Come and see, the Rhododendron is blooming!

Spring is here and Rhododendron 'February Dawn' has already been in flower for several weeks in the Cultivar collection in Nydalen. Now more have followed suit, and there have also been flowers in the 'gold row' that you will find in the species collection north of Mørkevatnet. See pictures of Rhododendron Fulgens and Winter rhododendron R. dauricum on the right. In both collections there are many ready-to-crack buds, and it will be exciting to follow in the weeks ahead.

Rhododendron belongs to the heather family and is the largest woody plant genus on the globe. Most of the plants grow wild in the Himalayas at an altitude of several thousand meters. You would think it would be difficult to move to the coastal climate here in the west, but it turns out that most of them love life here in Bergen!

There are approx. 1,000 different wild species, from creeping dwarf bushes to gigantic trees 30 meters high. Notice that the trees often have lovely colors and patterns in the bark. The flowers can be from small thimbles to huge, lily-like beauties. The colors vary from white, pink and violet, and sometimes also bright red, yellow and orange. Beyond the spring, it is an enormously colorful experience to stroll through the Arboretum.

Ever since the start in 1971, the arboretum has focused on Rhododendrons. We have built up two main collections: a cultivar collection and a species collection. The cultivar collection is located in Nydalen near Fana folk college and contains 2,300 specimens of 600 different named varieties, while the species collection, located north of Mørkevatnet, contains 1,700 specimens of nearly 300 species.

Snowdrops and monastery bells bloom in the beds around the Blondehus, and in the field in front of Fana Folkehoyskole there are carpets of crocuses - also called Mildekrokus.