120,000 flowers brighten Reykjavík
It's been a bustling season at Reykjavík City's plant nursery in Fossvogur and for the horticulture department. In total, more than 120,000 flowers are decorating the city this summer.
The Fossvogur nursery grows the summer flowers planted across Reykjavík. The parks maintenance yards—which maintain ornamental gardens, trees, and flower beds in open areas—collect their seasonal plants from the nursery each spring. When trucks from the parks maintenance yards start arriving, the distribution process needs to be carefully coordinated to ensure everything runs smoothly.
The horticulture staff then receives the flowers and starts creatively arranging them in beds so they look their best. In winter, horticulture staff design Reykjavík's flower beds, considering the composition and colors of the flowers and planning for spring planting.
120,000 flowers
This year, the plant nursery produced approximately 60 species and 160 different varieties. The district maintenance yards ordered 4,443 trays of summer flowers and 5,871 pots of summer flowers, totaling 120,882 flowers now brightening public spaces across the city. Among these 160 species and varieties are many pansies, but there are also pot marigold (calendula), snapdragons, marigolds, African daisy, parsley, and flowering tobacco, to name a few.
Flowers spark joy
It's often said that Reykjavík is putting on its finest attire when the summer flowers are planted. Crews pull out all the stops to beautify the city center for June 17 each year. Planting starts with species that bloom early in spring, such as pansies, violets and primroses. Later-blooming species follow, keeping the city in color well into July. Some neighborhoods have specific color themes, and this year the theme colors in the western part of the city are yellow, pink and purple.
There's now more variety in the flower species planted each year, as growing conditions have improved. Species once thought impossible to grow here can now thrive. One example is foxtail barley that moves gracefully in the wind.
This year's flowers are bursting with vibrant color, delighting visitors and residents alike. A heartfelt thanks to the horticulture and plant nursery teams for their excellent work.