Chapter 3 - all the world's trees in Southern Norway
“Exceptions are always there, and these are the interesting ones.”
— Gunnar James Hiorth
"All the Trees of the World in Norwegian Soil" is a book Gunnar Hiorth published 2 years before he passed away. The book is about his knowledge and wisdom about trees and takes us on a green journey through 500 different conifers and 1500 species of deciduous trees and shrubs - more than 2000 types of plants that Gunnar Hiorth himself tried out in Håskog nursery.
“A walk in the Hiorth jungle”
As I leaf through the book, the feeling of strangely shaped leaves and colorful fruits flows out of the book's covers. Hiorth himself points out that the book is based on a 36-year-old hobby and passion for trees and that he likes to highlight his favorites. Berberis and Ilex seem to fall into this category - he tried 53 types of Berberis and 35 types of Ilex, and he is not merciful in his criticism of the less hardy types "Ilex glabra. Berberis nervosa is described as "too needy and fragile".Hiorth also shows interest in a "type of tree that monkeys can't climb." If you want to succeed with monkey tree seeds (Araucaria araucana), you should read his painstaking approach and great advice!
Hiorth has a liberating and sometimes humorous writing style that makes the factual and telegram-like reader friendly, but it would help if the reader is a plant enthusiast. The book provides good plant experiences, but the most important thing is the impressive scientific work Hiorth has documented throughout his life as a plant nurseryman.
— Park and Construction, A trip in the Hiort jungle , Ole Billing Hansen 2006