Botânico da Universidade de Lisboa
September 2015
Prague, the Czech Republic:
Botanická zahrada Přírodovědecké Fakulty Universzity Karlovy
July 2013
Zagreb, Croatia:
Botanički vrt u Zagrebu
July 2013
Vienna, Austria:
Botanischer Garten der Universität Wien
July 2013
Amsterdam, the Netherlands:
Hortus Botanicus
June 2013
London, England:
Kew Royal Botanic Gardens
June 2013
Cambridge, England:
Cambridge University Botanic Garden
June 2013
Portland, Oregon, USA:
International Rose Test Garden
June 2012
Seattle, Washington, USA:
Volunteer Park Conservatory
June 2012
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada:
The Nitobe Memorial Garden
April 2012
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada:
The Muttart Conservatory
March 2012

Special photo collections

Details of a garden: Plants & insects up close
Garden architecture from around the world

Additional nature writings

  • I used to write much more when I was traveling than just about botanic gardens. Here are some other texts I wrote while exploring the world through farms, parks and rain forests.
  • Inspired by the time I spent doing fieldwork in Burkina Faso, I also wrote this text about Ethnobotany in Burkina Faso.)