Blue poppies sway in the soft breeze welcoming visitors to the most surprising garden in the world. Brighter than huskies’ ice-blue eyes but paler than Tromso’s bright blue sky, the poppies are nothing short of a miracle.

Meconopsis bailey, to give the official name, originates from the Himalayas but thrives in Tromso, 200 miles within the Arctic Circle. The magic is that the botanic garden benefits from the Gulf Stream so does not suffer a fully Arctic climate.

A Meconopsis Path winds through a woodland filled with ferns, wildflowers and poppies bathing in dappled light through the birch trees. From here you can walk down to the rest of the garden, overlooking the fjord and snow-capped mountains.

Here the blue wonders appear in a number of rock gardens and terraces – of note the Longholm which derives from the Tibetan poppy (M.grandis) and the Himalayan poppy (M.Bailey: previously betonicifolia). They also dazzle in a variety of yellows, orange and white.

Thousands of other Arctic and Alpine plants flourish in this former farm now run by Tromso University. The plants are collected in geographic groups so you can take a trip around the world to view plants growing in the huge walk-though rock gardens – from the mountains of New Zealand, the Far East and Polar regions.

By the pond, a giant crescent of ligularia hugs the water’s edge creating a sea of yellow while primulas thrive on long, slender stems in every shade of yellow to tangerine to the softest purple and pink candelabras.

Alongside, the buttercup family of ranuculus, anemones and pulsatilla shine in the 24-hour daylight, tough survivors of the long dark winter.

In fact, this group of plants originate from Trollius globeflowers, resembling the cones of their extinct conifer ancestors. They have been around a long time.

Delphiniums do well here, with towering spires in, you’ve guessed it, the deepest blue.

More than 30 species of orchids survive in Norway and Cypripedium Ulla flourishes in the botanic garden despite being covered in snow for at least six months of the year. Everything about this garden in the land of the midnight sun is unexpected and there is no other garden quite like it. Better still, it opens 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year and admission is free.

FACTFILE

The garden is on Erling Kjeldsens Veg, route 862 in Tromso, Norway.

A number 20 bus from the city takes you straight there or if you are on a cruise ship, the garden is a 500m walk from the cruise ferry terminal.

Lesley Bellew travelled on Quest for Adventure to Norway and Spitsbergen with Saga Holidays. Visit www.saga.co.uk/cruises