Garden Information
The following information is designed to give you some background
information on the main gardens you will visit on your chosen
Botanica cruise or tour. It is intended as a guideline only. Your
botanical guide will be happy to escort you through each garden
and point out things of botanical interest including design features,
plant selections and soil structures. Please note that gardens are
constantly changing and whilst we have endeavoured to bring you up
to date information, there may be changes to what we have printed.
Floriade Cruise
Het Loo Museum Garden
Het Loo is the grandest historic garden in the Netherlands.
The garden at Het Loo has been meticulously restored and
maintained to the state which it would have been in 1700. It’s seen
as it was intended to be seen, rather than being repaired and held
static. The curator speaks of a garden ‘frozen in time’, seen in its
youthful prime at about 25 years of age. The topiary and hedging
is kept deliberately compact and replaced constantly to stop it
growing too big, which is exactly what would have happened
at the beginning of the 18th century. Every aspect of the garden
celebrates man’s complete control and dominance over nature,
a complete reversal of modern trends in which we try and work
with nature at every opportunity.
Het Loo was built in 1684 as a grand response to the recently
completed Versailles, to express the power and wealth of William of
Orange. The garden was designed by the Frenchman Daniel Marot
and includes many French inspired features. It was expanded
considerably in the 1690s and then passed on to the kings of Holland
until Queen Wilhelmina gave it to the people of Holland in 1962.
Highlights of the garden include the Great Sunken Garden,
elaborate parterres, baroque fountains and statuary as well
as the hornbeam berceaux.
Piet Oudolf Garden
Piet Oudolf has won great acclaim in Europe and the USA for his
‘naturalistic’ use of perennials and plantings. The design of the one
hectare private garden attached to the nursery is highly structured
with edges, brick and stone paths, along with the use of hedges,
structural plants, ornamental grasses as well as borders.
Kasteel Rosendael
This is a 14th century castle with a late 17th century garden,
complete with elements of an 1836 serpentine park. The old layout
was relatively small scale baroque, however in 1730 Daniel Marot
added a shooting lodge, a gallery, grotto, gazebo and cascade.
They are decorated with shells and the bright colours are unusual
in northern gardens. The shell gallery was restored in 1978 and
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Garden Information
See spectacular floral displays at the Floriade Expo
the trick fountain was restored in 1996, all adding a rococo
flavour. The castle and park are among the top 100 of the Dutch
UNESCO monuments.
Mien Ruys Tuinen
Mien Ruys is an outstanding figure of gardening from 20th century
Netherlands. She had great appreciation and understanding of
how Gertrude Jekyll and Karl Forster used plants in the garden
and herbaceous plants became her main interest. The garden
contains 25 different areas, each with a distinct character. Some
areas are dedicated to habitats, others to specific types of plants
such as herbs or mixed border and special effects such as the
Yellow Garden.
The gardens of Mien Ruys are experimental gardens. From the
beginning experimenting with plants, materials and design has
been the main objective. In order to gain experience with the
perennials produced in the nursery garden, Mien Ruys experiments
in her parents’ orchard and vegetable garden using plants suitable
for both shade and full sun. The Wilderness Garden and the Old
Experimental Garden with the large border Botanische Vijvertuinen
Ada Hofman garden were the first two gardens, they still exist today.
This large garden is formed as an aquatic botanic garden with
three large natural ponds and some 50 artificial ponds built in
different ways. There is also a large plant collection with over
3,000 plant species, a roof garden – a 600 sq metre garden laid
out on the roof of Ada Hofman’s private house, a beach garden
and a number of rock gardens made with different types of stone.
Many animals have been put out in the ponds and gardens
including frogs, fish, salamanders and lizards. The garden also
has the largest green tree frog population in the Netherlands.
A particular specialty of Ada Hofman is keeping pond water clear
by biological means without using chemicals or filters.
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Floriade EXpo
This world-class gardening expo is only held every 10 years in
the Netherlands. 2012 is the event of the decade and is being
held in the city of Venlo. More than 100 exhibitors will together
pay tribute to horticulture. The Floriade Park covers 163 acres
and encompasses five unique themed worlds separated by wooded
areas. Each world has its own decor, programme and activities.
