When I come to Norway I stay at my partner’s family farm. It is in a small town outside of the city of Stavanger(pop. ~130,000), on the southwestern coast. It’s an idyllic region where the mountains meet the sea and there are many homes and farms along the windy roads making their way through the valleys. I love the views and am constantly finding myself peeking around hedges or fences to admire the landscaping because here in this region of Norway you’d be hard pressed to find a yard that doesn’t have at least one fruit tree, and a plentiful garden of flowers, berries, and veggies! 

Not to mention the raspberries and blackberries that grow like weeds on all the small neighborhood streets and farm roads. It has become a habit of mine to grab a few handfuls of berries as I walk along the farm road down to the beach for a swim. The stone walls that line the fields on either side of the small gravel road that lead to the coast are littered with raspberry and blackberry bushes, thriving on the outskirts of the field, just out of reach of the tractor’s path. When I first arrived I was giddy as I spotted and munched on all the raspberries, and then a few red blackberries before their unripe, lip puckering, tartness clued me in! Since then I have spotted wild bushes growing all over, dotting the edges of roads and paths leading to beaches and parks. They pop up in any untamed area of vegetation next to highways, and in any untouched land along the border of people’s property in the residential areas. Clearly the birds feast and help spread the seeds all over and these berry bushes take up residence in any available dirt they can find! Their abundance is a testament to the spirit of coexistence with nature that you find here in Norway. 

The gardens are beautiful, so full and vibrant. I have loved leaning out the window as Ari drives me around just admiring the variety of gardens and yards I can see in front of the houses (or backyards I can get fleeting glimpses of). I’ve seen so many tiered gardens, utilizing the hilly and rocky terrain while embellishing it with flowers, vines, and bushes. Many flowers I know and recognize because the climate here is somewhat similar to the Northeast USA. So there are perennials such as roses, daisies, hydrangeas, black eyed susans, rhododendrons, and lilies, but I also see a lot of plants and flowers that mimic the ones that I see on the hiking trails around in Norway. I love how the gardens stay so true to the natural flora of the area. There is such a gentle care that is taken with the landscaping and appreciation of nature. 

Norwegians do also appreciate order and a clean aesthetic and so, along with the lush gardens, the lawns are pristine, which I’m told can actually get a bit competitive. Ari has said he has memories from when he was young when neighbors might come knock on your door and ask if everything was alright if you hadn’t mowed your lawn in a while. That passive aggressive nudge that says, ‘We like our neighborhood looking nice so you better step it up,’ is not unfamiliar to the idea of status in America, and while we have that competitive nature in common, I think the Norwegians care more about their personal enjoyment of their outdoor space and pride in a collective natural area. Fortunately, technology has come along to make all of that caretaking easier. Hugely popular in Norway are these little robotic lawn mowers. Picture a roomba but for your lawn! The first time I saw one I burst out laughing because the little robot slowly zooming along the grass was so out of place in this incredibly natural place. However, they do the job. You can quickly notice which houses have one of the little mowers because the lawn is extremely smooth and clean. The perfect soft accompaniment to the bountiful, colorful gardens. 

The finishing touch to the landscape of the Norwegian homes and farms are the fruit trees and produce gardens. While I’m living on the farm, around the area I see many farms that have a large garden with berries, potatoes, and other vegetables, but many of the houses in the more tightly congregated residential areas also have small gardens. There are vegetable gardens here and there, a small area that is fenced in with only a couple types of plants, and I also see some covered planters like a greenhouse on porches or decks. However, nearly every property has a fruit tree on it! Apple trees are everywhere, pear trees, cherry trees and peach trees are interspersed in different yards, but by far the most popular are the plum trees. The farm I live on has three plum trees, each a different kind of plum and one of them is over 60 years old! I never would have guessed that plums would be growing in Norway, but they are hugely popular. One of the fjords here in Southern Norway is famous for plums. Ari’s dad gave us some plums that he had picked from his tree and they were so good that I got the ladder out and picked the other tree clean and got nearly 2 kilos! I feel proud of my tree climbing skills because Ari’s dad was very impressed that I was able to find so many plums on the tree after he had already harvested a bunch as well (I nailed it! haha). Then, later that week, when we went to hang out with some friends one of them brought a bag of plums he had picked from the tree at his house. Everyone has a plum tree and the harvests are bountiful! 

Norway certainly has a reputation for being a country that loves and respects nature and that is evident in the beauty of the grand landscape. I was really struck by how that respect and appreciation shows up in small ways as well. It is not only the national parks and seashores that are deserving of care and respect, no natural area is too small to warrant some tender love and care. The beautiful yards and gardens are the perfect accompaniment to the majestic coasts and mountains.