“You have your own park in the backyard,” said a friend about Hannele and Hans’s garden

Hannele Ahnlund started planning her garden in Sipoo more than 10 years ago, once the interior of the family’s new detached house was finished. One of her main ideas was to provide captivating views from indoors all year.

“The garden opens up through the large windows, becoming part of the home’s interior,” she explains.

Right from the planning phase, Hannele decided to bring in round, gentle curves to offset the modern stone house’s angular lines. This mix of geometric and organic shapes continues throughout the garden. She shaped ‘Hillii’ yews into spheres under one meter tall, which, from the house’s viewpoint, look like boxwoods.

“Yew tolerates pruning better than arborvitae, and I think its needles have a beautifully deep green color.”

At the center of the backyard stands a ‘Leningradin Musta’ sweet cherry planted 14 years ago, under which woodland strawberries and white bulb flowers grow. The interplay of geometric and organic shapes shows up in every detail, from structures to pots and furniture. A gray main color and weathered teak furnishings give the garden a cohesive, tranquil feel.

‘Hillii’ yews have been trimmed into spheres.

The interior and exterior spaces flow seamlessly into each other, so that you can walk straight from the kitchen onto the dinner terrace. The terrace is treated with Swedish Sioo:x wood protection, giving the boards a teak-like gray tone.

The lines of the planting beds and gravel paths curve gently, bringing contrast to the yard’s straight terraces, plastered walls, trellises made of wood and rebar, and sturdy raised beds. The garden’s structures were built according to Hannele’s designs by her spouse, Hans Ahnlund.

The lawn area is limited to a small circle three meters (about 10 ft) in diameter, just the right size for yoga. Meanwhile, Mango the poodle uses the soft grass for rolling around.

Hannele designed a yard for her family that encourages wandering and discovering what’s around each corner. There’s only a circular patch of lawn. In the background, you can see a multi-stemmed sweet cherry as well as yews and arborvitae trimmed into spheres.

Having lived in Asia for several years, Hannele took inspiration from making use of even the smallest nooks and corners. The narrow space on the west side of the house is used as a raised-bed garden for dahlias, tomatoes, cucumbers, and chilies. A slatted wooden frame makes it easier to support and protect the tomatoes. In the background, another wooden trellis encloses the area and provides a light screen facing the street.

Hannele can pick a bouquet of cut flowers straight from the dahlia garden.

Everything in the yard, including the herb and vegetable planters, has been homemade within the last 10 years. The neighboring lot is screened by diamond arborvitae and Virginia creeper. Reaching over the north side of the kitchen garden is a ‘Chokoladnaja’ cherry. As more shade developed, Hannele had to move some plants to new spots.

In structuring the yard and organizing its functions, Hannele wanted to create various calm and relaxed spaces. As you explore, there’s always something new: red and black currants along the east side of the house, a kitchen garden built from concrete blocks, and a dahlia garden. The space is used efficiently, as even the smallest strips of land have a defined purpose.

“There’s room for surprisingly many things here, even though the backyard is only 500 square meters (5,400 sq ft).”

A large portion of the backyard is taken up by a broad terrace that echoes the shape of the building. Hannele divided it into designated areas for dining, socializing, and soaking up the sun.

“Each family member has their own favorite spot. While the parents grill on the dinner terrace, the teens can chill on the sun terrace.”

A wooden patio that wraps around the house makes it easy to move from one seating area to another. A low wall defines the space without blocking views of the garden. On the side with evening sun, there’s just enough room for a small nook along the wall where chilies and herbs can grow. The sweet cherry stands in the background, and behind it lies the kitchen garden with its masonry beds.

Trellis arches partition the spaces, and new details revealed through them lure you onward. A wooden gate with an Eastern influence leads into the kitchen garden, where a small seating area lines the edge.

A large terrace calls for substantial planters and clear groupings of pots. For her terrace planting, Hannele drew inspiration from the Danish gardener and garden author Claus Dalby. Here, beneath towering verbena, she grows hostas, lavender, and ninebark.

On scorching days, Hannele’s favorite spot is the wooden bench under the 10-year-old ‘Leningradin Musta’ sweet cherry.

“It’s pleasantly cool here because the light filters through the canopy. It feels wonderful to sit here after a hectic workday, close my eyes, and listen to the silence or birdsong,” Hannele says.

The sweet cherry planted at the center of the yard is also among the most striking spring bloomers, offering the perfect setting to celebrate its delicate white hanami. In May, the ten-year-old ‘Vanha Rouva’ Japanese magnolia also bursts into splendid bloom, reminding Hannele of her years in Skåne, where she admired magnolias.

In addition to Sweden, Hannele has also drawn ideas from two other former homes: Britain and Singapore.

“I wanted to incorporate a tropical Asian feel into my garden, with a distinctly Scandinavian twist.”

A tropical vibe is evoked by the lushest part of the yard, which wraps itself around anyone passing through. “You practically have your own park in your backyard,” a friend once remarked, summing up the atmosphere perfectly.

In choosing plant varieties, Hannele focused on easy upkeep, so most of the plantings are hardy, trouble-free trees, shrubs, and vines. To the right is a black elder pruned up from below. One of Hannele’s go-to perennials is hosta, as its dense foliage covers weeds and the withering leaves of early spring bulbs.

Arborvitae and yews pruned into spheres add interest to the predominantly green plantings. Grouping them as multiple spherical evergreens amplifies the effect.

Lush foliage and greenery are more important to Hannele than masses of blossoms. Vigorous Virginia creepers climb the 2.5-meter (about 8 ft) high wooden trellis on the boundary with the neighbor, fitting into a narrow space and requiring no pruning. Mountain reed bamboo recalls the years she spent in Asia, while hostas inherited from her mother offer a striking contrast to the bamboo’s slender leaves. Gravel, which crunches underfoot, covers all the garden paths.

Mango the poodle is perfectly content in the garden.