DAY 1

Garden inspiration, cut flowers and English charm, all in the Halland countryside 
 

Runevads Trädgård Askhult 130, 311 90 Morup
Ätradalens Gårdsbutik & Odlingar  Vessige Nygård 205, 311 65 Vessigebro
Sannagårds B&B and Gardens Sannagård 122, 311 95 Falkenberg

We start our eagerly awaited garden journey with a 20 minute drive from Varberg to Runevads Trädgård. This garden requires booking in advance, which was easily done by phone. When we get there we’re met by a gorgeous and inspiring garden. A pretty orangery, goldfish, a Japanese style corner, perennials and beds with PYO cut flowers, all surrounded by winding paths and large lawns, with garden art dotted around. We also admire the Mediterranean area around the blue, shimmering pool. In the little shop we’re tempted by the inviting range and at least one of us buys some nice perennials to take home. We round off by enjoying the tasty fika included in the entry price and before we get back in the car visit the lovely clean outside loo. Now we’re ready for a 30 minute car journey. We plot a route for Ätradalen and set off. 
 

Our next stop is Ätradalens Gårdsbutik & Odlingar. This cut flower nursery with PYO of both raspberries and strawberries, is situated in the pretty Ätradal valley. We walk round the verdant site admiring everything. The garden is so neat and well organised, it’s pure joy to explore it. The flower blooms and vegetables impress us and naturally we take the opportunity to pick some strawberries when it’s presented to us. We sit down with our packed lunch and enjoy the sun warmed freshly picked strawberries for pudding. So simple and so delicious. This is summer in a nutshell! Happy and satisfied we head off to the last destination of the day, just a quarter of an hour’s drive away. 

Before we get there we agree it will be hard to beat all the lovely things we’ve seen during the day, but it turns out we’re wrong. Sannagårds B&B and Garden actually takes our breath away. It feels like a magical world of its own, with a lushness and variety of plants that is completely fantastic. It has an old fashioned, charming atmosphere which reminds us of England. We walk round and try to take in all the beauty. The pie shaped vegetable garden is impressive, and the chickens make us feel welcome with their pleasant clucking. We send thoughts of gratitude to the friend who recommended we stay the night here, as Sannagård is also a B&B. What a day we’ve had! 

DAY 2

A nursery with a great range, a romantic nature garden and then a selection of the parks and gardens the town of Falkenberg has to offer. 
 

Hule Trädgård Morups-Hule 114, 311 98  Glommen
Bakom häcken Stenhuggerivägen 6, 311 38 Falkenberg
Falkenberg stad Badhusparken 311 31 Falkenberg

After a tasty breakfast we say goodbye to Sannagårds and set off to Hule Trädgård, situated about fifteen minutes away by car. This nursery is set in beautiful countryside, and the place is buzzing with activity. Because we’re here in high summer it’s the cut flowers and tomatoes, among other things, that grab our attention. If we had arrived during autumn then the apple juice pressing or PYO pumpkins would have been on the agenda. Right now we enjoy exploring the plant selection and mooch around the shop admiring the lovely straw hats and sharp secateurs. In the greenhouse tomatoes, grapes and other greens share the space. By the entrance visitors can buy soil & compost, manure and bark products via self service – what a great concept! Right outside the big greenhouse we find a beautifully designed flower bed. We spend a last moment enjoying the scents and sights then make our farewells and head off to somewhere completely different, a private garden. 
 

We follow the signs to Falkenberg and make our second stop of the day at Bakom häcken, where we’re met by a romantic nature garden, where luxuriant flora is interspersed with rocks and winding paths. We sit by the round pond, full of appreciation, and notice quickly that this is a favourite place, not just for us humans but for birds too. We’re fortunate to chat to the garden’s owner who is very knowledgeable about birds, and she quickly names the species chirping around us. This is turning out to be a real nature experience.  It’s so lovely when more than one of your senses is activated. The scents, the birdsong and the sights are all delightful, and we’re really happy we booked a visit here. It’s interesting too to alternate visits to larger gardens with smaller private gardens, as inspiration can be found in both categories.
 

