Viewing site: Årås manor & gardens

2026-08-04

If the inauguration at Nyhagen's garden took place on the hottest day of summer, the inauguration of the viewing site at Årås occurred on the coldest and rainiest day of summer. 12 degrees, 5 meters per second and rain across did not prevent over 50 people from making their way to Årås manor on Sunday, July 19.

After an inauguration speech by EkoBoost's project manager, Katarina Berlin Thorell, about the importance of biodiversity, Jens Böhn from the Årås Kvarn Community Association spoke to share their commitment to the viewing site.

After that, we followed a walk through the manor park where we started by looking at the newly established flower meadow and bee hotel, then continued to the kitchen garden, the fine beehives, the newly fenced sheep pasture, and the already existing meadow. Along the way, we delved into what to consider when creating different environments and elements that should benefit biodiversity. We also highlighted the ecosystem services associated with the various initiatives and got a closer look at native meadow flowers and got acquainted with the six-spotted burnet moth.

Afterwards, we had the opportunity to enjoy coffee and listen to beautiful folk music inside the Manor building. It was very encouraging to see so many interested people show up, and there was a great interest in accessing our informational material and asking questions to project manager Katarina. The park and garden around Årås manor can be visited on your own year-round, but during the summer, the café is also open.

2026-06-12

It is a common but still wonderful Swedish summer day today. Sunny but a bit cool in the air and an occasional rain shower passes by. On the roadside between Ulricehamn and Årås, cuckoo flowers, lady's mantle, tar flowers, daisies, field scabious, buttercups, and cow parsley bloom like a colorful fireworks display. And even at Årås, daisies have burst forth in abundance on the meadow that is already established behind the large manor building. Today I have come to see how the different parts of the viewing site are progressing before the inauguration on July 19.

We start by checking on the future sheep pasture, where fencing is taking place today. Here, the grazing area is becoming overgrown with brush, tall grass, and other ”neglected species.” With the help of grazing sheep, the land will be opened up again for plants and insects that benefit from grazing.

The second major part of the display site at Årås is the new meadow between the servant's cottage and the mill. It was sown at the end of September and now it is exciting to see if the seeds have germinated... Yes, the annual plants in the meadow seed mixture are really coming along, lots of plants of clover that are in bud are swaying in the wind and a few cornflowers and poppies have already bloomed. But beneath the annual plants are small seedlings of the ”real,” perennial meadow plants that take a little longer to establish. I find leaf rosettes of both daisies, yarrow, black knapweed, and also hay rattles, which have actually already bloomed. So the meadow sowing looks promising!

I also get a sneak peek at the large beehives that have been built and that will house a couple of bee colonies which will help with the ecosystem service of pollination in the estate's large kitchen and fruit garden. An insect hotel for wild pollinators and wasps is also under construction and is to be completed by the inauguration.

Book already now for Sunday, July 19, because then there will be an inauguration of the display site at Årås. Then you will get to take part in everything that has been created with the aim of promoting biodiversity and ecosystem services at this site. More information about time and program will come later.

2025-09-30

Late summer has turned into autumn, it is a crisp morning and the hoarfrost still lies in the grass, but soon the clear autumn sun will warm the beautiful landscape around Ätradalen again.

At Årås, the loyal group of volunteers is already underway with Tuesday's work. Today it is the meadow that will be prepared. The area has been harrowed and is ready for seed sowing, but before sowing, 600 Easter and Pentecost lily bulbs must be planted in the ground. It goes quickly when there are many helping out, one digs and one places the bulb and fills it in, and just in time for coffee, all the bulbs are planted.

After a hearty snack up in the estate's salons, it is time to sow the meadow seeds. To make the sowing manageable, they have prepared by dividing the future meadow into 13 squares and distributed the seeds into 26 bags. Two bags per square, this way it becomes easier to see that the seeds are enough for the entire area. The seeds are mixed with sawdust, making it easier to spread the seeds evenly over the surface when the seeds are so small.

They have chosen meadow seeds from Pratensis, the mixture ”Normaläng” which has a large number of different species of both grasses and flowering herbs that can thrive under both slightly drier and slightly wetter conditions. Additionally, they have reinforced the mixture with extra seeds of flowering herbs to increase the number of flowering plants right from the start in the meadow. They have also mixed in some seeds of annual so-called field weeds, such as cornflower, poppy, and catchfly to achieve flowering already during the establishment year. The annual species can also serve as a ”cover crop” when the slower-growing meadow seeds are to germinate and provide some competition against other weeds. All seeds are purchased from Pratensis to ensure that they are using native and Swedish-grown seeds that truly belong in the Swedish nature.

Quite soon, the sowing is also completed and after that, the area will be rolled so that the seeds are pressed into the soil surface. Rolling ensures that the seeds get proper soil contact and moisture is retained in the ground. Since the seeds are so small, they must not end up too deep in the soil, which is why they roll instead of harrowing after sowing. Now it’s just a matter of waiting for the right amount of rain and seeing what appears in the meadow come spring and summer. Hopefully, we will see a rich bloom already next year!

2025-04-25

A month later, I visit Årås again, spring and greenery have exploded and now the work with the meadow establishment is in full swing. To create better conditions for meadow flowers, the soil needs to be depleted. Since the area was previously a chicken yard, it is too nutrient-rich for meadow flowers to thrive there. Therefore, Andreas is on site with his excavator to dig away the top layer of vegetation and topsoil. Then he lays down a leaner moor soil where the meadow seed will be sown.

With the excavator, Andreas also takes the opportunity to gather the large stones at the edge of the meadow, so that they form a smaller stone wall that can serve as a habitat for small animals and insects.

The plan is for the meadow seed to be sown in late summer to have the best chance to germinate and establish itself. Establishing a meadow can be a test of patience, the seeds are small and it often takes several years before the meadow vegetation is fully established. Hopefully, we can start seeing the meadow plants by next summer.

2025-03-25

Årås Säteri is located in a picturesque area between Ulricehamn and Mullsjö. Surrounding it are lakes, deciduous forests, and a small fragmented agricultural landscape. The non-profit association Bygdegårdsföreningen Årås kvarn has done a fantastic job of restoring the garden and buildings at Årås Säteri and Årås Kvarn.

Jens Böhn, one of the passionate souls at Årås, shows me around the mill and the manor on this cloudy and slightly chilly March day. There are many ideas to be implemented and today is a workday for the volunteers in the association, raking and clearing lawns and flower beds, and the fruit trees are to be pruned. 

The association expressed its interest in becoming one of the display sites within EkoBoost! Even though there are already many natural values at the site, they want to create more areas and environments that can contribute to biodiversity. Since many visit the site, it also becomes a good opportunity to showcase these environments to the public and teach about biodiversity.

Within the framework of the display site, they now want to create a blooming area with spring-flowering bulb plants and Swedish meadow plants between the servant's cottage and the parking lot.

In addition to this, there are plans to plant more willows in the area, to provide early flowering resources, and the existing meadow area up towards the forest edge will be reinforced with sowing of more meadow seeds.

At the top towards the forest, there is a former pasture that will now be fenced and wolf-secured to be grazed by sheep. In this way, the encroachment will be kept back, and perhaps the grazing will also have an effect on the invasive wintergreen that has spread and is creeping into the beech forest behind the fence.

A beehive for honeybees will also be placed, and insect hotels for wild bees will be built. Birdhouses and bat houses will also be set up in suitable places.