travel
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Oh Åland Part 2
My weekend in Åland with my fellow members of Blomsterodlingens vänner, included three more private gardens that occasionally and by appointment open their doors. A common denominator seemed to be an appreciation of Fuchsias and two out of the three gardens had a really good Kolkwitzia amabilis in flower. The Kolkwitzia is one of those shrubs that really benefit from just that ½ zone of a milder climate. I have two, but they have barely flowered a little bit. To their defense, I have to say that they are probably planted where there is a bit too much shade. Full sun seems to work best. Ahvenanmaan viikonloppuni Blomsterodlingens vänner:eitten kanssa sisälsi vielä…
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Oh, Åland Part 1
Oh, Åland indeed, Åland [ˈoːland], the small group of islands between Finland and Sweden which are a bit special and very beautiful. I visited the islands with Blomsterodlingens vänner i Finland, BOVarna, and as my friends in that club are most likely to read this post, I am going to write mostly in Swedish for a change 🙂 Kävin Ahvenanmaalla Blomsterodlingens vänner i Finland, BOVareitten kanssa, joten oletan että minulla olisi tähän enimmäkseen kiinnostuneita lukijoita ruotsiksi joten jatkan sillä 🙂 Jag besökte alltså Åland med Blomsterodlingens vänner i Finland, BOVarna, för litet mer än en vecka sedan. Det var Bovarnas årliga trädgårdsresa för i år som den här gången gick inrikes. Vartannat år reser…
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In the Rhododendron Woods
It’s the time of the year when the Rhododendrons are flowering at their best and this year I made it to the Rhododendron Society’s summer trip to Turku and the Ruissalo Botanical Gardens. I have a friend from Turku, and we usually have these somewhat infantile matches where we berate each other’s home towns (mine is Helsinki), but when it comes to botanical gardens I have to say that they have us beat. The Botanical Gardens in Helsinki (in Kaisaniemi and Kumpula aren’t that special). Tähän aikaan vuodesta alppiruusut kukkivat parhaimmillaan ja onnistuin lähtemään Rhodokerhon kesäretkelle Turkuun ja Ruissalon kasvitieteelliseen puutarhaan. Yksi hyvistä kavereistani on Turusta kotoisin ja meillä on…
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Cyprus Sideline
I spent a long and wonderful weekend in Cyprus last weekend when two of my good friends got married there. I had never been to Cyprus before and not surprisingly, I was quite taken by all the wonderful flowers that bloomed very nicely. The whole wedding got a bit more suspenseful than what was bargained for, as it actually rained the day before and on the wedding day and the reception and ceremony were planned to be held outdoors. The groom quoted Alanis Morrisette (in Ironic) “It’s like rain on your wedding day” on his facebook status, supposedly it shouldn’t rain in Cyprus after April.. Bougainvillea, as in the first picture.…
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The Imperial Flower
Peonies have been cultivated in China for at least 1500 years, so it’s not surprising that the Chinese can show them off in spectacular ways. Peonies are featured in art, in everyday life and in spectacular plantings. They are probably best celebrated in Luoyang where I visited the famous Peony Festival. The Festival is not one event, but fabulous plantings in several parks with a lot of commercial (I’ve never before seen so much so overt capitalism as in China) activities surrounding them. Even the hospital is peony themed – Sairaalakin on pioniteeman mukainen – T.o.m. sjukhuset följer piontemat Pioneja on kasvatettu Kiinassa ainakin 1500 vuotta, joten ei ole mikään…