In each of these worlds you’ll see, feel and experience nature in
a totally different way.
Kristen Lammerting Garden
This beautiful private one hectare English-style garden, reminiscent
of a country garden, is in the middle of Cologne. It’s the work of
landscape designer, Kristin Lammerting and her husband who spend
half their year in Cologne and the other half in New Zealand. When
the couple moved to the garden in 1994 there was only a 50 year
old cedar tree and long grass. Since then Kristen has created 13
garden rooms each backed with walls or hedges. A staircase lined
with pots of geraniums leads into the Fragrant Garden with aromatic
plants. Black tulips are a feature of the Terracotta Garden in spring
and the Knot Garden is planted with the red barberry (Berberis
thunbergia ‘Atropurpurea’). In the Rose Garden, a wall built from old
bricks mimics an ancient ruin, giving the appearance that it’s been
there for centuries. Interestingly a section of the garden is on top of
a garage roof, one specially designed to carry the weight of metre
deep soil, plants, water, brick paths and a metal gazebo.
Schlossgarten Schwetzingen
Situated in the heart of the town, this large and lovely garden spans
both baroque and landscape movements into a harmonious and
beautiful garden. During the second half of the 18th century, when
the current Schwetzingen garden was created, the ‘French’ formal
garden was gradually being supplanted by the ‘English’ landscape
garden as the prevalent style of gardening. The numerous princely
estates in the Holy Roman Empire were quick to pick up the change,
often remodelling older gardens according to the new taste.
The Schwetzingen garden, perhaps uniquely, reflects this fundamental
change in attitude, as its creators actually sought to reconcile the two
conflicting styles. Accordingly, while the oldest portions are strictly
formal, the newer ones subsequently introduced more ‘natural’
features. However, great care was taken so that the finished work
would still form a coherent whole. The first plan, devised by the
gardener Petrie of Zweibrucken introduced one highly unusual
motive, namely the layout of the main parterre as a full circle. This
remains unchanged and is a prominent feature that distinguishes
Schwetzingen from most contemporary creations. Other than that,
the first design was fairly conventional, even somewhat antiquated,
in character. Under the auspices of Nicolas de Pigage, the garden’s
plan was thoroughly updated and substantially expanded, all the
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Garden Information
while preserving most of its original features. Unlike his predecessor,
Pigage was familiar with the latest developments in style. Most of the
designs he prepared for Schwetzingen, spanning a period of more
than twenty years, have to be considered progressive and up-to-date.
The sculpture throughout the garden includes works salvaged from
the earlier garden and various other locations, as well as some
impressive works by Peter Anton von Verschaffelt, among others.
One sculpture in particular, a depiction of Pan sitting atop a cliff
and playing his flute, was very highly regarded in its time. It is a work
by the Mannheim sculptor, Simon Peter Lamine. Most of the sculpture
within the parterre, and some of the works scattered elsewhere,
were acquired at auction in the 1760s. Most of it is the work of
then-celebrated French artist Barthélemy Guibal and had previously
adorned the Luneville palace of the deposed Polish king Stanislaw
Leszczyski. The majority of the sculpture is now replaced with modern
replicas to avoid further degradation. The originals are on display
within the premises themselves, in the ‘new orangery’ building.
Schlossgarten Ludwigsburg
Ludwigsburg is the largest palace in south west Germany.
The palace garden was originally created between 1704 and
1733 by Duke Eberhard Ludwig but has been altered since and
is now run as a popular public attraction by the Bluhendes Barock
(Baroque in Bloom) company. The large formal garden features
complicated parterres, a mixture of permanent and seasonal
plantings, bulbs and roses. The gardens also features two private
19th century English style flower gardens, as well as baroque
gardens, a Japanese style garden, rhododendron garden, and a
fairytale garden as well as massed displays of flowers everywhere.
Freiburg Botanic gardens
The original university botanic garden was founded in 1620 under
the Faculty of Medicine. Having moved location several times due to
wars and flooding, the garden was established in its current location
in the Herdern district of Freiburg in 1914. There are four display
greenhouses – the Tropenhaus (tropical house), Farnhaus (fern house),
Sukkulentenhaus (succulent house) and Kalthaus (cold house).
