Gardenig in Sweden. Tips & Guides

Designer piece instead of simple furniture — we explain how to turn a normal table and a few succulents into an amazing eye-catcher.

These Best Narrow Trees for Containers & Small Gardens can help you bring a dash of greenery using tall specimens in pots!

November’s flower is the delightful chrysanthemum, an easily grown herbaceous perennial that adds a lovely splash of warmth to the cool autumn garden. These late-season flowers can handle a light touch of frost, and colors often deepen and improve with cold weather!A member of the large Asteraceae family

Most people outside of Scandinavia and Russia have their first experience with lingonberries in the form of jam or jelly, a far cry from growing their own.I know lots of people who initially stumbled onto the stuff when they picked up a jar at that h

The prices at IKEA are already famously low (that’s why it’s so beloved), but what if I told you that the Swedish retailer has low-key dropped the price tags on some of their most popular items? Yes, that’s right—you’ve just got to check out the “New Lower Price” page on the IKEA website. I found it recently while doing some online shopping and wondered why I hadn’t seen it before or heard anything about it!

I love adding drama to a garden, especially choosing a plant that will stop you in your tracks with your mouth gaping open! One such plant is the giant coneflower (Rudbeckia maxima). It’s a coneflower on steroids that is native to the Central and Southern United States. The genus name is in homage to Olof Rudbeck (1630-1702), a Swedish botanist who developed the first botanical garden in Sweden.

Green is the Colour Chew Valley Trees garden transported me back to my recent visit to Sweden (about which I will blog in due course). Although it was inspired by the Canadian landscape it could just as easily have been Sweden with its naturalistic planting of trees, its limestone pavement and its log cabin aesthetic.

A Summer Gardening School in Sweden The wonderful thing about writing about gardens and gardening is that you get to go to some amazing places and meet lots of people who share your interests.  My recent visit to Sweden where I visited the island of Oland to write about the Summer Gardening School at Capellagarden  was just such a  treat.  Capellagarden is a fascinating place – it’s a creative school where international students attend year long courses in cabinet making and furniture design, ceramics, textile craft and design, and ecological gardening. They also run week long summer courses, including one on gardening, which was why I was there.

With almost half a billion active users on Instagram there’s no shortage of inspirational garden and plant pictures being served up from around the world. Here’s ten of our favourite gardening Instagram accounts to follow : @Haarkon [instagram-f

When it comes to stylish interiors Scandinavia has it all going on and this often extends to the garden. Getting outdoors is a huge part of life in Scandinavia, particularly in the long and light summer months. Fortunately Instagram gives us an opportunity to dip into that lifestyle. It’s a chance to admire the flowers, plants and stylish gardens and the work that goes into them. So here’s three popular instagram accounts to follow, it is after all #followfriday : @idamagntorn Look no furthe

Capellagarden’s Garden For the full time gardening students at Capellagarden, the year runs from March to September.  At the start many of them may never have gardened before, but from Day 1 groups of 4 students will be given the entire responsibility for one of the rotational plots within the teaching garden.  They choose the seeds, plan the layout, prepare the soil and do the planting.  They help one another, pooling what knowledge they do have, and what they don’t know they find out by asking the tutors, or looking things up in the library.  As their confidence grows they are encouraged to experiment and push the boundaries and learn through their successes and failures. They also grow flowers for cutting, tend the orchard, help in the productive garden that feeds the school, as well as having responsibility an area of herbaceous border and doing greenhouse work.

On my recent Swedish visit I was bowled over by this wonderful species rambling rose – in Sweden it is known as the honey-rose for the very good reason that it has an intense honey scent.  Clusters of the semi-double flowers with a yellow eye smother the plant and later in the year it bears orange hips.  I’ve prowled the garden looking for somewhere I might be able to squeeze it in – so far without success – but if you have space for a once-flowering and deliciously fragrant rose, this is definitely the one. ..

A Haunt of Swedish Artists During my recent visit to the island of Oland I stayed in a characterful guesthouse called Bo Pensionat. In the early 20th century it was a favourite meeting place and residence for some of the Vickleby School of artists who valued the wonderful light of the island.

Can you imagine being the first person to stumble upon a pomegranate growing in the wild? What must they have thought, when they found those odd globes hanging from the branches just overhead?When I think about all of the history that has come bef

For large, showy spring flowers in USDA Hardiness Zones 9 to 11, you can’t beat the hand-sized, lily-like blooms of amaryllis, Hippeastrum x hybridum.These tropical beauties can also be forced to bloom indoors

Bright and cheerful with a heavenly fragrance, daffodils are among the most beloved of spring’s harbingers.The flowers are notable for their hues of yellow or

I’ve never forgotten the joy of seeing tiny purple, white, and yellow ‘Johnny-jump-ups’ popping up through the soil in the springtime.We had a clump of pansies in

For people living in Nordic countries like Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Iceland, simplicity works the best. A Scandinavian Design generally includes the best amalgamation of decluttered space, modern furniture, bright colors, optimum natural light, and cozy textiles. For an urban apartment, these Scandinavian Balcony Garden Designs can be a welcoming change!

According to the Botanic Gardens Conservation International, there are around 60,065 species of trees around the world! The researchers also found that 300 of these varieties are on the verge of extinction. Here’s one variety you must read about.

Browsing the many, many sections of IKEA can be a staggering experience, especially if you’re shopping in person. From plants to furniture to lighting to dishes, IKEA offers everything you need to furnish a home, all with budget-pleasing affordable price tags.  If you can make it through the maze of showrooms without getting overwhelmed, the megastore can be a treasure trove—if you know what you’re looking for. Go on a shopping trip with a plan, even if you’re browsing online. Otherwise, IKEA’s low prices may tempt you into adding one of everything you didn’t know you needed or wanted to your cart, and that’s a recipe for a “why did I buy this?” disaster.  Instead, heed the advice of Minneapolis-based interior designer Victoria Sass. According to Sass, some sections of IKEA are full of swoon-worthy steals, with long-lasting materials you should stock up on. Other sections, she says, aren’t worth your time or hard-earned dollars.

The Forsythia genus is a group of plants in the Oleaceae, or olive family. It includes 11 species of deciduous woody shrubs that bear bold yellow flowers in early spring.Suited to gardeners in USDA Hardiness

If you are looking to spice up your garden and grow something new this year, look no further than the rutabaga!We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, 

Spicy, citrusy, minty… it’s difficult to describe the flavor of cardamom, other than to say it’s delicious!We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy fr

Humans have been cultivating and harvesting anise (Pimpinella anisum) for thousands of years, and for good reason.Aside from its medicinal

Want a plant that makes a big statement without a big footprint? Then the heart fern is the pteridophyte for you.Taking up less than a cubic foot of space at maturity

When I was a kid, my dad built my sister and me a zipline running from a spruce tree to a playhouse in our garden.I loved the zipline, but my favorite part wa

Ornamental artillery plant, Pilea microphylla, aka gunpowder or pistol plant, military fern, or rockweed, is an herbaceous perennial.It is one of about 600 types of non-stinging Pilea species in the

Do you want to grow one of the most famous houseplants in the world, often photographed sitting on the marble mantel across the room from a certain important desk in a certain office of national significance?Then Plectranthus verticillatus, otherwise known as Swedish ivy or Swedish begonia, is the plant for you.