Linnaeus in Uppsala

A pilgrimage to see the house and gardens of Linneaus in Uppsala, a venerable university town north of Stockholm was rewarding for its beautiful cathedral and botanical gardens as well. The striking public container plantings in Uppsala perhaps reflect the botanical theme of the town, strongly focused on Carl Linnaeus and his legacy. The containers were an unusual mix of edibles (including tomatoes and corn) along with perennial flowering plants. Perhaps they were all made up of species that he described, displayed in his reconstructed research garden, here from his study window, where he did all of his writing.

It's an amazing experience, especially as a botanist/gardener, to reflect on all of the plants that he described, among them many from North America. In the garden, cup plant (among many other perennials) looked happy in the long days of a Swedish summer; mayapple and bloodroot looked wan, as if to reflect "I'm supposed to be dormant by now!