Haaga Rhododendron Park

In early June, if it’s a “good” year, people in Western Helsinki get treated to bursts of colour at the Haaga Rhododendron Park. Started in 1975 as a research location for the University of Helsinki, the plan was to create rhododendron plants that would thrive in Finland’s northern climate. And they did. Around 3,000 specimens of a Japanese variety of rhododendron were originally planted, then selectively bred to produce eight new varieties over the years.
© Samuli Vainionpää/Getty Images