Talvipuutarha, Helsinki

The photos were taken at Midsummer. It is very hot in Finland, so cooling 

blue Agapanthus bring hopefully freshness!

The Winter Garden of the City of Helsinki is a gorgeous conservatory of cast-iron and glass. 

It's structure was designed by architect Gustaf Nyström and the aim was to mimic 

the architecture of The Crystal Palace in London that was built for the Great Exhibition of 1851. 

Our Finnish crystal palace was opened to the public a bit later, in 1893. The entrance 

has been free since the beginning. 

The bust of the donator, general major Julius af Lindfors is situated at the entrance,

designed by sculptor Walter Runeberg. The City of Helsinki has owned

the Wintergarden since 1907. The glass building has three parts, a palm room, a cactus room 

and a west wing. In front of the building, towards The Gulf of Töölö and Helsinki city centre, 

there is a terraced garden with roses and topiary.

Earlier I have shared photos from inside in many posts, now I made a quick visit to see

their summer plantings. The roses were not yet in bloom, but they had gorgeous 

blue Agapanthus in bloom in big black pots. Simply beautiful.

Geraniums were stunning!

Stachys byzantina, peonies at the background had bloomed already.

Clematis mandschurica or C. recta - I did not smell!

Links to some of my previous posts about Talvipuutarha:

The cactus room 2019 & 2018

Spring views outside 2019

Inside views 2018

❤︎❤︎❤︎

#der natur donnerstag #garden affair #gartenglück #image-in-ing #makrotex 

#my corner of the world #saturday’s critters #t in die neue woche #wednesday around the world

Garden Mix Early July

Some impressions of blooming plants at the beginning of July.

The weather is warm, sunny & so nice, but the garden needs desperately rain.

Lilium martagon blooms in many spots. Here behind them the butterfly like

Gillenia trifoliata. I have two big plants of them and they look really nice.

Clematis recta blooms abundantly and I noticed that it is very lasting in bouquets.

Clematis Petit Faucon blooms not very abundantly,

but its deep blue color is stunning and it makes beautiful seedheads.

Meconopsis betonicifolia is at the end of its blooming which was nice this year.

 

❤︎❤︎❤︎

#der natur donnerstag #garden affair #gartenglück #image-in-ing #makrotex

#saturday’s critters #t in die neue woche #wednesday around the world

Ainola - The Home of Jean Sibelius

Last time I visited Ainola was in 2019. After the corona break the museum can be visited again. We visited Ainola with family and it was interesting once again. Our time table was perfect, because just after our visit a heavy thunder storm broke up with pouring rain. Now I’ll share some outdoor impressions of the charming house & surroundings.

Ainola means Chez Aino and it was the home of our national composer Jean Sibelius  (1865 - 1957) and his family - today a home museum. The pair got six daughters of whom one died as a baby. This cozy home was designed by Lars Sonck (1870-1956), a celebre architect of Art Nouveau and National Romantic styles. Located in the artist community of Lake Tuusula, Ainola was completed in 1904. 

Aino Sibelius (b. Järnefelt) was a beautiful & slender lady, but very tough. The couple lived

on a tight budget with five daughters and the garden harvest helped her to make ends meet.

This imitation of Aino's herb and vegetal garden was new invention at Ainola.

On the labels you could read what was growing in the early years of 1900.

 This is the door to Aino’s cellar where potatoes and home made jams were preserved.

Aino planned herself the sauna of Ainola. When looking at the laundry room, I don’t envy her!

Washing the linen was a tough job those days. Fortunately she had two maids.

The couple is buried on the property. The bronze grave monument is simple & impressive.

It is designed by the architect Aulis Blomstedt married to Sibelius’ youngest daughter Heidi.

Jean Sibelius died in 1957 and Aino in 1969.

This is how the sky looked when we started our drive back home.

No great thunder damages here as in the western part of Finland.

The pouring rain did so good to the garden and nature!

My 2019 visit to Ainola

Thank you for your interest, I'll share indoors photos in a later post.

❤︎❤︎❤︎

#der natur donnerstag #garden affair #gartenglück #image-in-ing #makrotex 

#saturday’s critters #t in die neue woche #wednesday around the world

Garden Joys of the Week

The week has been sunny & hot and even hotter it will be!

There is so much happening in the garden, smaller and greater joys every day.

I gathered here some impressions and the plants that bring me the most joy at the moment.

Pimpinella roses are the first to bloom in Finland. This pale pink beauty is ’Ruskela’, 

a newly found traditional rose. It grows behind our wooden swing.

Another rose blooming right now is tall Norwegian Rose ’Hurdal’.

It is pink and very high and brings a forest feeling growing among thujas.

Photographing is a challenge, because of its height.

This guy is also a joy! Hubby has continued washing our pavements

with pressure washer. Still a bit to go. His garden outfit is not very elegant :DD

Blooming of Meconopsis betonicifolia is certainly a joy!

Last year there was no blooming as I had replanted it to a better place.

Now there are many buds!

Hope you find some cooling shadow, but let’s enjoy the summer!

❤︎❤︎❤︎

#der natur donnerstag #garden affair #gartenglück #image-in-ing #makrotex / june

#saturday’s critters #t in die neue woche #wednesday around the world