In 2017, assistant manager Lars Dahlberg made a trip to the Himalayas, after returning from that trip the idea was born to create such a geographical part in the Baggböle arboretum. Since then, we have been planning and searching for planting material to be able to complete the project. Colleagues from other arboretums and botanical gardens both in and outside of Sweden have assisted with their expertise in terms of species to try and in several cases donated plants and seeds. The availability of hardy and proven plant material originating in the Himalayas is low, but this is probably mainly due to the fact that most of it has not yet been tested, especially not as far north as in Umeå.
In 2022, an area was selected and after extensive clearing and felling of trees to let in light, the area was ready for planting in 2023 when the first species were planted. The location mirrors the rugged peaks of the Himalayas and is therefore the highest point in our East Asia section.
The Himalayan mountain range which is the biggest in the world covers a huge area (about 750,000 km²) and stretches through five different countries; Bhutan, China, India, Nepal and Pakistan. These are tall mountains with more than 110 peaks higher than 7300m. Of the 14 peaks in the whole world that reach over 8000m, 8 of these are situated in the Himalayas, more precisely in Nepal. There you can also find Mount Everest (Sagarmatha), which is the world’s highest mountain at 8848m. Within this massive area there are about 10,000 vascular plants, about a quarter of which are trees and shrubs. There is an incredible wealth of species here, which bodes well when it comes to finding species that will suit our climate.
The Himalayas are one of the most sensitive places on earth in terms of climate change. Melting glaciers, irregular and unpredictable weather conditions, changing patterns of precipitation and rising temperatures pose major problems for those living there and for the animal and plant life. Unfortunately, it only looks like it will escalate in the years to come. We see this collection of trees as a resource for the future and if we manage these collections well, these unique species will remain in our gene bank in case they disappear in their natural range.
A selection of the species in our Himalayan section:
Chinese red birch – Betula utilis ssp. albosinensis
White-barked himalayan birch – Betula utilis ssp. jacquemontii
Smoketree – Cotinus coggygria
Tibetan cherry – Prunus serrula
Nanking cherry – Prunus tomentosa
Kashmir rowan – Sorbus cashmiriana
“Pink kashmir rowan” – Sorbus rosea
Yew – Taxus baccata
Siberian elm – Ulmus pumila
