En skötseltradition i fröinsamling: hur trädgårdsmästare vid Bergianska trädgårdens systematiska avdelning samlar frö

Abstract

In the systematic section of the Bergius Botanic Garden around 1,400 flowering plants are cultivated. Using video recordings, interviews, and drawing on personal experience from an internship, this thesis examines the garden's seed-collecting practices. The diverse collection of sometimes unusual plants presents challenges for the gardeners, while seasonal employment, division of labor, and staff turnover make it hard to maintain a local tradition of horticultural practices. The study explores what the gardeners' knowledge in seed collecting consists of and how they practice, share and develop it. Results are presented in four themes. Getting to know the plants involves identifying and understanding the plant, fruit, and seed through experience. Perceiving signs of maturation involves evaluating properties such as color, dryness, and hardness. Timing the harvest involves balancing factors such as maturity, fruit type, weather, and efficiency to decide when to collect seeds. How a garden remembers its seeds examines the garden's cognitive work and describes how knowledge is distributed between gardeners, documentation, the structure of the environment and ways of working.