And talking about larger gardens, awaiting us are the parks and gardens Falkenberg has to offer. We hop in the car and 10 minutes later we’re in the cobbled streets of Falkenberg’s old town.   
There are many attractive parks in the town but we decide to concentrate on the ones that are close to each other, to start off with. The first is Hindströmsgården, a secluded courtyard which is situated next to what is said to be the most charming building on Storgatan. We’re inclined to agree with that claim. It’s a little gem, well worth a visit.

Next we head to Laurentiiparken, where we’re met by magnificent scented roses. We sit on the benches and admire the 60 odd rose varieties planted here. The church is right next door and in the grass there’s a frieze made from a large paving stone which reveals that this was the town’s original centre - Gåsatorget. 

Now that our thoughts have been directed back in time it makes perfect sense to cross the road and visit Falkenbergs hembygdsmuseum and its garden. It’s a lovely peaceful spot and we find ourselves in the middle of a historic garden with an arbour, fruit trees and flowering perennials. By this time we’re starting to feel really peckish and it’s high time for a late lunch, so we walk down to the river Ätran and soon find a restaurant that is just the ticket.  
 

We spend the afternoon in Vallarnas friluftsområde (recreation area)/Falkenbergs stadspark. It’s a huge area, with truly something for everyone. Because we don’t have any little children with us we don’t go to the large playground and mini zoo, but we are tempted to walk the Doktorspromenaden along the Viskan .  We watch the fly fishers try and catch fish with their elegant movements and stop at the Vallarnas open air theatre, which we recognise from the summer variety shows on TV. Magnificent rhododendron and azalea bushes grace our way. We arrive at the Tullbro bridge to admire a lovely summer flower bed, several metres wide, and consisting of every colour in the palette. Day two is at an end and we’ve booked accommodation in Falkenberg, just a stone’s throw from the bridge. 

 

DAY 3   

The scent of roses, birdsong, jungle streams and a savanna, followed by a magnificent experience.

Familjen Tistings trädgård Ängsgatan 2a, 310 31 Eldsberga
Laholms stadspark Humlegången 6, 312 30 Laholm
Norrvikens Trädgårdar Kattviksvägen 233, 269 91 Båstad

We set off early from Falkenberg and set the GPS for Eldsberga. We’re off to Familjen Tistings garden which is 45 minutes away. We’ve booked the visit in advance so they know that we’re coming today. The garden spreads over a huge 2000 m² and consists of several rooms. We wander around exotic plants, magnolias, clematis, hydrangea and roses, to name just some of the many plants here.  The roses are probably what we most admire, the fragrances and varieties are just glorious. One of our favourites is the burr rose which has such a pretty flower.
Honey and bumble bees buzz around and we can tell that pollinators are happy here too. We each buy a plant to take back and then head off, this time to Laholm. 
 

After 20 minutes in the car we arrive at Laholms stadspark. The park’s creator’s motto was: Wild is beautiful! And it’s something that still characterises the park today. We walk via bridges alongside the jungle stream and wander around the savanna area. The greenery in the park is dazzling, and amongst all the floral splendour we spot many butterflies enjoying the surroundings. We find out that the park was awarded Park of the Year in 2013 and we understand why.  It feels great that an oasis like this is accessible to anyone who wants to visit, throughout the year. Laholm residents can count themselves lucky. 
 

We end our three day garden journey in the stateliest possible way by visiting Norrvikens Trädgårdar (which admittedly isn’t strictly speaking in Halland, but almost). Half an hour from Laholm we park outside Norrvikens Trädgårdar and straight ahead of us stands a grandiose building, Villa Abelin. Our curiosity increases the nearer we get to the park. It’s quite magnificent here. This almost 35 acre estate contains several types of garden. There’s an English, Japanese, Romantic, Renaissance, Water, Baroque and a Show garden. It goes without saying that there’s tons to see and take in. Apart from the things already named there’s also an orangery, restaurant, an exclusive shop, exhibitions and the most enchanting beehives we’ve ever seen. Norrviken is best known for its magnolias, hydrangeas and the formal gardens we’ve already mentioned. We pause for lunch in the orangery and after that we’ve got the energy to explore more of the park, which closes at 17.00. We’re probably among the last to leave the estate that day, as we want to squeeze the most out of our garden experience. In the car park before we leave we agree that these three days have given us many lovely memories. Something to hold on to when the wind is howling and the thermometer down to minus.