The flower garden was a great source of inspiration for Frida Hansen (1855–1931) throughout her life. This PhD thesis looks closer at her weaving and gardening practices, and it asks if these creative activities can be understood as ecocultural practices, that reveal stories about relations between humans and nature.

As a central figure of the 1890s Norwegian weaving renaissance, and one of Scandinavia’s most prominent Art Nouveau artists, Frida Hansen embraced the renewed interest in crafts and floral decoration of the European fin de siècle. Her love of flowers inspired her artistic endeavors, and was significant throughout her life. In her early adulthood, she created a magnificent garden complex surrounding her family's estate in Stavanger, and she later saw her garden dream revived in her woven tapestries, particularly in the transparent portieres created in her own "open weaving" technique. The vegetal realm also helped shape the material properties of her weavings; they had rich colour combinations which Hansen developed by using traditional plant dye recipes gathered from old farmer's wives in Jæren and Ryfylke in Southwest Norway.