Tag Archives: Denmark

Getting Stoned

Good morning, I still don`t understand how god morgon is supposed to be pronounced. Even though I have said it several times every morning. And this morning is the morning I don`t anymore wake up for work in GardenWorks.

So I spent 3 weeks working in this gardening company called GardenWorks, which maintains and builds gardens for all kinds of customers. Let`s just say this first: this is a company I can recommend if someone is looking for a place for work or practise. From the first day on, I already got to do just the same things as the actual workers do.

These weeks included planting, sowing, a bit of lawnmowing and risusavotta, and a lot of stonework! Actually I don´t even try to list every single different kind of task I did. One day we even took a flagpole down, And the other day we lifted it up again. I was suprised that on the first day I already laid some paving stones. Which was nice. During this practise, I was allowed to use many machines and tools the workers needed in their projects. I will post pictures when technological conditions allow it. And even risusavotta can be educative; if the trees happen to be something You don´t meet in Your home forests.

It was pure pleasure to work in +25c sunshine weather for many days. Well, I have to admit that at some moments it was a bit exhausting. Lately I have spent my freetime mostly by exploring the plants this local area and school garden contains. And of course hanging out with friends, and doing some gardening with them.

Factory Work In a Nursery

Hi, again. I have been listening to Danish language for 5 weeks now. It is still a mystery how they pronounce their language. Even though  I have worked for the last two weeks mainly with Danish people unlike in the greenhouse, which will be the next subject.

I spent 3 weeks working in a company called Graff Kristensen, which is huge  hibiscus plantation, at least in my point of view. Well, I guess anyone could consider it huge, because it contains hundreds of thousands of plants at all times. Most of them are grown from cuttings which are originally from Vietnam. Reason for this is that the mother plants are better in Vietnam´s sunshine. The cuttings are brought by aeroplanes to Netherlands, and then by trucks to Denmark. Six months after their arrival to this nursery those cuttings have become nice hibiscus flowers, which shall travel all around the world. This coming of cuttings and sending of final products happen weekly. This is a lot of energy spent on producing dying decorations. Just think about an aeroplane with a cargo of cuttings for a decorative plant.

Back to more usual issues; I enjoyed my time working in this greenhouse, and I am thankful for the people there. I now have the experience of almost every kind of practical work in an industrial scale greenhouse. I had good guidance to the greenhouses practises and introduction to their company.

Hibiscus is a nice looking flower, and you can use it in infusions and it has also other ways of use. You can find more information about it if You can read this. I don´t recommend to use these ones which are grown for decorations, because of the wide range of chemicals sprayed on them.

Goodbye to Denmark

Today is my last day in Denmark. I sit in a hotel room in Billund thinking the time I spent here. The pictures are more than words, so I show some of my good memories in pictures.

Riding tour with Icelandic horses. Seldrupgård, Beder.

Aarhus – European Capital of Culture 2017

Den Gamle By (The Old Town) is a national open-air museum of urban history and culture in Denmark through three decades. The best museum I ever visited!

The Botanical Garden and Tropical Houses are near of Den Gamle By in the centre of Aarhus.


Aarhus Cathedral is the longest church in Denmark and it seats 1200 people.

Wonderful Copenhagen.




Doing what you like is freedom. Liking what you do is happiness.
Ulla

Watch and see and learn …

That is how my boss Per says when he wants me to learn something new. I’ve had the opportunity to do all kind of jobs in Violen and  I’ve learned a lot during these weeks.  All floral work has become familiar in a fun and “hygge” way.  I’ve taken hundreds of pictures and some videos too. Now is the last practice week and I’m returning to Finland this weekend. I bring good memories and a lot of experience with me.

Cut flowers and some bouquets I’ve made.



Funeral wreaths.


Wreath to honor of the newly built house is a Danish tradition.


Greenhouse.

General Issues

Hi, have a nice time reading this. I am not a name, I am a number 17161. At least in my working place´s database. Well, I was given a name Tero, which has been in use since that. And who knows how old my soul is. This body I use in this existence is almost 29 years old. But what might really matter is that I am practicing  greenhouse work and paving now in Denmark. My accommodation is in a gardening school called jordbrugetsskole (or simply Green Academy) in Beder. The Danish students living here are nice people, which prevents me from sleeping enough. In greenhouse I will work for 3 weeks and then I will change to a paving company for 3 weeks. I arrived here in 17.4.2017, on a day when no markets was open. But I was lucky to get coffee and bread from a local bakery.

The very next day I started to work for company called Graff Kristensen, which is located in Sabro, 10km to northwest from Aarhus. Their main product is hibiscus, but they grow also poinsettia, and I have seen some cacti growing there too. It is my first experience working in a greenhouse so I really don´t know if there is something which would be called special in their procedures. But what seems to be common practice in this field of business is that majority of the workers come from eastern Europe. And that is a thing which makes the work even more enjoyable for me. Even though it is a bad thing that global economy is in imbalance, which causes the need for people to travel away from their homes. These people have welcomed me well and they have taught me their languages. So I have learned more Polish and Ukrainian than Danish, and anyone who has ever tried to speak Danish, understands why.

