Heritage gardens

The 15 ha park and garden are well maintained, with modern strolling trails, information stands and directions.  Some of the 100 fruit trees in the garden date back to the first half of the 20th century and include some 15 historical types, mostly apple trees, including very rare types.

Since late 18th century, the Blankenfelde Estate is surrounded by a large forest park (12 ha). The landscape park of 4 ha, with gravel paths has been renovated. The owners are proud of the old and new plantings of elder. There are young fruit and berry plantations. The harvest is processed into tasty juices, syrups, wine.

The arboretum is in the former home of a forest ranger.  The orchard, which covers 0.3 ha, was established in 1933 -1950.  Most impressive are the noble ‘Akero’ and 'Signe Tillisch' apple trees, the Good Grey pear trees, and the Durbe Summer pear trees, which produce large and juicy fruits.  There are rare types of apple trees, as well as decorative bushes, including lilacs, and old roses with interesting names.  There are also fruit roses from which jam is produced.  Around the garden is an old stand of trees, including a noble oak tree.  You can view the collection of herbs and vegetables.

Established 1960. Number of species: ~100 species of trees and shrubs, including 25 local species, as well as 16 species of rhododendrons. Unique plants - Latvia’s oldest magnolia (50 y.o.), a Smoke Tree (Cotinus coggygria) that is 45 years old, a Gingko Tree (Ginkgo biloba), and others.

The owner grows various medicinal plants and herbs for teas and other purposes.  You can buy biological sprouts, herbal teas and mixtures of teas, and the owner will be happy to take you on a tour.  Alongside the house is an exhibition of plants which people who arrive during the growing season can taste and smell, looking at various rare and endangered local plants and decorative plants.  The owner will tell you all about aromatic and food plants and how to use them.

The institute is proud of its vast collection of fruit trees and berry bushes, as well as of the research work. There are over 1000 different types of apples trees, 400 types of pear trees, 300 types of plum trees, 200 types of cherry trees, as well as vines, apricots, peaches and berry bushes. The research work is devoted for improvement of vegetable cultivation methods and expansion of the range of varieties. In spring, the visitors enjoy walks in the institute’s Lilac Park, one of the largest in Europe that offers a look at 240 different kinds of lilacs. In May/June the garden is beautiful with blossoming apricot, cherry, plum, apple, pear trees and quince bushes.

These date back to the 19th and early 20th century, including homes, granaries, saunas, grain siloes and hay barns, 28 buildings in all.  Part of an apple orchard that reminds us of the interwar period has survived alongside one of the buildings.  The museum features local decorative plants, particularly focusing on dahlias.

The largest outdoor collection of some 700 grape plants was established by Ēvalds Pūpols, who offers tours and talks about grape growing traditions in Latvia and at his vineyard.  You can purchase berries and plants.

The park was established in 1958 and has more than 4,000 types if plants.  The gardens in the park correspond to the pre-war interwar and post-war era.  The garden offers various events, including educational games and lectures.

The owner grows various medicinal plants, flowers, herbs and teas.  She also grows carrots, onions, garlic, etc.  The assortment of medicinal plants and herbs is extensive, and the owners offer education about them.  Traditions include pre-wedding parties, as well as an educational programme called "Granny's Teas."

The orchard was restored after World War II, presumably to preserve the authenticity of the park.  The orchard has various types of ancient apple trees.

It is approximately 360 years old, and although it is growing on private land, there is an information stand alongside it.  The tree is 8 m high, with a trunk that has a diameter of 1.3 metres at the height of 285 cm.  Only a few of the tree's branches are still alive, but there are many leaves, and the tree produces fruit that is sour, but very aromatic.

The farm grows medicinal plants and herbs not just for food, but also to combat diseases and pests, including basil, marigold, lemon balm, peppermint, oregano, coriander, thyme, etc.  The farm offers various seminars and educational activities.

The Pope Estate and its park (1840) are among the best-preserved estates in the area.  Since 1940, it has housed a school and other institutions.  Most of the trees in the park are common, but there are a few rare ones, including five Crimean oak trees.  The largest copper beech in Latvia is in the yard, as is a large bed of traditional phloxes that are red and white.  During the Soviet occupation, Pope was proud of a large apple and pear orchard which covered 3.6 ha of land and featured a large variety of fruit trees that were collected by a gardener called Grīnvalds.  Today the garden is privately owned and is not available to visitors.  The managers of the garden have established a stock company which harvests fruits to be delivered to schools in Latvia.  An unexpected find involved ten large sweet cherry trees near the next door Rojnieki homestead.  Four of the trees are very old and were large 70 years ago.  The trees are covered with moss, but still produce high-quality fruit

More than 250 types of plants grow in the garden.  An ethnographic garden has been planted to typify such gardens in the coastal area of Lithuania, with various flowers that are characteristic of the region.  The garden has 14 different types of plants, including herbs.  The venue offers educational programmes and room for picnics.

Interesting objects at the farm include an Italian-style kitchen garden and flower garden that were restored by Elza Stērste.  The wisteria that are at the home may be the only one in Latvia that blooms outside during warm years.  A very old and large apple tree may represent the Avenarius type of trees.  Dating back to the 1930s is a Manchurian walnut tree, which has produced many shoots, ancient lilacs, a rare Kazdanga cherry three and hazelnut trees.  The willows are 400 years old, and Latvia's largest horse chestnut tree (circumference of 4.4 m) dates back to the 1870s.

