As I was on my knees and was taking this picture in Hljómskálagarður by The Pond yesterday, I heard some passers-by calling to me in the good weather: beautiful flowers. It is unusual for Icelanders to pay attention to their neighbours, let alone talk to a stranger with the camera in a flower bed. About 5,500 wild species of plants grow in Iceland, of which 452 are flowering plants. The number of plant species in Iceland is low compared to comparable areas with similar weather conditions. The explanation is, of course, the isolation of my country in the North Atlantic and how long it has been since the ice age ended here. But beautiful are the flowers that the Reykjavík City Horticultural Center, founded in 1961, has sown in Hljómskálagarðurinn, to delight visitors and pedestrians.
Reykjavík 08/08/2021 12:54 100mm
Photo and text: Páll Stefánsson
