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A Swedish garden that stretches from forest to sea
Österlen is in the southeast of Sweden, where the bountiful agricultural landscape is gently hilly, and where small, picturesque coastal communities are embedded in the natural environment. This area includes the protected landscape of Sandhammaren, which consists of large expanses of sand dune covered with vegetation, beside a wonderfully long beach of soft white sand that squeaks when you walk on it. Lyme grass and heather grow on the dunes, sheltered in many places by windswept native pines (Pinus sylvestris), and it is this vegetation that gives Sandhammaren its unique character. The climate there is the mildest in Sweden, with temperatures that usually stay above freezing even in the middle of winter, but the region is buffeted all year round by strong winds from the Baltic Sea.
Villa Kyhl lies not far from Sandhammaren, behind an improbably beautiful beach. The road to the house passes through farmland and occasional patches of dark alder (Alnus glutinosa) woodland. The surrounding forest consists mainly of pines, with groups of tall alder in damper areas. The rippling stream that creates the conditions for these moisture loving trees passes through the garden and a grassy coastal woodland before it reaches the Baltic. Stream and sea meet in a way that means the erosion-prone coastal landscape is constantly changing.
It was early spring when I first visited Villa Kyhl, and there were large patches of spring snowflake (Leucojum vernum) flowering in the forest glades. It was love at first sight, for both the forest and the bright, open beachside setting. The natural surroundings offered me both an opportunity and a path to follow when it came to planning and creating a garden there. As far as possible, I always want to connect to the existing nature in order to complement and enhance its presence with my designs for a site. Here, a depiction of the changes in the surrounding environment, from thick forest to the open landscape closer to the sea, came to form the main thread of the garden.
The forest edge
The autumn after my first visit, a storm brought down many black alders close to what was planned to be the main building. This became an important starting point for re-creating a strong boundary for the forest, a way of healing the scars. I chose to plant trees that are native to this part of Sweden, such as wild cherry (Prunus avium), crab apple (Malus sylvestris), beech (Fagus sylvatica) and English oak (Quercus robur). A mixture of large trees and small, shrubby specimens created variety in volume and height, and a forest edge that protects both the garden and the wind-sensitive woodland.
A narrow path between the remaining trees gave me the idea for this new forest edge. By adding some small raised areas, I separated the garden from the public footpath that runs past it, and echoing the shape of the dunes made it possible to raise the planting areas and thus prevent the high water table from reaching the plants’ roots. This new, gentle topography created a visual connection to the foreshore.
Early on, I chose to supplement the classic woodland with wild species and also some garden varieties, since the joy of winter and spring-flowering trees that provide interest throughout the seasons cannot be overestimated. I took care to choose varieties with as natural an appearance as possible: different types of viburnum, crab apple, spindle, serviceberry and yew, and – to reinforce the forest edge – hedges of evergreen privet (Ligustrum vulgare var. italicum ‘Atrovirens’).
From the outset, I wanted to create a classic woodland with ground-covering perennials suited to shade. This was not possible, however, because of the maintenance it would require over such a large area. The solution was therefore to use ready-planted carpets of ivy (Hedera helix) and periwinkle (Vinca major), which meant I could cover the ground in the first season, and also contributed to conserving the moisture in the soil. This proved a success, and thus the focus could switch to the beds of perennials close to the main house. After five years the edge of the forest has developed into a multilayered range of plants, forming an excellent windbreak for the old trees behind, and a delight for birds and insects.
The garden by the sea
On the side facing the sea, the garden is concentrated in the areas closest to the buildings. The beds are covered with fine sand, which provides well-drained, warm surfaces and favourable growing conditions for plants with modest requirements.The garden spreads in a sweeping arc from forest to sea. By responding to the conditions of the landscape, I was able to create a garden that is close to nature and therefore requires only modest maintenance and care. However, the different areas require more knowledge and experience than a traditional garden. In a garden of this kind, which is close to nature, it also becomes clearer how the plants develop over the years. The freshly planted edge of the black alder forest has managed in a short time to establish a varied range of plants that was previously missing.
This is an edited extract from The Gardens of Ulf Nordfjell with photographs by Jason Ingram (£40, Merrell Publishers); nordfjellcollection.se; jasoningram.co.uk
Jason Ingram1/6The house and garden sit like a pearl, surrounded by coastal forest before the sand dunes and sea take over
Jason Ingram2/6The narrow path with its playfully soft line leads towards the edge of the forest behind the elevated planting area. All the edges are marked out with steel strips to make long-term maintenance easier
Jason Ingram3/6In the foreground are blue and white Siberian bugloss and the foliage of masterwort, with royal and sensitive ferns
Jason Ingram4/6A sand-covered area exposed to the wind is planted with thrift, pasque flowers, thyme, moor grass, amsonia, clary sage, iris, calamint, Russian sage and low-growing, bright yellow Bokhara tulips
Jason Ingram5/6Before the stream flows out into the sea, it passes a planted meadow beneath black alders. In early May cowslips predominate, closely followed by various wild flowers, including harebells, wild scabious and sheep’s-bit. Several plants beloved of butterflies also grow here: daisies, bird’s-foot trefoil and spiked speedwell, as well as saxifrage, wild pansies, sea campion, lady’s bedstraw, sticky catchfly, heath speedwell and silverweed. This rich mixture of meadow flowers was planted as small plug plants
Jason Ingram6/6