The garden has flowers which the author loved, as well as various types of ancient apple trees.  The garden has a particularly large range of decorative plants, mostly perennial and popular wild plants.

The park (c 1830) covers 18 ha and has preserved its web of pathways.  At the front of the house is a large nut tree, and behind the building are old trees, including oak trees and several types of mulberry trees, one of them originating in North America.  A hybrid apple tree is near the paved road.  There is also a collection of flowers, vegetables and fruits, including an ancient type of rhubarb.

The museum has an interesting exhibition about the vineyard, and it organises various events and wine tastings.  The garden is carefully nurtured by the Dviete parish workers, which has planted beds of flowers and herbs.  A rosarium is being established.  Perfect grape plants can be seen in the garden, all of them chosen by Sukatnieks and other selectors in Latvia.  There are also other plants chosen by Sukatnieks, including black currant, gooseberry and quince bushes.

The farm is 100 years old and has approximately 113 apple trees, 18 pear trees and eight sweet cherry trees.  The lady of the house also grows herbs such as oregano and peppermint, as well as decorative flowers such as roses, peonies and dahlias.  Contact the venue in advance to organise various educational activities.

The institute conducts agro-biological and ecological research, creates various technologies related to these processes, develops the biological and biotechnological foundations of the plants, selects plants, studies their genetics, protects and enriches them, examines the quality of fruits, berries and vegetables, seeks to optimise their storage and processing, and offers biologically valuable products from the biological diversity of the plants that are in the garden.  Visitors can purchase various fruit tree and bush plants, as well as seasonal fruits and vegetables.

Ivanausko was a well known environmental researcher and professor, and the garden is one of the wealthiest sources of genetic resources for apple trees.  One of the types in the garden was developed by Ivanausko himself, and there are other types of apple and pear trees, as well.  The park features a collection of 250-300 types of trees and bushes, including 59 types of coniferous trees.  The apple garden also has one of the most ancient trees in the world -- a biennial gingko tree.

There is also a modern museum with interactive elements and guide services.  The school garden was presumably planted in the 1950s, and it has some 40 types of traditional apple trees, as well as an older type of tree.  The Juzefova Park was planted around the estate in the 18th century and late 19th century.  The estate is gone, but the park has more than 100 types of old and beautiful trees, including oak trees, linden trees, coniferous trees and two cedar pines.  Nearby is a wild pear tree, as well as many wild hazelnut trees.  The park often hosts weddings, and one tradition is to plant trees during the ceremony.

The buildings are surrounded by landscaped planting in the area of 10 hectares.  Behind the mansion to the South is a planned Baroque garden with historical varieties of apple trees that were characteristic for the Kurzeme region in the 19th century.  To the West, there is an English landscape park (1.8 ha) that was planted in early 19th century. It was turned eclectic at the end of the 19th century. The park arrangements in the style of Romanticism included open areas, small architectural constructions, decorative bushes, contrasts of light and shadow, small ponds. The park is being reconstructed. Here groups of majestic ash trees can be seen along with lilac, honeysuckle and laurel bushes that have beautiful and aromatic blossoms in the spring to create a special atmosphere.  The estate and its gardens are a cultural monument of national importance therefore only historical cultivars belonging to the particular time and style are preserved and used here.
Tours are available in exchange for donations, but please contact the venue in advance.  A walk through the garden and park will take an hour or two, and the manager will tell you about the history of this estate and other nearby ones, the principles of historical gardens in Europe and the way in which these were brought to bear in designing the Tāšu Estate's garden and park. 

The apple orchard of the school hosts hay days, which involve a plenary session related to hay sculptures.  The Pļava Museum has a garden of medicinal plants, examples of endangered plants, a trail that encourages barefoot walkers, as well as an environmental classroom that is based on the gifts of nature.  Six vertical video productions are available in four different languages.

The garden of the old farm is typical, with traditional flowers, medicinal plants and herbs in the style of the 19th century.  The 100-year-old apple tree has been grafted to produce four types of apples.  The only one that remains is the Antonovka apple.

The museum has some 30 different types of plants, with sacral, household and cultural plants growing in flowerbeds.  There are ceremonial plants that are used for holy events, involving various rituals.  These grow in the sacral part of the territory.  There are medicinal plants and herbs that are used for medical treatment, health enhancement and enrichment of the taste of various foods.  The plants  represent Lithuania's cultural and historical heritage and offers an understanding of selected Lithuanian plants.  The plants can be viewed during the spring and the autumn.

Upmaļi is a biological farm that specialises in medicinal plants that are used to produce teas, hydrolats, infusions, substances with glycerine, etc.  The garden covers eight hectares, including various uncommon useful plants such as the broad whitetop, various herbs, rhubarb plants that date back to the age of aristocrats, as well as old orchards, including a rare apple cultivar that is not found anywhere else in Latvia.  Four types of colourful wild apple trees have grown on the farm since the 1930s, and three of them still produce fruits.  Old gooseberry plants may also date back to the aristocratic era, as is the case with three types of lilac and some ten types of cherries.  The farm also has local types of apple trees, most of them planted by the owner of the farm in the 1930s.  More recent are Greek nut trees.