So far this experience has been beyond all the praising words. In only one week I have had so many new experiences that it is already hard to remember those all. For example in last Sunday my friend Martin made me go into the sea in hangover, right after we had woken up. And I can tell it was cold because of the insane wind I never have to feel in Finland. It was more of a challenge than going into avanto last winter. I don´t know if I have the guts to party with him anymore if that is the way we shall always cure our hangovers.

Pictures might be provided later. Until then just imagine a flat land in spring.

Could someone please explain me this existence?

 

 

 

Easter Holiday

Lots of beautiful stones!

At the end of the week we were able to borrow Per wife’s car. Emma and I drove up north to Skagen which  is the northernmost point of Denmark. Skagen is the town where two seas meet and endless beaches are beautiful with white sand and beautiful stones. On the beach you can also see the German wartime bunkers – not so beautiful in my opinion.

We also visited the Skagen Museum which is charming building with its magnificent paintings. The town’s galleries exhibit a wide range of genres and art forms, such as paintings, sculptures, glass art and jewellery.  Of course, we also visited the flower shops and specialty stores in the city.

On Friday we went to see the church of St.Laurentii. It was covered by sand and eventually had to be abandoned, today only tower remains visible.

On the way back we drove along the beautiful east coast down to Hals and the rest of the way along the motorway.

On Saturday, it was raining all day. I rested and kept in touch with family and friends in Finland.

On Sunday was a beautiful day and time to visit Moesgaard Museum, which is located near the dorm. The exhibition building designed by Henning Larsen Architects A/S and the practice of landscape architect Kirstine Jensen. The unique building is set on the landscape and inside is very modern. Upper level has a view to the sea.

I spent the whole day in museum and also enjoyed the museum café’s brunch buffet. It was a wonderful day!


On Monday, I went to Aarhus. I just wandered along the streets because almost all the places were closed because of the Easter.
I have spent Easter in differently this year and enjoyed of it.

The first week full of experiences

It’s a wonderful spring here in Denmark already! Dorm courtyard is beautiful, fruit trees in bloom, grass is green and tulips and daffodils start blooming soon. Looks similar to Finland at the end of May.

Tuesday was my first day Violen. Owner Per Kaspersen and his staff seem to be nice and I enjoy being there for sure. Violen a pretty big flower shop in the center of Odder. The building is old and it has served at one time as a hotel. The shop is built space, which has previously worked as a horse stable. It is really nicely renovated and decorated.

Violen has a rich selection of flowers, gifts, goodies, coffee, tea and different brands of liquor. In Denmark, flower shops commonly sold products other than flowers.
Upstairs is a large hall space, which is sometimes served as the hotel’s dance hall. It is rented for the artists and craftsmen for the holding of exhibitions.

Some photos of willow artist’s works in the exhibition.
On Tuesday, we worked all day with fresh cut flowers and I visited a Nickies red flower car with Per.  Wednesday was a busy day and everyone had a lot of work. In shop visited lot of customers and the flowers were ordered through the internet. We did a lot of bouquets and arrangements for Easter.

Birthday bouquet for 75 years old lady made by me.

Last week in Denmark

This was my last week in Denmark. I had such a good time and I think that working abroad is good experience and you learn a lot new things. On my last days I got to do a big bouquets with branches and easter planting and decorating.

At the end of week I spent two days at Skagen with other finnish trainee Ulla. We walked by the beach to grenen which is long sandbar north of Skagen and where two seas collide. We also went to skagen museum and to see sand-covered church.  

Only tower is left from church. Rest is covered in moving sand

Now I’m back in Finland and I think I got so much from this experience and I hope that I will get these kind of opportunities also in future. I recomend working abroad because it’s good way to get knowledge and different view of things.

– Emma

Springtime in Denmark

Work has been going great this week and I feel like I’ve learned a lot. I’ve seen and heard about different customs of danish floristry culture, got some more challenging works to do and I feel like I’ve also  gotten to be a little faster at my work (because sometimes I can be a bit slow). My weakness in bouquets has been tall and big bouquets, but this week I got some training for that. My boss told me that in Denmark many customer like tall bouquets and with his instructions I made few tall bouquets. I think th results were quite good and I also got good tips how to make showy bouquets

People in Denmark take also these kind of decorations to graves

I went to Aarhus to shop and eat on Saturday because I couldn’t think of anything else to do. Today on Sunday the weather has been great so


I went for a walk to a walking routes in forest nearby my place. There are no leaves yet in trees but the ground is full with a little white and yellow flowers, almost like a carpet. I love Denmarks nature, the light forests and vast fields that go on and on. It’s nice change to Finlands nature which is also beautiful in different kind of way.

Hello Denmark, see you soon!


I’m Ulla Niskanen florist student from Jämsä College. My destination in Denmark is Jordbrugets UddannelsesCenter  Århus in Beder . My accommodation is at the school dormitory for a period of four weeks. I’ll do my practical training in flower shop Violen  in Odder town.

Working abroad is a great opportunity to learn something new and different. I’ll get a lot of experience and build up language skills and increase understanding of the host country’s culture and history.

My new suitcase is waiting for packing in the corner of the room. Hopefully there is enough space for my luggage.

Stay tuned!