Lily Time

Many of the well-known and unknown garden lilies originally come from the high herbaceous flora and woody edges of the Himalayas. Here, Guggerbachtal-Alpinum at the Schatzalp, we show a wonderful, rare wild form, Lilium lijiangense, from east Tibet and west Sichuan, as well as from north Yunnan. The forest and forest edge plant grows in the protection of small trees and grassland, in nutrient-rich and well-drained soil. The beautiful yellow, often violet or brownish spotted, fragrant flowers sit singly or in groups of up to 6 nodding in a hanging raceme and look very distinctive. The individual flowers almost seem to be floating in the air. The species can vary greatly and is therefore also listed under other names such as L. ninganense and L. huidongense.
It grows at an altitude of about 3300 m above sea level.

Between Lake Garda and lake Como

Elisabeths catchfly, or also the large-flowered catchfly, Silene elisabethae, comes from the southern Alps and defies the sleet. The lime-loving rock plant is in the Guggerbachtal-Alpinum in the pumice garden. From a horticultural point of view, it is one of the more demanding alpine species and is rather short-lived. That is why the seed should always be harvested, which, like most Caryophyllaceae (carnation plants), germinates easily and from which it can be easily regrown. Its long, somewhat woody root makes division impossible, but it is wonderful for growing through crevices and feeding the plant. The name was given by the Austrian botanist Georg Jan (1791-1866) and honors Maria Elisabeth von Savoyen-Carignan (1800-1856). She was the wife of the Viceroy Rainer of Austria (1783-1853) of Lombardy-Venetia.
The plant, which grows to a height of approx. 15-20 cm, flowers in July-August, in pink shades that can vary slightly. It is rarely seen with a white flower.

How does the Swamp Trident taste?

The botanical weekend has just taken place at the Schatzalp. This years theme has been “Animals in the Garden”. The AGM of the Association of Friends of the Botanical Garden was also embedded in the program.
Friday in particular was dedicated to the animal co-inhabitants of the gardens with two lectures. In the morning, the scientific illustrator Dani Pelegatti presented “Insects across the beds – the garden as a habitat”. With his eye for detail and the joy of biodiversity, he opened up a fascinating view of natures crawling, humming and flying community. With winged inhabitants it continued in the afternoon. Garden Director Klaus Oetjen gave an informative presentation on the garden as a habitat for birds and other vertebrates.
Then the members of the Alpinum association – short for the association mentioned above – gathered for the general assembly. It was with great joy that they were able to take note of a large donation, which ensured that the finances of the benevolent association were able to close significantly good for once. Not for long, however, because the 2024 budget is already showing a minus again. According to the wishes of the donors, the donation will have been used for signage in the alpine garden by then. “Since this year, the Alpinum has been a member of “Botanic Garden Conservation International”, reported board member Fabian Reppel. This makes it much easier for the Alpinum to exchange seeds with other gardens of the same kind.
From the swamp…
On Saturday the society went into the Dischma-Valley, where botanisation took place between Dürrboden and Teufi, under guidance of botanist Benjamas Ramsauer. Originally from Thailand, Benjamas discovered her passion for botany because of Swiss dandelion meadows. Something she didn’t know from her Thai homeland. In the meantime, she has turned her fascination into a profession and compiles plant inventories for various institutions. Above all, as a trained excursion leader, she shares her enthusiasm with others. In the dry soil with its rather acidic habitats, the main focus was on the large number of plant species found in fens and raised bogs. These are communities that are strictly protected in the lowlands, but can already be seen here in the mountains along streams and grazed by cows and horses. A highlight was the encounter with the swamp trident (Triglochin palustre). Its name comes from its seed head, which resembles Neptune’s trident, so well suited to its habitat in and near the water. Ramsauer recommended tasting the plant as well. The special taste will not be revealed here, but is reserved for the participants.
…to the wind crest
The wind crest communities with the various heather plants such as crowberry (Empetrum nigrum) and bog bilberry (Vaccinium gaultherioides) also lingered for a long time. A little further down the valley, there were the tall herb meadows with the Alpendost (Adenostilis alliariae) in the immediate vicinity of the green alders, which had to be discussed in detail. Equipped with a magnifying glass and a small board, Ramsauer explained the special characteristics and differences between the species in great detail. This made the excursion extremely interesting for both amateurs and professionals. The botanical weekend concluded on Sunday morning with a tour of the gardens led by Oetjen: “From the classic rock garden to the crevice garden”.

Bellflower Time

Welcome to the bellflower jungle. The Campanula are one of the most diverse genera. Among the more than 300 species there are small dwarfs of only a few centimeters and giants that can grow up to 2 meters high.
The broad-leaved forest bellflower, Campanula latifolia, is the largest of the genus. It comes from Europe, Siberia and also from Iran, from where it extends to its main distribution area, the Caucasus.
They bloom blue or white and can be used well in parks and gardens. They can thrive in favorable places, but grow in clumps, i.e. without forming underground runners.
You can curb their urge to spread by pruning before seed maturity. It is a plant that can be wonderfully socialized with other large perennials such as forest goat’s beard, hosta and euphorbia.

