I’ve lived in Helsinki for almost 7 years now and as much as I try to explore different parts of the city, there’s still a lot of gardens, islands and museums I haven’t visited. Every once in a while, I’ll see a place in social media and I’ll be like, why didn’t I know about this? That’s how images in my insta feed led me to Alppiruusupuisto in Haaga one sunny Sunday afternoon. I felt a bit silly for being such a social media slave but I can’t turn down an opportunity to see a concentration of blooms in one place.
Once there I learned that the flowers in question were rhododendrons and azaleas. Rhododendrons are having a bit of a moment if I may say so (or it’s because I’ve just learned of their existence). I think I saw them in the botanical garden in Lund and they were discussed a bit during the midsummer celebrations.
It didn’t take long after I arrived in the park to realise that I was too late. Most of the flowers had faded and fallen off. I walked through the park anyway and found a couple of spots where some were still blooming and tried to imagine how the park looks like in full bloom. The good thing is that I now know about the park and will make sure to be there on time next year.
