Kotka peony park draws global admirers with 800 blooms

Kotka’s peony park, established six years ago by the city and the Finnish Peony Society, is now in full bloom with around 800 peonies across roughly 200 varieties, attracting visitors from Finland and abroad, reports Yle.

The idea originated with local peony enthusiast Jyrki Karppinen, then a board member of the Finnish Peony Society, who proposed the concept to Kotka’s former city gardener, Heikki Laaksonen. Initially planned as a single large flowerbed with a couple hundred peonies, the project expanded due to social media buzz and private donations, resulting in six flowerbeds.

Karppinen believes the park, free and open to all, is unique in Finland and rare in Europe. Visitors include tourists from the US, China, and Japan, while its social media updates have garnered over 400,000 views in the past month alone. The park is now maintained by the Kotka Peony Park Support Association, formed after the Finnish Peony Society withdrew last year.

Photographers are drawn to the park’s vibrant colors, though Karppinen notes the challenge of capturing the shifting hues of coral-toned blooms between daylight and evening. The park’s upkeep relies on volunteer efforts, with Karppinen recalling the initial planting day six years ago, when 400 people—some traveling from as far as Tallinn—turned out to help.