Allium not just for food

The genus Allium is very diverse, there are over 800, maybe even over 1000 species. They are distributed throughout the northern hemisphere. Among them we can find many species that are used in kitchens all over the world. One is the foliage and the other is the onion. Some of the alpine species are very popular and rare.
One of the most beautiful comes from the Italian Alps, it grows between Lake Como and Lake Garda at up to 2100 m above sea level.
Appropriately, it bears the name Allium insubricum, its pink to brugundy red, hanging flowers are umbel-like, bell-shaped.

The Guggerbachtal-Alpinum open again

The coveted meconopsis (false poppies) begin to flower.

The false poppies are very popular in the garden world, but tricky fellows. They all come from great heights, up to over 6000 m above sea level in the Himalayas. In the garden you need similar requirements as in the distribution area. They grow on mineral mostly acidic, silicate soils, with deep limestone. For this they need enough moisture and high UV radiation, especially during their vegetative growth. The best known false poppies are the blue flowering species. But there are also species that bloom pink, red, violet, white and yellow. Some are dwarfs, only 10 cm tall, others reach up to 180 cm. About 45 species are known, of which there are short-lived and long-lived. The short-lived are mostly monocarpic. This means they flower only once in their life and survive by self seeding. Most monocarpic species flower in the second or third year after sowing. But if the weather doesn’t suit them, they like to push the flowers a little ahead of them and bloom a year or two later.

Workcamp at Schatzalp

As it has been for many years, eight volunteers from “Service Civil International” are currently working at Schatzalp.
During their two-week deployment, they are mainly active in the work against Lupins. This serves to preserve habitats, since the Lupins are considered invasive Neophytes from North America and like to overgrow entire areas. Therefore, they are dug up in places worthy of protection and cut back in other places before self seeding. In order to maintain biodiversity on the Schatzalp meadows, hand sickles and scythes are generally used instead of string mowers or brushcutters. This makes the manual work of the volunteers all the more important. The volunteers are also involved in weeding and sterilizing compost.
Some volunteers keep coming back, such as Ana, who has been at the Schatzalp for the first time in 2010 and is now doing her 3rd assignment. For her it is a special and magical place. “I love diversity and nature. That’s why such a garden should be preserved for at least 1000 years,” she says. She also enjoys the peace and quiet and that she can benefit from the wealth of knowledge in the Alpinum. In the team, she also gains an insight into other cultures, other generations and worlds of thought with which she otherwise has no contact in everyday life, she adds.

Time of the Turk`s Cap Lilies

The Turk’s Cap Lily, Lilium martagon, has a very wide distribution, it occurs throughout Eurasia, west of Portugal through S. France and further to the east. Central and southern Italy and western N-Europe are left out. Otherwise, the distribution area goes as far as Siberia, northern Mongolia, and the southern Caucasus. This is also the reason for some varieties and forms. The species forms its own section, which botanists call the Martagon section. This can be recognized by the typical Turk’s Cap shape with the petals bent back and the pistils and stamens protruding far. All varieties grow on limestone, but can also be found on other soils, sometimes also in silicate. They do not tolerate garden humus and rich soil in the root area, which is why they are often regarded as difficult to keep. They can climb up to more than 2100 m high in the mountains. Deer love the buds, one reason why we find them with difficulty in some places in the Alps, although they grow in large numbers here. In the case of repeated grazing damage, they can retreat into the ground for several years to regain their strength.

The White Asphodel

The “White Asphodel”, Asphodelus albus, belongs to the grass tree family, the Xanthorrhoeaceae. This warmth-loving species comes from the mediterranean zones of southern Europe, as well as from the western Balkan-Region, it grows in stony, dry mountain meadows to partly shaded woody areas.
In Switzerland we can find it in the Rhone Valley and southern Ticino. It is an imposing perennial that can grow up to 100 cm tall.The thickened roots of the Asphodel used to be placed in bread dough and baked with it. However, they are poisonous when eaten raw.
In ancient times, it was considered a mourning plant and was intended to serve the dead as food for the journey to the realm of the dead.

The Ladyslippers are in full flower

If there is a queen of the lady’s slippers then it is probably Cypripedium tibeticum, of which there are 4 subspecies and many color variations. There are also natural and artificial hybrids, which equals breeds. Their occurens extends from eastern Tibet to neighboring Yunnan, Sichuan and Gansu
and Nepal. It also stretches to northern Bhutan and the Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim. The plants grow to a maximum height of 35 cm. They bear strikingly large flowers, with fine veining, ranging in color from red to black-red, maroon and yellow shades.
Our native lady’s slipper, Cypripedium calceolus, is still blooming in the Guggerbach Valley Alpinum. All the orchids, even the inconspicuous ones, and those that are now in their hundreds in the meadows, growing along the pathways and trails are protected by law. Any picking is prohibited by law.