The statuesque granite benches in the sunken area of the Roots in Finland Kyrö Garden are very much in this tradition. The Finnish granite features heavily also in the many earlier Art Nouveau style buildings of Helsinki exuding the national romanticism of the newly independent state, which having gained her independence from Russia in 1917 only recently celebrated her first 100 years of independence.

The inspirational biodiversity of Finnish meadows and woodland is not just pleasing to the eye but, with the included butterfly garden
section, speak volumes of the designers passion for ecology, conveying the message of the importance of pollinators to our ecosystem. Coming from the land of thousands of lakes, a cascading water feature reminds the visitors to this garden about the relationship the Finns have with their roots in the country and the much-cherished respite by their countless lakeside and seaside cottages.

Junipers are a given in this Finnish garden, but the remarkable red birches, making the first ever appearance in the Chelsea Flower Show, are rare even in Finland. Lily of the Valley, being the national flower of Finland has its natural space to grow under the trees. Finns, too, love their art and the skillfully crafted silver insects by the artist Ru Runeberg, which decorate the garden in places, are a natural element of it and will not go unnoticed.