Discover the garden

Welcome to The Vasa Museum Garden. Opened in 1990, the garden is arranged symmetrically in the classic Renaissance style. The crops that were used on the ship Vasa grow here, such as flax for sails and peas for food.

Columbine (Aquilegia vulgaris) is a hardy perennial wildflower and medicinal herb. Grown in blocks, it was used to treat scabies and jaundice, among other things. In medieval art the columbine was a symbol of the Holy Spirit.

Lavender was grown as an ornamental plant, but the fragrant herb was also well known for its soothing and calming effect. It was used as a spice and for keeping moths and lice away.

By the beginning of the 17th century, the use of tobacco had spread to Sweden and was increasing in cities. The species grown in the Vasa Museum’s garden is Virginia tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum).

Marigold (Calendula officinalis) is a hardy summer annual and medicinal herb commonly used to treat headaches, as described in Arvid Månsson’s A Very Useful Herbal Book from 1628. Today it’s a common ingredient in skin ointments.

The poppy (Papaver), a favourite of honey bees and bumblebees, has long been used as a sedative. The perennial poppy grown in the garden’s herb block blooms in June.

Peas were a staple food in the early 1600s and often brought to sea. The Vasa ship was no exception. As a sailor, your monthly ration was nine litres. Dried peas could be stored for several years.