Against All North Atlantic OddsGudridur Helgadottir - Kopavogur, Iceland |
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| Summary: | You wouldn’t expect to find exotic plants in Iceland, but Gudridur Helgadottir has committed her life to turning the bleak landscape green one garden at a time. In a country where many people are raised with little or no exposure to horticulture, Gudridur was born with “green blood” in her veins. Determined to bring her North Atlantic country to the cutting edge of the gardening world, she journeyed to England, returning six months later from her “mecca of gardening” enlightened and inspired. As the host of a nationally televised gardening program, Gudridur continues to push the limits of Icelandic gardening, constantly encouraging new gardeners to test a variety of plants and methods in a country of uncharted horticultural limitations. |
| Garden Contact Information: | Grodrarstodin Stord Nursery Dalvegur 30 200 Kopavogur Iceland Phone: 011 354 862 1447 |
| The Garden: | Gudridur Helgadottir’s passion is to bring new diversity and species of plants to all of Iceland. The Grodrarstodin Stord Nursury where she works with her family near Reykjavik is a wonderful example of pushing the boundaries of what was previously tested in Icelandic horticulture. Grodrarstodin Stord Nursery produces trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals, and vegetable seedlings on site. Some of the species sold at the nursey are imported from Denmark, Holland or Norway since it is difficult to produce those plants under Icelandic conditions. A few examples of this are budded roses, some species of evergreens and fruit trees. Most of the species they grow in Iceland are plants from similar latitude to Iceland, even though they are always trying out plants from more southerly positions on the planet. Iceland falls mostly within the biome of taiga, even though they have tundra as well in higher elevations. This limits the choice of plants to hardy plants who tolerate the climate and relatively short growing season. |
| The Gardeners' Story: | Gudridur Helgadottir’s first introduction to horticulture was at the age of 16, when she worked a summer job at her cousin’s plant and flower nursery in Reykjavik. After two years of university studying law and then engineering, Gurry enrolled in a two year program at the Icelandic Horticultural College. She followed this with a six month practicum in England, which is considered by many to be the “mecca” of gardening. Here she worked at the Sir Harold Hillier Gardens and Arboretum and took more horticultural classes at Sparsholt college. Upon her return to Iceland, Gurry began exploring different possibilites and testing the limits of what could grow in Iceland. At the same time she continued her work at the nursery, where they expanded into a larger plot of land in Kopavogur on the outskirts of Reykjavik. In 1996 she became the secretary of the Icelandic Horticultural Trade Union and held that post for the next six years. She is also the director of the department of vocational training and continuous education at the Agricultural University of Iceland. Within her department is, amongst other things, what once was the Icelandic Horticultural College, where she originally started out as a student She has been in that job since 1st of January 2005 and will continue until the 31st of December 2008. Gudridur currently lives with her husband and two daughters and is a familiar face on Icelandic television as one of two hosts of a national gardening program which they also write called “I Einum Graenum” (In One Green Hurry) . She also contributes to a number of gardening publications. |
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| Behind the Scenes: | Executive Producer: Merit Jensen Carr Producer: Merit Jensen Carr Creative Producer: Donna Gall Line Producer: Sandra Moore Director: Cam Bennett Writer: Cam Bennett Researcher: Cam Bennett Narration Writer: Cam Bennett Editor: Joni Church Director of Photography: Barry Lank, CSC Narrator: Bonnie Dickie Music: Shawn Pierce |