Espoo City Garden

The park area of the City Garden is called a specimen garden. The park is open to all visitors year-round. It features many different tree species, from coniferous to fruit trees. In recent years, new tree species have also been planted for experimental purposes. The City Garden area was established in 1989.

The park area is about eight hectares in size. In addition to trees, you can admire various plants that thrive in Finnish conditions. Some lawns have also been converted into meadows. These contribute to urban biodiversity and provide a valuable environment for pollinators. The park also has picnic tables and benches for visitors. 

During the summer, you can admire various summer flowers and vines. The flower beds include both classic favourites and new seasonal varieties. 

The herb section offers a diverse overview of herbs and vegetables.

There are also a few beehives next to the summer flower and herb beds. The bees originate from the Jyrkänpesä bee farm. 

The playground located in the garden area was built in honour of the Green Year 2000. The playground includes wooden figures, a red wooden toy car and a shelter made at the City of Espoo’s wood workshop. The playground also has a sandbox, swings and a climbing frame.

In the spring, the area transforms into a sea of blossoms as the fruit trees bloom. During summer, apples, plums and pears ripen. In the autumn, once the fruits are ripe for harvest, visitors can come and taste different varieties. 

The City Garden serves as a centralised procurement point supporting the units of the Public Works Department. We purchase and store items such as garden fertilisers, soil, plant protection products, mulch, summer flowers, shrubs, perennials and small saplings of street and park trees used by the City of Espoo. Playground equipment and litter bins also pass through our storage facilities.

The reception area was opened in 2003. It covers 0.7 hectares.

At this site, plant material and leaves generated as by-products of maintenance work are composted. Up to 3,500 tonnes of material are received annually.

Within the City Garden area, there are five field plots where street and park trees are grown for the city’s own use. The total area of these plots is just over four hectares. At any given time, 800–1,000 saplings are growing, with oaks, lindens and elms being the most common species.

We work in cooperation with various city operators and contractors to ensure that trees of different sizes are available for Espoo’s streets and parks.

One of the field plots is designated for experimenting with new tree species. By testing new species, we gain valuable insights into their resilience in a changing climate. A future goal is to diversify the range of street and park tree species. A diverse selection of trees ensures that a plant disease or pest will not result in the loss of a large portion of the city’s tree stock. 

The plot for experimenting with new tree species was established in 2021. Most of the trees come from a nursery in Sweden, while a smaller portion is sourced from Finnish nurseries. Species like Platanus x hispanica ‘Stockholm’ and Corylus colurna can tolerate heat, drought and air pollution and are highly resistant to diseases. For this reason, they are ideal for demanding urban conditions.

At the City Garden, seasonal plants are planned for Espoo’s five urban centres. We collaborate with landscape maintenance workers, and our goal is a beautifully blooming Espoo.

Some of the city’s seasonal plants and the specimen garden plants are grown in our greenhouse. In the winter, the greenhouse is used to store flower bulbs, frost-sensitive plants, and older woody plants so they can be reused in future plantings.

The Espoo City Garden and its location began to be considered in 1974. At the same time, urban planning of the Kauklahti district and possible expansion of the industrial area were also being considered. At the suggestion of landscape architect Aina Harju-Söderberg, planning began for a city garden between the Kauklahti industrial area and the Central Park.

City gardeners began to explore the Vanttila Valley in Kauklahti. These pastures were originally owned by three farms. The farm on the side of the Espoonjoki River was called Ervast, the middle farm was Jofs, and the farm on the side of Kivenlahti was Smeds. At that time, Ervast and Smeds were already owned by the City of Espoo, but Jofs was owned by the estate. Between Jofs and Smeds, there was also a small, 0.5-hectare Vingåker plot.

In March 1976, the Espoo Technical Department proposed to the Property Committee that the planned area be reserved for the City Garden and that the private land areas of Jofs and Vingåker be redeemed to be part of the garden.

In spring 1976, the operation of the City Garden started with the cultivation of transferable lawn on the fields of the Smeds farm. Trees and bushes that had to be removed elsewhere to make room for the city infrastructure were also transferred to the fields. In addition, smaller seedlings were planted for further growing. The area was home to an old barn, which was refurbished into social premises for the staff.

With the expansion of seedling cultivation, the fields were renovated and drainage was set up to improve the conditions for cultivation. In 1979, the city acquired the Jofs farm. Some of the old buildings had to be demolished because of their poor condition. The main building was being designed as a course facility for the street unit, an official residence and an outdoor base and the entire farm as a domestic animal farm. However, the Technical Department reminded the designers of the proposal made in 1976 to organise the facilities for the use of the City Garden.

The Jofs main building was renovated for the use of the City Garden in 1981 and 1982. Soon the owners of the Vingåker farm also wanted to sell their plot to the city. In the autumn of 1982, the land was in the use of the City Garden.

The general plan for the City Garden building area and the design sketches for the wood workshop and the warehouse building were approved by the Technical Services Committee in June 1983. The opening of the wood workshop was celebrated in the spring of the Green Year 1985. The warehouse buildings were completed the following year. The new social premises were built in 2003.

The wood workshop is part of the City Garden, and it produces a variety of items and structures for the benefit of city residents. Some of the wood material comes as a by-product of forest management; the wood is sawn and dried locally.

The trees that are used are given a new life in parks and playgrounds, bringing joy to local residents. The most iconic example is the Tapiola bench, a familiar sight in Espoo’s streets and parks, which has been made since the 1960s. The benches include a QR code that allows people to read their story.

Over the decades, the workshop’s manufacturing process has been developed to follow sustainable and circular economy principles. New wooden parts are also made for the repair and maintenance of other park benches.

The workshop also produces wooden animal figures, totems and play equipment for Espoo’s playgrounds and residents’ parks. Other products include signs and notice boards for nature trails and public recreational areas. The wood workshop also participates in various installation and maintenance tasks, such as the annual placement and maintenance of park benches.

The wood workshop cooperates with different city units. It has, for example, created nesting rafts for the Suomenoja bird wetland to support the local black-headed gull population.