Visited on June 5th, 2014 with the Lakeland Horticulture Society.

Our afternoon visit was to an unusual Chinese Garden in Bastedalen.  The garden is placed in an open cast mine from the 17th century where limestone, feldspar and marble were mined until the late 1920’s.  The Bastedalen Estate and Swedish manor is secluded but a short distance from the second largest lake in Sweden, Lake Vättern which is popular for recreational activities and salmon and Char fishing. It has a reputation for cleanliness, and as the locals brag, drinkable water straight from the deep lake.

Surrounded by nature, the Bastealen Estate is a family run facility with a philosophy to give visitors an “opportunity for physical and spiritual recovery.” With cottages for vacationers in a secluded location, the estate follows the Swedish tradition of providing a natural environment and adds the Chinese philosophy of balancing the life energy (chi), and obtainment of tranquility through relaxation, reflection and meditation.  As part of the experience a visitor may be seeking, the Chinese garden can be an integral part of health and spiritual healing.

A series of long wooden steps lead down to the bottom of the abandoned mine which is now a Chinese garden enclosed by the sheer cliffs of jagged rocks.  As water is an important element in a Chinese Garden, a small lake is in the center of the pit with a bridge that leads to an open pavilion in the water.  A lantern placed on a small island of rock in the water is surrounded by the pure white blooms of water lotus.

A statute of Buddha placed against the rough stone outcroppings on the side of the mine, is the start of the journey as a pathway guides you around the water which symbolizes the ever changing. The large rocks strategically placed along the waters edge symbolize the eternal.  These two elements create a harmonious balance of yin and yang.

Alongside the boulder strewn hillside the Chinese symbol of opulence called the “King of  Flowers,”  the tree peony, was in bloom in tandem with violet columbine.  The fragrant peony was the most celebrated flower in the Chinese garden during the Tang Dynasty and was an emblem of wealth and distinction.

Deeply rooted in the shallow soil on the steep sides of the mine were the “dinosaur trees” from China. The Ginkgo biloba from Eastern China is a slow grower but eventually its height will reach 100 feet or more. When its leaves turn yellow in the fall it will brighten the gray jagged hillside. A companion tree, the Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides), will outpace its companion next to it for a comparable height. Unusual for an evergreen, it will shed its needles after they color in the fall to orange and red.

Alongside the pathway was a grouping of the Katsura (Cercidiphyllum japonicum) trees whose origins are the woodlands of China and Japan. Still young trees but with the potential of reaching 100 feet, their early spring leaves are reddish purple. In the fall, colors of soft apricot to burnt orange give an added dimension of autumn interest. Fragrance is an important element in the Chinese garden and the leaves of the Katsura give off a spicy cinnamon odor with the fall color.

The rainbow bridge links the shaded pathway hugging against the sheer hillside to the open, slow winding paths between the pond and the steep hillside with moss covered boulders. The Chinese bridges in the garden are red which represent the life force and the sacred in Buddhism.

Pavilions are placed in Chinese gardens to be in harmony with the landscape. There are several pavilions placed within the garden which could be used to provide shelter from the weather. The Wind Pavilion is suited for a resting spot for reflection and solitude as the Chinese enjoyed their gardens sitting down.  A decorative ceramic vase that symbolizes perpetual harmony is on a pedestal in the pavilion.

Every pavilion in a Chinese Garden would have a fixed purpose of showing a particular scene or point of view in the garden. The placement of  the Lost Sunbeam Pavilion tucked high into the side of the mountain of the mine, reached by a series of zigzagged stone steps, is open on all sides. The pavilion is  orientated to show the garden in various light and shadows from dawn through midday sun to sunset.   In the fall your sight would fall across the lake to the changing colors of the Ginko, Dawn Redwood and Katsura trees on the opposite mountain side of the mine.

Lower on the steep hillside is The Old Gardener Pavilion. Pottery decorated with animals has been an early feature in the Chinese garden. In this pavilion we find the scared elephant as gold colored pottery. According to the Buddhists beliefs elephants are celestial animals and one of the sacred treasures of Buddha. In the application of feng shui the elephant is a sacred symbol with power, wisdom, strength and fertility.

Chinese Gardens laid out according to the ancient fixed laws of feng shui (balance, placement and harmony) appease the kindly deities and keep away the bad ones. Valuable powers are attributed to certain trees and plants. The gardens are created as a part of the surroundings giving the appearance of nature. Plants, which represent growth and vitality, diversity and endurance are found among rocks and stones which symbolize the body of the earth.

Along the path is a grove of bamboo. Bamboo represents the enduring modest wise man seeking knowledge and longevity. A large pure white conch shell, a symbol of spiritual authority, is placed on a moss covered rock by the water. A pair of Golden Dragons, the bringer of all good fortune, are on each side of the winding path as you approach the red bridge to the water pavilion. These are all are purposely placed and arranged for a sense of harmony and peacefulness.

After exiting the garden and looking down into the man-made gaping pit from above, I could see that a creative opportunity had been taken to heal a wound on the open landscape. The cast mine lent itself to the creation of a Chinese garden incorporating it’s design as part of the surroundings. It is the unique placement of a garden  named the “harmonious valley,” that makes it worthwhile to leave the four lane highway and experience Sweden’s nature combined with Chinese philosophy of equalizing the yin and yang to provide a positive, harmonious and comfortable environment.

TRAVEL REFLECTIONS

We headed southwest after leaving the Dream Park in Enköping. Overcast skies and sporadic hard rains would follow us as we traveled on a four lane major highway where forests of conifers ( Norway Spruce and Scots Pine are the dominant tree species in Sweden) and deciduous trees lined each side of the road. Occasionally the woods would be replaced by spaces of pasture land with groups of birch trees along the edges. Farm houses painted with nature’s deep gold or browns and barns of rust red were in the distant flat landscape. Wild purple and coral lupine grew unchecked along the roadside and in ditches.

Moving onto a two lane highway I could see glimpses of Lake Vättern through occasional openings of the woods on the side of the highway.  A short distance and the woods opened up to grassland with walking trails and picnic areas alongside the lake.  A turn off onto a one lane road led us to the Bastedalen Herrgård manor house with guest cottages near the northern tip of the lake.

It was close to two hours past the noon hour when we arrived at the manor where lunch was laid out for the group in a formal dining room.  On the center of the table was a bowl with white peony and daisy’s with a small Swedish flag tucked in with the green leafed filler.  We must have been hungry. The sixteen of us sat down quickly and ate with little conversation, a delicious lunch (ingredients sourced locally) of salad with flower of chives and char fish with thick slices of whole grain bread.   Coffee, tea and desert followed at the manor after our visit to the Chinese Garden.  Our final destination of the day was the nature reserve Naturum Täkern.