Garden visit: Late summer in Therese’s classic garden

The air is filled with the scent of blooming sweet peas and ripe apples. Late summer and autumn bring a different atmosphere to the outdoor space. The colors change, the light hits differently, and the air feels fresher. At Therese’s, the pink and white cosmos are in full bloom, and the large dahlia heads shine toward the sun. In this garden, romance and tradition blend, creating a soft and inviting expression.

“The end of the gardening season is more relaxing than the beginning. I no longer need to fertilize as much, water constantly, or tend to tiny seedlings,” says Therese.

Now it’s time to enjoy all the work that has been done earlier in the season—preferably in the sun, surrounded by abundant flowerbeds and planters.

Early in the autumn, the daybed on the terrace gets a lot of use. The family loves to relax here after work and school. With its covered roof and heat lamp, outdoor life can be enjoyed here well into the season.

The flowers in the beds, planters, and container garden on the terrace are still kept in the classic color palette from earlier in the season—pink, white, and purple. But with the autumn sun, orange dahlias and yellow sunflowers have also opened, adding extra warmth and depth.

A bouquet of happiness—entirely grown in the garden. Could there be a greater sense of luxury?

Shrubs, trees, and perennials that return year after year have shifted to more reddish tones. The tall sunflowers stretch toward the sun and serve as a camouflage wall for the garden’s trampoline—an idea Therese came up with herself and has tested over several seasons. ‘Moonwalker’ is the sunflower variety she swears by because of its bushy growth, multiple flowers per stem, and excellent width coverage.

Therese has created a perennial bed with organic shapes around the trampoline to hide it as much as possible. Tall, bushy sunflowers of the ‘Moonwalker’ variety form a vertical camouflage wall.

In DIY planter on the terrace, a dahlia hedge shows off its most beautiful side, full of flowers and buds. When the frosty nights approach and Therese digs up the dahlia bulbs, she replaces them with flowering bulbs so the planters burst into a full spring celebration when the sun warms up. This way, she maximizes flowering throughout the season in the same spot.

“Camassia, the great bear’s-foot, is one of my absolute favorite flowering bulbs. It has a unique look with spikes that I love, and it comes in many different colors. It can be planted alongside columbines, as they bloom beautifully at the same time. I also swear by Darwin tulips. They return year after year. Here, ‘Salmon Impression’ and ‘Light and Dreamy’ are among my favorites.”

The container garden on the terrace is overflowing with blooms. In the background, you can see the planters where Therese grows dahlias from early summer. When the bulbs are dug up, flowering bulbs are planted in their place to ensure a floral celebration early in the next season as well.

The dining area by the outdoor kitchen is set for an autumn feast. A tall and generous arrangement from the garden takes center stage on the table. Apples and small pumpkins are scattered across the tablecloth.

“One of the best things about autumn is that the lushness is at its peak. I love making bouquets and decorations with flowers from the planters and beds now. Something that always looks stunning is placing chicken wire at the bottom of a tall vase, filling it with water, and then arranging flowers and branches in it until I’m happy with the shape. So simple and so decorative,” she says.

Welcome to the autumn feast! The beautiful bouquet is created by placing chicken wire at the bottom of the vase and then arranging flowers and foliage to add volume and height. Seasonal apples and pumpkins highlight the time of year.

Beautiful flowers are scattered on top of the cake stands, adding the finishing touch. The muffins are baked by the children and decorated with blackberries they picked themselves just a meter from the table. It’s harvest time in the garden! A climbing plant with long branches full of ripe blackberries spreads across the entrance to the terrace, tempting everyone to pause and taste as the family comes and goes.

“I recommend choosing the ‘Thornless Evergreen’ variety, which has no thorns. It’s the most child-friendly,” Therese advises.

Sondre thinks it’s especially fun to taste the garden. Today he’s outside picking blackberries to decorate the homemade muffins for the day.

“The children love that there’s so much to taste. They probably appreciate it more than all the flowers. This is my favorite area,” Therese laughs. Apples, blueberries, herbs, and black chokeberries are also ready to harvest now. Black chokeberries are considered a superfood because they’re packed with vitamins and antioxidants.

“They’re a bit bitter, so we don’t usually eat them straight from the bush. But they’re perfect for freezing and using in smoothies or crumbles to boost energy through the winter. The leaves also turn beautiful autumn colors,” she says. Herbs like mint, arugula, basil, oregano, and rosemary also shine in the autumn sun.

“They smell even better when you rub the leaves between your fingers. Both Mathilde and Sondre love eating them straight from the plant. We also like to use them on pizza, in spaghetti, and in salads. Mint is the children’s absolute favorite. That’s why we have a whole bunch of different mint varieties—apple, strawberry, blackcurrant, pineapple, and peppermint. It tastes amazing to mix mint leaves with raspberry juice, sparkling water, and a bit of lime. So refreshing and a drink the whole family can enjoy!”

The bounty of the garden. It’s time to taste the harvest, and now the outdoor kitchen is overflowing.

Therese is committed to creating a wildlife-friendly garden, supported by insect hotels, water baths, and various bird feeding stations.

“I notice that the birdsong increases the further into autumn we get. By then, there isn’t as much food left for our little friends. That’s why we leave the perennials untouched through the winter so they have seed heads to feed on—sunflowers, in particular, provide plenty of good food. As soon as freezing temperatures arrive, I refill the bird feeders with seeds. It’s a bit bittersweet knowing winter is just around the corner, but the garden break makes us appreciate spring even more and all the possibilities it brings.”

Follow the classic garden through the seasons:

• Garden visit: Classic and timeless garden at Therese's
• Garden visit: White snow against green leaves at Therese’s

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