The history of the garden
The garden was an extension of the studio as Carl Eldh liked to work outdoors. As museum director Brita Eldh (1907–2000) supplemented her fathers sculptures placed outdoors with more of his works. Brita continued the early garden work done by Elise Eldh (1881–1958) in the 1920s adding plants and trees, creating more of an organized garden. Nowadays the garden is open for the public during the museum’s opening hours and in connection with pre-booked group tours.
The garden was a space for both work and rest for Carl Eldh, even though he did not engage in gardening himself. There are a number of old photos where he can be seen in the garden working on a sculpture, spending time with his family, friends or models or posing for articles. The garden is surrounded by a fence, making it a private space, and protecting sculptures temporarily placed outdoors.
Located on a steep, sloping hill, this plot did not have ideal gardening conditions. When the studio was built the hill had to be covered with soil as a backfill, but there is still a considerable amount of rock in the garden to this day. However, these barren conditions offered some opportunities as well. Examples include a small pond in a crevice and some discrete steps carved in rock.
The yellow daylilies are believed to be one of the earliest plants in the garden, planted by Elise Eldh (1881-1958) in the 1920s. From the late 1920s and until the mid 1950s, the garden had more of a natural character. Later the garden was organized by Brita Eldh who lived and worked here until the 1990ies.
As a student landscape architect Karolina Strehlenert wrote a thesis about the garden in 1993, summerizing the history of the garden and an inventory of plants and trees. The garden was divided into sections, for instance “The Crown of the Oak-room” (“Ekkronans rum”). The mighty oak, older than the now more than 100 year old building, spreads its branches in the front garden.
A handful of Eldh’s sculptures are placed throughout the garden. Sitting girl has a backdrop of lilac trees, Eve is embraced by grape woodbine, Hostas by the pond surround Water Elf and By the Well.
Brita Eldh’s interest in Japanese garden art was expressed through shaped trees. Elm- and mapletrees were pruned in unconventional ways to create a leafy ceiling and sense of space. In spring, cascades of daffodils and narcissus adds colour to the surrounding slumbering vegetation. Summer begins with flowering purple and white lilacs and rhododendron, continue with yellow daylilies and white blooming philadelphus, the later ones both adding scent to the experience. The garden is as most beautiful in spring and early summer when much of the plants are in bloom.
The garden was restored in 2017 with financial support from the County administrative board. The garden and museum building have been listed since 2010. The restoration gave opportunity to solve problems that had surfaced over the years. A new addition was space for educational activities for children in a part of the garden that was not in use.
Today, the garden is a space for museum visitors to rest and enjoy the calm atmosphere. Here, one can forget about all the city noises, in spite of the fact that several busy roads are located just below the hill. The museum is situated in Bellevue park, which has been a part of Royal National City Park since 1995.