The plantings at our historic miners’ cottages have been designed and planted by André Strömqvist. André is a garden antiquarian and gardener. His book Handbook for an Old Garden was named Garden Book of the Year in 2022.
The Kitchen Garden at Koppargränd, 1897
From left to right:
Swede (rutabaga). Several good local kinds of swede come from the areas around Enviken and Bjursås, north of Falun. Here we grow three white-fleshed types: ‘Bjursås’, ‘Baggens’ and ‘Vintjärn’. Look at the wooden signs in the row to see which is which.
Grey pea “Pelusk from Dalarna”. A tall grey pea that gives many peas. In the past, people used it as animal food or ground it into flour. Pea flour was often mixed with barley flour to make bread, porridge or gruel.
Grey pea “Rättvik”. A shorter grey pea that grows to about 1.5 metres. It has pretty purple flowers. Fresh pods are eaten as släpärter—boiled pea pods with butter. Dry peas can be ground into flour.
Grey pea “Solleröärt”. A strong and tall grey pea from Sollerön, the biggest island in Lake Siljan. It has been grown there for a long time.
Curly parsley
Dill
Potato “Old Swedish Red”. A very old potato sort. It may come from the potatoes Jonas Alströmer brought to Sweden in the 1720s. It grows in mid-summer and gives many round potatoes with red skins.
Mallow. A summer flower that was very popular in the late 1800s and later.
Linnaeus marigold. A kind of marigold that has grown in the Linnaeus Garden in Uppsala since the 1920s. It is closely related to wild marigolds from Mexico and Guatemala.
Chives
Plants at Krongården, 1958
Flowerbed west of the path
Autumn phlox was very popular during much of the 20th century and Vassbo Nursery’s 1956 catalogue sold 25 different types. Today most are hard to find but may still exist in old gardens. ‘Alma Jansson’ comes from a garden in Roslagen where it has been grown since at least the 1930s.
Brown-red daylily comes from China but has been grown in Sweden since the 1600s. It is a true survivor, even in gardens that are no longer maintained. It appears in Vassbo Nursery’s 1948 catalogue. This double-flowered variety has been sold in Sweden since the 1860s but is less common than the single type.
Fragrant peony from Krongården is the only perennial still in the garden from the large flowerbeds shown in photos from the mid-1900s.
Turk’s cap lily from Krongården. Bulbs were found in a lilac bush on the farm.
White autumn phlox from Stora Hyttnäs. This phlox comes from the miner’s estate Stora Hyttnäs in Sundborn, where there is a well-preserved garden from the late 1800s with traces of an older garden from the 1600s.
Yellow flag iris is very common in old gardens. It appears in Vassbo Nursery’s 1948 catalogue.
Cowslip grows wild but has also been a popular garden plant.
Yellow daylily is very common in old gardens because it is easy to divide and share. It appears in Vassbo Nursery’s 1948 catalogue.
Flowerbed east of the path
Siberian poppy was popular as an edge plant or in rock gardens.
Yellow daylily is very common in old gardens because it is easy to divide and share. It appears in Vassbo Nursery’s 1948 catalogue.
Fragrant peony from Krongården is the only perennial still in the garden from the large flowerbeds shown in photos from the mid-1900s.
Garden iris “Harald” is an old variety collected from a now lost garden near the Bojsenburg area in northern Falun. The garden was cared for by a man named Harald. The real name of the variety is unknown.
Oriental poppy is an easy-to-grow garden plant in many colours, but orange is most common. Many new varieties were developed during the 1900s. Oriental poppy can be seen in Krongården’s flowerbeds in photos from the mid-1900s.
Delphinium was a very popular garden plant and between 1930 and 1950 plant breeders developed over three thousand new varieties. Delphiniums appear in Krongården’s flowerbeds in photos from the mid-1900s. Eight varieties appear in Vassbo Nursery’s 1948 catalogue but none of these can be found today.
Oxeye daisy was a very popular flowerbed plant and cut flower in the first half of the 1900s and many varieties appeared in Swedish nursery catalogues.
Red dahlia from Rällsjöbo between Falun and Rättvik. Rällsjö Brita cared for many old plants. The dahlia was grown by Brita’s grandmother and still flowered in early October 1901 when Brita was born.
Garden iris ‘Flavescens’ is a yellow garden iris from the early 1800s. It is strong and has been popular for a long time.
Delphinium
Yellow dahlia. Rällsjö Brita, who cared for many old plants, received the dahlia from the Nordström family in the village of Risholn in 1925.
Pasque flower is an easy-to-grow perennial common in miners’ home gardens in Falun. People shared root shoots. It appears in Vassbo Nursery’s 1948 catalogue.
Shrubs
Shrub rose (2025), probably a rugosa hybrid. Found at a farm west of Falu Gruva. The farm was abandoned in the mid-1900s due to its proximity to the mine.
Fruit trees
Pear tree “Gråpäron” appears in Vassbo Tree Nursery’s 1948 catalogue and was relatively common in miners’ home gardens.
Apple tree “Gyllenkroks Astrakan” is a popular apple variety that appears in Vassbo Tree Nursery catalogues from the mid-1900s.
Berry bushes and rhubarb
Rhubarb ‘Victoria’ is a large variety that has been common for a long time and is the variety sold in Vassbo Tree Nursery’s 1948 catalogue.
Red currants ‘Red Dutch’ is an old and healthy variety that appears in Vassbo Tree Nursery’s 1948 catalogue.
Black currants and gooseberries are difficult to plant in old varieties due to diseases. Therefore, modern varieties have been planted.
*Vassbo Nursery was Kopparberg County’s Agricultural Society’s nursery and was founded in 1862.