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Zetas Tradgard: A Gorgeous Garden Center in Stockholm, Sweden

April 3, 2024

I wish that garden centers closer to me had a bit more to offer. There seems to be a strong garden lifestyle trend that would likely support garden centers that are a bit more like the beautiful Zetas in Stockholm, Sweden.

Zeta is a garden center and a cafe serving beautiful local food and coffee surrounded by established in-ground gardens to revel in. It is full of style and Scandinavian ambiance.

Plants on display along a gravel path at a garden nursery.
The Northern light found in Sweden is soft and inviting and makes gardens in this high latitude place look extra inviting.
Rows of potted plants and flowers for sale at a misty outdoor garden center.
Plant racks full of great northern plats in Zetas shop.
Outdoor market with red-and-white striped awnings, bustling with shoppers.
The holiday market at Zetas Tradgard.

Victoria Skoglund and her husband own and operate Zeta’s Gardens in southern Stockholm, Sweden.  

It is a destination garden center full of interesting ideas and products and seems nice to visit, even if just for a grand day out.  

A person standing amidst daffodils, looking over their shoulder with a soft smile in a sunlit garden setting.
Victoria Skoglund picking daffodils.

If you have been to Terrain, I think it is in the same vein as Zeta’s. I wish there were more garden retailers recognizing that they need to be a bit more style trendy. That spaces filled with plants and glorious greenery, attractively displayed, are actually quite valuable. 

People want to be in these types of places, so while they are hanging around, give them a reason to hang around a bit longer and serve them some food or a nice drink they can carry with them as they explore.

A woman carrying a hanging basket of purple flowers.

How Swedes Make Comfortable Gardens

I find it interesting, too, that such a place exists in Sweden.  I have been to Sweden and there are two things I can tell you: they have enormous and vicious mosquitos and as we all know – it is a place of long winters and short growing seasons.  

These are two common complaints I hear from clients when they are considering spending money on an outdoor living area.  New Englanders simply do not lead the outdoor living lifestyle I grew up with in Denver, and the #1 reason is bugs, seconded by the lack comfort of being in the garden (it can be quite humid).  

A variety of potted plants displayed on shelves under hanging paper lanterns in a well-lit room.
Midcentury ribbed glass globe lights hang over plants potted in rustic terracotta pots.

New Englanders seem to prefer screened porches (often precariously and hideously tacked on to the sides of otherwise beautiful homes)

I personally find the climate somewhat frustrating, so I am inspired by Zeta’s take on the subject.  They must look at popular European vacation places like Italy and France and have the same lament….so how do they advocate for recreating the outdoor living garden experience in somewhat garden-hostile Sweden?

Build shelters and partition the garden into rooms.  It is one of the best ways to extend the season. Building walls inside the garden create more and better micro-climates that can allow you to control the environment. 

Inside a wall, a simple fan in a more confined place can provide just enough air movement to keep things cool and fresh and divert pesky bugs away (mosquitos don’t like even the slightest wind). 

Walls and simple shelters can create a lot of ambiance, and I think this is what a good garden is all about.

Swedish Holiday Garden Inspiration

Bare twigs in a vase adorned with hanging clear glass beads, with a blurred background.
Glass crystals hang from winter branches in a pretty arrangement.
A rustic metal pot filled with blooming pink flowers and green foliage on a gravel surface with a blurred background of a building.
Amaryllis bloom through rhododendrons and rose hips in a pretty holiday container garden.
A garden pathway lined with purple flowers leading to a greenhouse.
Zeta Trädgård, also known as Zeta Garden, is a popular Swedish retailer specializing in garden supplies, plants, and outdoor living products. From seeds and tools to furniture and décor, Zeta Trädgård offers a wide range of high-quality products for all your gardening needs.
A serene greenhouse nestled amidst an english garden.
A visit to Zetas tradgard (garden) is more than just a visit to a beautiful garden center – it is surrounded by many in-ground and permanent gardens.
Cobblestone path lined with greenery at zetas tradgard on a foggy day.
Zetas tradgard Cafe is a popular dining spot with its cozy atmosphere and beautiful surroundings.

Follow Zeta’s on Instagram for lots of beautiful Nordic garden inspiration.

All images from Zeta’s.

More Great Garden Centers and landscape destinations worth visiting:

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  1. Helen says:

    This garden centre looks so inviting. I do love the lounge. Must agree that mosquitoes are a great deterrent to sitting outside and I’m always thankful that here in Victoria BC we hardly have any to mar the evening dinner and bocci parties. Just nasty wasps during the day.

  2. There is a destination garden center and organic perennial nursery that is a little closer to you, although it’s in Canada. My husband and I own and operate Plant Paradise Country Gardens located on 24 rolling acres, surrounded by trees in Caledon, Ontario, Canada. It’s a unique garden centre that offers extensive display gardens of continuous bloom, gourmet lunches and inspiration. A gardener’s oasis.

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