Get to know Amanda and her friend

Orangery dreams

My name is Amanda, 30 something, and I live in an apartment outside Stockholm with a large south-facing balcony perfect for cultivating. I love flowers and dream of having my own orangery so I can extend the growing season, and be with my plants for a longer part of the year.

Flower lover from an early age

You are cultivating Giant Verbena, how come?
Ever since I was a child I have loved picking flowers, especially bouquets with Lily of Valley, Forget-Me-not, or Buttercups. My favorite flower is the Giant Verbena due to its size and that it seems to “fly”, so that choice wasn’t hard. For the chili, I like to add a spicy kick to my dishes and it’s nice to be able to pick some from your own plant in the kitchen.

When did you become interested in cultivating?
As long as I can remember, I’ve had the interest of cultivating, and being in nature surrounded by lush green. It’s simple really, I feel at my best when I have plants of various kinds around me, because it makes me calm and grounded. Ever since I got my own area for growing, I have had a yearly theme on the balcony. White flower theme, Mediterranean theme, Edible theme and now: flowy flower theme with a lot of cut flowers.

Amandas top picks

Do you have a favorite flower or vegetable?
My favorite flowers are the Statement Sweet Scabious and Giant Verbena because they both seems to float in the air, and are great cut flowers. I love it’s lush way of growing. When it comes to vegetables, I like them all, but if I have to choose, my favourite one for growing is snow peas, since they grow so fast and you get rewarded with a rich harvest.

Lush and functional cultivation

Can you describe your cultivation in five words?
Vivid, colorful, functional, lush and inspiring. I like when my flowers just take over my balcony or parts of a room, so I let them grow as they wish. I have this vision of creating an oasis in my home, and I would like to think that letting each plant grow as it wish, creates this naturally. I am not a very keen gardener in the sense of continuously cutting and trimming my plants. They are perfect just as they are!