Cottage garden makeover

In this garden, peonies outshine the lake view—over 200 new varieties join grandma’s heirloom peonies

Leena and Christian Klossner restored Leena’s grandparents’ summer villa into their own home and planted a huge number of new peonies alongside her grandmother’s. “We used to always face the lake at the cottage, but now the bench is turned toward the peony garden,” says Leena.

Author Heidi Haapalahti

Images Johanna Myllymäki

September 4, 2025Lue suomeksi

A thick tangle of growth started right by the house’s front door, because false spirea had conquered a large part of the property. Leena and Christian Klossner cleared it away one square meter at a time with pruning shears.

“It was a huge job to get rid of the shrubs. I ended up disliking false spirea because its root system is just awful,” Leena recalls.

Before the spirea grew out of control, this pine-forested lakeside property in Hämeenlinna, Finland, always had a garden. Leena remembers the rose garden and peonies her grandparents tended when she was a child, as the sturdy log house served as their summer villa for many years. According to family lore, about 130 years ago, a local master builder constructed the house for himself from the hefty pines felled on the lot. It came into Leena’s grandparents’ possession in 1941, when her grandfather worked as the chief physician at the local military hospital.

The Klossners say they had a comfortable detached house when, about five years ago, they got the chance to move permanently into Leena’s old family cottage. By then, the place had already been used by the family as a summer cottage for a long time. At first, Leena and Christian thought about building a new house on the lot, but in the end, they couldn’t bring themselves to do it. They decided to renovate the old log house from floor to ceiling.

“We didn’t want to live in a museum, so we made the house reflect our own style,” Christian says.

A strip of wild woodland has been preserved between the garden and the shore. — A strip of wild woodland has been preserved between the garden and the shore to provide some privacy from the lake.

What: Leena and Christian’s garden in Hämeenlinna

Hardiness zone: II

Size: 5,000 m² (about 53,800 sq ft)

Soil: Moraine and sand, improved with loads of topsoil.

Special features: Leena’s grandparents’ old garden, updated to reflect her and Christian’s own style.

Leena and Christian Klossner renovated Leena’s grandparents’ summer villa into their own home. — Leena and Christian Klossner renovated Leena’s grandparents’ summer villa into a home of their own.

Martagon lilies from her grandparents’ era still pop up here and there.

The dark red peony is ‘Henry Bockstoce,’ the pale one is ‘Shirley Temple.’ — The dark red peony ‘Henry Bockstoce’ is named after its breeder. The pale ‘Shirley Temple’ cultivar takes its name from the early 20th-century child star.

The same principle was followed in the garden, too. Once the spirea was gone, the outdoor areas were modernized according to plans drawn up by local garden designer Tanja Nieminen. The area between the house and the lake was left in its natural state, as it had always been—apart from a few rhododendrons that Christian, a rhodie enthusiast, planted. The oak planted by Leena’s father and the lilac her grandfather received as a gift from his patients were allowed to remain in place.

A new ornamental garden was built on the other side of the house, on the slope. Its main stars are peonies, which—just like they were for her grandma—are also Leena’s favorite flowers. The heirloom peonies preserved from her grandma’s time had to be dug up during renovations and were kept in meat crates until their new planting spots were ready. Additionally, the garden has gained more than 200 new peony varieties so far, with more to come. For example, they’re planning an entire row of dramatic Itoh peonies. But in Leena’s view, the old French varieties are still the most impressive of all.

“They’re delightfully frilly. We used to always face the lake at the cottage, but now the bench is turned toward the peony garden. The view is quite something,” she enthuses.

In front of the bench, ‘Angel Cheeks’ is blooming, while the white-flowered varieties in the foreground are ‘My Love’ and ‘White Frost.’ — In front of the bench, ‘Angel Cheeks’ is in bloom, while the white-flowered varieties at the forefront are ‘My Love’ and ‘White Frost.’ Behind them are ‘Etched Salmon’ and the old French whites ‘Marie Lemoine,’ ‘Avalanche,’ and ‘Couronne d’Or,’ as well as the deep pink ‘Auguste Dessert.’ On the right, ‘Henry Bockstoce’ shows off its dark red blossoms.

The greenhouse has plenty of room for delicate varieties and for relaxing.

‘Lois’ Choice’ has unusual yellowish hues in its blooms. It was bred in the United States in 1993.

‘Lady Anna’ is one of the old French cultivars that Leena loves. — ‘Lady Anna’ is one of the old French cultivars Leena loves. It dates back to 1856.

‘Lorelei’ changes from reddish to yellow and finally almost white during its bloom. — ‘Lorelei’ starts out with a reddish tone, then turns yellow, and finally becomes almost white as it continues to bloom.

Lake view. — The lake view is magnificent, too.

Leena’s grandparents’ garden wasn’t so impressive by mere chance. The location offers a favorable microclimate thanks to the water, the terrain, and the woods, and Grandma also improved the moraine soil by bringing in wagonloads of good compost. The garden even had an irrigation system.

“Wherever that old layer of garden soil isn’t present, the shovel hits stones constantly.

The options have been either chiseling out planting holes with a digging bar or creating raised beds on top of the ground. Usually, I build the planting beds, and Leena fills them,” Christian explains.

Around Midsummer, right on the heels of the peonies, the martagon lilies and columbines start to bloom, still popping up here and there despite all the garden reshaping. They, too, date from Leena’s grandparents’ time.

Their newest addition is a kitchen garden. They focus on berries—great for treats and making liqueurs—and herbs, which they use a lot in cooking. Leena’s grandparents used to fill the root cellar with their harvest, but Leena and Christian have found a different use for it. Behind its three doors is a perfect overwintering spot for potted roses and other tender plants.

Before the peonies bloom, azaleas color the slope, followed by phlox later in the summer. — Before the peonies come into bloom, the slope is awash with azaleas, and in late summer, phlox takes over. All the big stones used in the terracing are from the property.

‘Dancing Butterflies’ puts out numerous thin stems. — ‘Dancing Butterflies’ puts out plenty of slender stems, with flowers that flutter at the tips like butterflies.

Toward the end of its bloom, ‘Madame Calot’ is almost white. Giant alliums flower in the background.

The ‘Etched Salmon’ variety has blossoms that resemble roses.

‘Pink Hawaiian Coral’ is an early variety that kicks off peony season. — ‘Pink Hawaiian Coral’ is an early variety, kicking off peony season.

‘Pietertje Vriend Wagenaar’ has eye-catching spots and streaks on its petals. — ‘Pietertje Vriend Wagenaar’ boasts striking spots and streaks on its petals.

Leena’s peony tips

1. Add gravel to the crown

When planting peonies, always cover the crown area with gravel. It protects the roots from too much moisture.

2. Order plants at home and abroad

In Finland, Pionien Koti has a wide selection. Good online shops abroad include Pivoines Rivière in France (pivoinesriviere.com), Peony Shop in the Netherlands (peonyshop.com), and Mädapea Mois in Estonia (floksiaed.ee).

3. Enjoy the views

Plan the seating area in your garden so you can fully admire the blooms.

4. Plant plenty

If you have enough peonies, you can feel free to pick some for vases. But when choosing cut-flower varieties, note that not all peony blooms have a pleasant fragrance.

5. Immerse yourself in history

Many peony varieties are old and come with fascinating stories. For example, the classic ‘Dr. Alexander Fleming’ is from the 1950s and is named for the Scottish researcher who discovered penicillin.

The garden once had its own irrigation system, but it’s no longer usable. Leena and Christer pump watering water from the lake.

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