3. SIBERIA – and Kirovsk Friendship Garden

The town Kirovsk on the Russian Kola Peninsula had the world’s northernmost garden before ours was established.

Sibirhundetann/Siberian fawn lily (Erythronium sibiricum)

The town Kirovsk on the Russian Kola Peninsula had the world’s northernmost garden before ours was established. When our garden was opened, they donated three species to us. These present a beautiful flower display during spring: Siberian fawn lily (Erythronium sibiricum), Calli- anthemum angustifolium and Scilla rosenii. Their natural habitats are in South Siberia, East Siberia and Caucasus, respectively.

Camtchatka in the Far East is climatically a parallel area to North Norway. They also have forests of birch and alder, although the species there are different from ours. We cultivate Erman’s birch (Betula ermanii) in our collection together with many tall perennial herbs, such as the magnificent meadowsweet species Filipendula camtchatica. The area also houses several giant relatives of our famous Tromsø palm (Heracleum), however, we do not grow them. The beautiful barberry Berberis amurensis from East Siberia and East Asia has attractive red berries rich in vitamins.

Siberian species reaching the Arctic are primarily grown in our Arctic collection. This includes also several eastern species reaching Norway, e.g. large pink (Dianthus superbus).