Bring a Swedish Corner of Calm Over to Your Place!
Over a century ago, in the verdant peripheries of Swedish towns, local urbanites enjoyed growing produce and tending to their idyllic small plots in Koloniträdgårdar or colony gardens.
In today’s Sweden, these green spaces provide city dwellers with access to nature, fresh produce and community, as the New York Times details. But beyond its borders, the quest to welcome such tranquil oases of calm at home are transforming them into a global trend. More people are recreating their very own charming Koloniträdgårdar in their yards to provide themselves with a haven away from the stresses of 21st century life where they can beckon joy back into their lives.
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Creating Space for Mindful Chilling Goes Way Back!
Koloniträdgårdar, which translates to colony gardens, as Country Living reports, grew out of early 20th century social reforms. They were part of a social movement intended to give working class urban families access to green space that would offer a reprieve from crowded city life.
These were places where they could grow food, unwind, and connect with nature. These community-spirited garden beds, also called allotment gardens, often included a small wooden cabin or cottage, and blended practicality with leisure. They were built in clusters on the edge of several Swedish towns.
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In Stockholm alone, there are over 7000 of these gardens. One owner, Stina Larsson, 98, who has recently passed her plot and cottage to her granddaughters after tending to it since 1979, shares that it has been very healing for her to spend time there.
According to Fredrik Björk, a lecturer at Malmo University specializing in environmental history, the garden programs were created to boost the mental and physical health of city dwellers. “The idea was that a working-class family would be able to spend the summer there and work together but also have some leisure and fun,” he explained to the New York Times from his own koloniträdgård in Malmo that dates back to the 1940s.
Welcoming Koloniträdgårdar For Our Times
Today, more city people across the world who crave the slower life of countryside living without leaving their urban homes, are finding balance in this old but beautifully simple Scandi garden idea as Country Living reports.
The health benefits of gardening are well documented, both for the physical activity and the time spent in nature. Cecilia Stenfors, an associate professor of psychology at Stockholm University, says her research shows that those spending time in green spaces, whether in the forest, or in koloniträdgårdar enjoy improved health outcomes including fewer depressive symptoms and feelings of social isolation, as well as better sleep.
In Sweden, increased interest in Koloniträdgårdar among next-gen locals has led to higher prices in recent years, although they remain regulated to ensure affordability. Demand outstrips supply, however, with wait times known to have reached 17 years.
Country Living offers some useful tips on welcoming the rustic charm of koloniträdgårdar into your yard. Its recommendation is to start small with raised plant and flower beds that can be adapted to the seasons.
Another motto is to feed the soil, not dig. This gardening approach is said to lead to fewer weeds and improved soil as the mulch smothers weed seeds.
Finally, seek a sense of balance. This means aiming for something peaceful and low-key rather than style-led. Think meadowskaping rather than a prim English garden.
Ideal Home celebrates this trend for how it works with even the smallest garden spaces. It discusses how these compact plots, often no bigger than 90 square meters (108 square yards) are being welcomed by “Generation Burnout” in search of calm, connection, and creativity.
According to garden designer and author of New Nordic Gardens: Scandinavian Landscape Design, Annika Zetterman, “The size of a small plot may be a pleasure to take care of. A pleasant place to visit for relaxation, rather than pressure and stress.”
Zetterman is one of several experts raising the centrality of the Swedish concept of lagom to the koloniträdgård trend. This is interpreted as a notion of balance in that it describes the perfect amount; not too little, not too much. Thanks to this equilibrium, these tiny oases are productive, but not overwhelming. They are social but private, and cultivated yet natural.
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But for those without their own yard, in order to bring the wellbeing of Swedish allotments home, the recommendation is to introduce natural wood everywhere, for instance via raw timber planters on the balcony. Whether you’re planting tomatoes in a city plot, or herbs on the balcony, koloniträdgårdar revolve around creating space that feels useful, peaceful and low-key.
Unsurprisingly, these lush retreats have found a home on Instagram. Here, Swedish accounts such as @elinlannsjo and @hannesmauritzson invite the viewer into these charming green spaces where gardening equates to a mindful, slower-paced way of living.
