Weeds left to grow in Espoo student housing courtyard to support biodiversity

The Helsinki region’s student housing foundation Hoas is converting underused courtyard areas into wildflower meadows to boost biodiversity, with nine such sites now established across the capital region.

A sign at one site in Espoo’s Kilo district reads in English: “Sorry for the weeds, we’re feeding the bees.” The approach is part of Hoas’s long-term sustainability work, not a short-term campaign, according to the foundation’s sustainability manager Marika Nyyssönen.

Meadows are created on unused or low-traffic areas, allowed to develop naturally over several years. The method is cost-effective, reducing maintenance expenses and helping keep rents affordable for residents, Nyyssönen said.

At the Kilo site, two green spaces between buildings—one a former fire-damaged building plot and another a 10-by-50-meter strip between a pathway and a building—have been left unmowed. The areas now host tall grasses, small birch and maple saplings, and wildflowers like oxeye daisies, yarrow, and bellflowers.

Hoas’s maintenance partner Luote handles the meadows, mowing them in autumn and potentially sowing additional wildflower seeds. Large existing trees are left to grow, but new saplings are removed to prevent the areas from reverting to forest.

Newer Hoas properties with smaller courtyards or rooftop structures cannot accommodate meadows. The foundation began testing the approach in 2019, gradually expanding the number of sites.

Helsinki and Espoo have also converted public lawns into meadows in recent years to support biodiversity.