A world-famous collection of bulbs that is still growing

Gothenburg Botanical Garden has specialised for many years in cultivating bulbs and tubers that have been gathered during expeditions to various parts of the world. This incredible collection is still growing thanks to seed exchanges and collecting trips. Visit this fantastic garden and see the endless variety of decorative bulbs, Colchicum and Corydalis.

Decorative bulbs have been flowering in Gothenburg Botanical Garden since it was first opened. The world-famous collection of botanical bulbs was built up during the 1960s when Per Wendelbo became director of the garden. His interest in Turkey, Iran and Afghanistan enabled the collection of wild species for Gothenburg Botanical Garden. Examples include Corydalis, foxtail lilies, hyacinths, irises and tulips.

Wendelbo’s interest in Corydalis was taken further by Magnus Lidén, who in addition to publishing scientific papers, wrote two popular science books on these plants in collaboration with staff at Gothenburg Botanical Garden.

The botanical garden has the most complete collection of Colchicum in the world thanks to the work of Karin Persson and her husband, senior curator Jimmy Persson, who studied them for over 30 years. They also researched tulips and Hyacinthella, which they have added to the collection.

The collection of outstanding bulbs and tubers attracts international attention, and specimens are distributed each year to researchers and bulb-lovers around the world. The magnificent collections of irises, Fritillaria, Colchicum and crocuses are studied by guest researchers from Latvia, Iran and Turkey.

In 2011, Gothenburg Botanical Garden arranged a collecting trip to the Caucasus. It was hoped that the trip would yield specimens of Primula renifolia, which is only found in the Caucasus, and is rarely cultivated. Instead, they mainly brought back alpines, bulbs, Omphalodes lojkae, Potentilla divina and Crocus scharojanii. Specimens of Delphinium caucasicum were also collected.

“It was fantastic to see this relatively common garden plant in its natural habitat,” says Mats Havström, botanist at Gothenburg Botanical Garden.

Read more about the trip to the Caucasus (link in Swedish)

In spring, during Gothenburg Green World, Gothenburg Botanical Garden will exhibit its unique collections, including crocuses and grape hyacinths. Also on display will be flowering specimens from collections that are not normally accessible to the public. The exhibition will encourage visitors to take a closer look at the details that make each flower an art work of nature in which the shapes and colours of the petals contrast with the stamens, pistils and foliage.