WISA Plywood at Chelsea

WISA Plywood embraces biodiversity and plant health in The Finnish Soul Garden in Chelsea

 

Snap shots from the event

 
 

RHS Chelsea Flower Show

  • The most prominent gardening event in the world.
  • Takes place on the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea in London, UK.
  • Organised by The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS).
  • Has been organised in the same place since 1912.

  • The 2020 event was postponed due to Covid-19 and will be held from 21st to 26th of September.

  • 157 000 tickets are sold annually.

The Finnish Soul Garden

  • The garden is comprised of a sauna with a cool-off area and a seaside garden as a recreational facility for the city dwellers reflecting traditional seaside life and communality in harmony with the surrounding nature 

  • Focus is on the natural Baltic seaside vegetation and scenery

  • Key features are a modern version of a traditional Finnish sauna with a green roof and a water feature

  • Wood and wood-derived materials are featured prominently in the garden

  • Sponsored by Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry in Finland (the main sponsor), other sponsors include UPM Plywood, The Embassy of Finland, London, FBCC UK, Loimaan Kivi, OmaSauna, Taimisto Huutokoski, Kekkilä Garden BVB.

 
 
A diverse forest produces healthy trees

A diverse forest produces healthy trees

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A garden depicting harmony of Finnish identity and biodiversity

A garden depicting harmony of Finnish identity and biodiversity

Read more
 

Taina Suonio's three tips for growing a diverse and healthy garden:

 
  1. Put the right plant in the right place.
    This way you do not need to fertilize excessively. After all, fertilizers also affect the waters. A plant in the right place does need to be forcefully kept alive with the use of fertilizers.
  2. Avoid alien species.
    If you bring new plants into the garden, make sure that they are not alien species that spread aggressively and cause annoyance.
  3. Diversity.
    The more diverse the vegetation, the more certain it is that it will thrive. Imagine a vegetable garden with only potatoes – the whole crop is lost in case the potato pest strikes. If there are several species, the entire crop is not destroyed.
 

Two-thirds of Finland is covered by forests

Birch

grows in temperate and boreal climates. There are dozens of known species around the world, three of which grow in Finland. A rare red birch variety was discovered in Finland in the 1970s. The silver birch (Betula pendula) is Finland’s national tree. Finnish birch is known for its high quality and hard, dense wood, since they grow slowly in a cool climate.

Spruce

grows in temperate and boreal regions, in Eurasia and North America. There are dozens of known species in the world, and almost 30 varieties grow in Finland. Spruce is Finland’s second most common tree, after pine. Finnish spruce are very robust.  They survive severe winter temperatures and can take tons of kilos of snow on their strong branches. 

 
 

Photos from the last Chelsea flower show