The Skåne Farmstead’s garden

The Skåne Farmstead was donated to Skansen in 1973 by its owner, who had grown up there in the early 1920s. It had been uninhabited since 1925. Once it arrived at Skansen, it came to represent the rural and sparsely populated areas in the 1920s, as did its garden.

When the farmstead was given to Skansen, the former owner was able to describe his memories of the estate’s gardens during his childhood, and these memories were used as inspiration for how the Skåne Farmstead’s garden appears today. This is because the original garden had not been tended to for almost 50 years, although some of the plants from the original site were moved to Skansen.

The garden with its boxwood-framed plant beds was designed by Bill Agerheim in 1983.

The layout of the garden

The garden is found at the rear of the residential section. Next to the building is a bed of hollyhocks, lilies and peonies.

At the centre of the garden is a circular cultivation bed with a pear tree in the middle. This is the focal point of the garden and its most prominent tree, surrounded by old-fashioned roses and spring flowers. On the other long side of the garden, a leafy arbour can be used to store garden furniture during the warmer months of the year.

From the circular bed, paths radiate outwards to the sides, forming four growing sections. The left-hand section closest to the main house is primarily used to grow flowers and herbs, while the right-hand section has an elder tree surrounded by plants that flower in all seasons.

At the far end of the garden is the orchard, with its fruit trees and berry bushes. There is also a cabbage garden with various kinds of vegetables. A door from the kitchen leads straight out into the herb garden, demonstrating the importance of herbs in cookery.

The entire garden is lined with tall sweet mock orange shrubs, lilac bushes and other tall shrubs, which provided protection against the winds on Skåne’s plain. This gives the whole garden a leafy, fragrant setting.