Insel Mainau
Set on a 45 hectare island in Lake Constance, Insel Mainau is
often referred to as the ‘Flower Island’. This stunning garden has
something for everyone including an Arena of Fountains, Italian
Flower and Water staircase and a well labelled herb garden
with medicinal and cooking herbs and spices. However it’s the
fragrance and elegance of more than 20,000 roses of 1,200
different species that many come to admire.
The first evidence of a settlement on Mainau Island dates back to
3,000 BC. This was followed by an eventful history dominated by
the Teutonic Order and the Thirty Years’ War. Prince Nikolaus
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Esterházy introduced the first exotic plants to the island. He was
followed by Grand Duke Freidrich I, who was also a plant-lover.
The island was then in the possession of various royal and ducal
dynasties until 1932 when Prince Lennart Bernadotte took over
the administration of Mainau and made it his new home. Work
on redesigning Mainau Island started.
The Castle of the Teutonic Order is the architectural focal point
on the island and a splendid setting for various occasions. It is
the heart of the island and where the Bernadotte family lives.
The Castle of the Teutonic Order was designed by Johann Caspar
Bagnato and built under his supervision (1739 – 1746).
Despite limited finances, he created an architecturally well-balanced,
symmetrical harmonious castle. The arms of the two wings open
out in the shape of a horse-shoe towards the mainland, whilst the
back of the building faces the lake. Two stories rise up from the
base. The splendid coat of arms of the Grand Master Clemens
August of Bavaria, district commander Philipp of Froberg and
the Mainau commander Friedrich of Baden adorn the west gable.
The coat of arms of the Teutonic Order adorns the east gable
facing the lake. Bagnato didn’t build an impressive stairwell as
seen in Würzburg Castle, instead he designed simple elegant
staircases in the wings which lead to the upper floors.
Labyrinthe Jardin des Cinque Sens
This garden of the Five Senses was commenced in 1986 in a
potager below the 14th century castle with the theme being a maze
garden of the five senses. Hornbeam hedges and espaliered apples
are used to make a cloister of four outdoor garden rooms that
appeal to sight, touch, sound, taste and smell.
Parc de la Tete D’Or
Spread out over 437 acres, the Park de la Tete d’Or is the largest
and perhaps the most enjoyable public park in France that can be
found in the heart of a city. According to legend, a golden head
of Christ is buried in the park, thus giving way to the name
‘Tete d’Or’. Responsibility for the creation of the park was put into
the hands of Denis Bühler, a landscape architect. Since its opening
in 1856, the park has remained largely unchanged, with its
lakeshore, large paths lined with hundred year old trees, zoological
park and botanical gardens (created respectively in 1865 and
1887) all reflecting the original layout. The only recent addition
was the Rose Garden in 1961.
The botanical garden accounts for 15,000 plants, 3,500 from
temperate regions, 760 species of shrubs, 100 species of wild
roses, 570 historical roses, 200 varieties of peonies, 1,800 species
of mountain plants, around 50 varieties of nympheas, and 6,000
species inside the greenhouses. It also holds one of the richest
collections in Europe and as such, is highly valued by worldwide
scientists who come to visit.
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Garden Information
Admire Europe’s wildflowers in Spring
The various greenhouses are:
•The giant greenhouses, with a central 21-metre high pavillion
for luxuriant tropical plants, such as the 100 year-old camellias.
•The aquatic greenhouse, containing the famous Amazonian
nenuphar, with leaves that reach a diameter of 1.5 metres.
•The Dutch greenhouse, inhabited for 40 years by
carnivorous plants.
•The small warm greenhouse, with orchids etc.
•The small cold greenhouse, containing plants with horticultural
flowers such as azaleas, cacti, etc.
•The greenhouses, the largest set in France, constitute 5,200
square metres of the total area of the park and allow the
preservation of 6,000 species.
Garden of la Bonne Maison
Located on a hill overlooking the river Saône, south of the city of
Lyon, is a garden of two and half acres enclosed with high walls.
