Carina Sjöholm
Senior lecturer, associate professor
Sellable Stories. The Use of History in the Marketing of Heritage Plants and Gardens
Author
Summary, in English
This story is told in marketing material for an old variety of garden phlox (Phlox paniculata), a perennial flower found and propagated within the Swedish programme for cultivated diversity, POM. Under their trademark Grönt kulturarv® (‘green heritage’) a number of heritage plants have been (re-)released on the market during the last five years – and there is clearly a demand. The story of Alma Jansson is now part of a product sold in nurseries all over Sweden.
This article is based on an ongoing research project studying the intersection between heritage, markets and gardens. The project’s aim is to examine how cultural heritage is produced and articulated within contemporary, formal as well as informal, markets for garden-related items and services. Here, we focus on the ways in which storytelling is used as an articulation of heritage in the context of gardening, for plants as well as entire gardens. We show how stories are used also as tools to enhance the value of gardens with a history to visitors; connecting plants, places and gardening practices to people, past and present.
Department/s
- Department of Service Studies
Publishing year
2020-09
Language
English
Pages
121-144
Publication/Series
Ethnologia Scandinavica
Volume
50
Document type
Journal article
Publisher
Folklivsarkivet
Topic
- Ethnology
Keywords
- heritage
- plants and gardens
- Storytelling
- marketing
- garden tourism
Status
Published
Project
- Rötter i rörelse: kulturarv på trädgårdens marknader
ISBN/ISSN/Other
- ISSN: 0348-9698