Of castles and gardens

Looking for a formal garden element to add history to your castle? You might want to consider a parterre broderie.  ‘Parterre’ refers to a flat garden divided into planting beds, and ‘broderie’ means embroidery, referring to a lace-like design.  This style combines symmetrical patterns of flowing lines and punctuation.  To me these designs have a musical feel. Especially fun to see from above, just let your eye trace the patterns and appreciate the precision of the complex curves and symmetry.  These gardens can be framed in box or just be elaborately edged with turf grass.  The key is the contrast between the plant material and an earth or gravel base that lets the pattern pop.

This interest in creating contrasting surfaces and textures dates from the late 1500’s and was refined by the Mollet family of French royal gardeners.  Claude Mollet provided patterns for parterre gardens in his 1612 book Theatre des Plans et Jardinages and his son Andre Mollet reinforced the importance of the broderie garden in his 1651 book Le Jardin de Plaisir, “The pleasure garden.”  In it he explains that the broderie garden should be placed at the rear of the house, close enough to be seen from windows above. 

We can see famous examples from the 1700’s at the Chateau de Versailles, Het Loo Palace, and Hampton Court.  The broderie garden remained popular until the picturesque style took over.  In recent times, broderie gardens have been incorporated by designers seeking to add a formal touch or to give a garden a sense of history.

The parterre broderie from above. Found on viajerosdelmisterio.es.

The beautiful example above was installed recently, around 1900, at Castle de Haar.  The castle dates from 1390 and its function as a fortress can still be seen in the surrounding moat.  By the 1800’s the castle had passed through several families and fallen into ruin.  Around 1890, a new heir to the castle, Etienne van Zuylen, married Helene de Rothschild.  Helene’s family financed a complete restoration for the couple (despite dis-inheriting her for marrying a Roman Catholic). Two-hundred rooms and 30 bathrooms were renovated and a modern kitchen and electrical system were installed.  The project took over 20 years!

For the garden they selected designer Hendrik Copijn who installed an English picturesque park.  Not wanting to wait to see the full effect of the design, he shipped in over 7,000 mature trees.  Close to the castle, formal gardens were installed in the style suggested by Andre Mollet’s 1651 text.  This style is more appropriate to the architecture of the castle and grounds.

Castle de Haar is located outside of the wonderful medieval Dutch town of Utrecht. Utrecht’s canaled center city area is full of lively restaurants, a weekly farmers market, and of course a cloister garden.  Don’t forget to visit the music box museum which offers a tour where many of the pieces are played.  A real treat.  You’ll need a car to get to the castle, but driving through the beautiful countryside is worth it.  Because of the location of the visitor’s center, you’ll enter the garden from the rear so the broderie and the rose gardens are the first you’ll see.  Don’t miss the walking paths through the picturesque woodland.  Views of the castle framed by the pond are just perfect.

 

Garden architect, Hendrik Copijn (1842-1923). Source unknown.

Patrons Helene de Rothschild and Etienne van Zuylen at the castle before the renovation.  Source: campusblog.nl

More than a pretty face

For sure, the typical plants in a cloister garden are beautiful.  But they are more than just a pretty face.  In the traditional cloister, plants do double duty - providing outdoor beauty as well as food, medicine, or altar decoration. 

On this autumn day at the cloister garden at the Cathedral of St. Martin in Utrecht, the Netherlands, we see typical examples of plants in the cloister garden: purple cone flower, daisy, cosmos, rosemary, sage, and mint.  Though not at their summer peak, they are still going strong. The slight loss of color in their petals and the few spent branches point to the beginning of the end of the season.

 

Garden key in the abbey

The cloister garden at the Cathedral of St. Martin in Utrecht, the Netherlands, dates from 1254.  Today it remains a traditional cloister garden.  The layout, designed to shut out the external world, encourages contemplation and inward thinking.  Tall walls seal the garden off from distractions and a portico provides a sheltered walkway for strolling in any weather.  The sound of gently running water coming out of a central fountain further isolates the space. 

Ornament references religious inspiration, with stonework depicting scenes from the life of Saint Martin, patron saint of the town of Utrecht.  A central statue reminds us of the purpose of the garden - it is of a monk writing, deep in his own thoughts.  

Plant material is efficiently laid out in squares, beautifully framed in boxwood.

Unlike other garden styles that make a point of connecting the garden to the architecture of the host building and outside views, the cloister garden does not.  To enter this cloister, one must find one of a pair of small doors, pass through a short corridor, and only then does the garden reveal itself.

On the autumn day that I visited this garden I arrived early and the doors to the garden were locked.  A note taped to the door said, “collect garden key in the abbey”.  Once I inquired at the Cathedral entrance, the woman in charge produced the most beautiful giant antique key, walked me to the gate and unlocked it.  For a few minutes I had the garden all to my self.

Utrecht is a wonderful historic medieval city with a beautiful canal ringing its center.  It has a unique two level promenade with shops and restaurants.  The famous Utrecht University brings vibrant student energy to the city.