Odile Masquelier’s garden of La Bonne Maison. More than 800
cultivars of labelled roses bloom there from mid-April until the
frost. 65 arches divided by five pergolas underlined some paths,
or the entrance of the different gardens. Everywhere, roses entangle
themselves with clematis, and invade cedar trees, cypresses,
pawlonias, Juda trees, weeping sophoras and prunus. The old
fruit trees carefully maintained and pruned support many of them.
Some clematis can reach up to 18 feet. The main blooming
season is from March until the end of June. April is the month
of species peonies, tree peonies and Chinese species roses.
While the month of May sees roses, irises and oriental poppies.
June is one of perennials geraniums, daylilies, hostas, sages
and the hydrangeas’ border.
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Visit a stunning private garden in Cologne
Palais Ideal du facteur Cheval
Ferdinand Cheval aka Facteur Cheval (1836-1924) was a
postman who built an amazing and imaginary castle for himself
– Le Palais Idéal. The dominating feature of this otherwise
unremarkable garden is the complex. The elaborately decorated
dream castle is a masterpiece of rustic, naive, primitive art and
a precursor to surrealism. The Palais Idéal incorporates a Swiss
Chalet, mosque, and a relief of the White House. Each year,
thousands of visitors from all over the world come to Hauterives
to discover this Palace and to take a piece of this ever fascinating
and extraordinary stone dream with them.
Jardin de la Louve
Jardin de La Louve was awarded the status of ‘Outstanding Garden’
(Jardin Remarquable) in December 2007. The garden is planted with
many different species laid out in a succession of terraces. Mineral
elements play a very strong role – with stone balls, stone angels,
river pebbles from the Durance. Many wooden benches designed
by Nicole de Vésian provide splendid spots for meditation.
It’s a complex garden in full harmony with the surrounding
countryside – ‘the borrowed landscape’ and a restricted palette
of plants. Beauty partly arises from the play between the green
of the plants and the surrounding countryside.
La Louve was designed and built by Nicole de Vésian, a designer
with Hermès who specialised in textiles and, later in life, turned
to gardens. She purchased La Louve in 1986 as a village house
with fallow land facing south. For over ten years she worked on
transforming the space into a complex work associating stone and
plants from the scrubland. Her work has transformed the image of
what a garden in Provence is. As she turned 80, Nicole de Vésian
decided to build a new house with a garden on a single level, near
the top of the village. She then sold La Louve to Judith Pillsbury,
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Garden Information
Discover Europe’s gardens with like-minded travellers
an art dealer from Paris and garden expert. Judith Pillsbury has
approached La Louve with the attitude of the curator of the garden.
She maintains the character of each one of the four major garden
spaces, replacing plants when necessary with total respect for the
original design and layout.
Gardens of Saint Andre Abbey
These gardens lie inside the Abbey which is inside the ancient Saint
André Fort. The lower gardens incorporate two pools, while plantings
include four rose beds with old-fashioned varieties of roses,
bordered by santoline and oleander. At the base of the beautiful
large terrace, a pergola with stone pillars holds wisteria and rose,
creating a shady corridor that is bedecked with flowers of all kinds.
Wide lanes lined with cypress take you to the vaulted rooms under
the terrace. Beautiful gardens of Florentine inspiration afford
wonderful views over the surrounding countryside, the Rhône valley,
and the city of Avignon which lies opposite.
Bambouseraie
Construction of the largest bamboo garden in Europe,
Bambouseraie de Prafrance, commenced in 1855 by Eugene Mazel
who acclimatised exotic species from China, Japan, North America
and the Himalayas. It’s a unique site, located at the bottom of a
valley. The entrance runs along a 19th century avenue of sequoias
planted with 10 metre tall bamboos. The Bambouseraie contains
a large number of bamboo varieties, but you can also see
remarkable trees of exceptional height and age including Aesculus
Hippocastanum, L Chamaecyparis Lawsoniana, Chamaecyparis
Obtusa, Cryptomeria Japonica, Magnolia Grandiflora L, Ginkgo
Biloba L, Taxus Baccata L.
Bamboo varieties include Pseudosasa Japonica, Phyllostachys
aurea, Phyllostachys Edulis Bicolour, Phyllostachys Edulis,
Phyllostachys Sulphurea, Phyllostachys nigra.
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