In 2020, garden designer Jelle Grintjes and his wife decided to move from a small terraced house in the centre of town to a larger property on the outskirts. Unusually, this also meant relocating a 1,400 square-metre perennial garden that Jelle had made nearby. He’d approached his local municipality in 2013 about renting some disused land in front of his house. “The idea was to make a garden for myself as an experiment, to try different combinations and see if it would work,” he says. The municipality agreed, but on one condition – he had to make the garden public.
That garden soon became an important showcase for his work. Visitor numbers grew quickly, with people coming from as far afield as Australia. “I thought, if people are coming from so far to see my garden, maybe I should make a bigger one to offer them more. I talked about it with my wife, and we decided to take this big step.” The move was a gamble. They weren’t sure if people would visit a new garden, and they faced the huge challenge of transplanting the perennials, grasses and bulbs from the previous space.
His new garden, originally the meadow of a nearby farm, sits on heavy clay, so Jelle’s first task was to add a 10cm layer of sand across the site. This helps control the weeds but has also opened up the soil and makes it easier for plants to self-seed.
Denne historien er fra August 2023-utgaven av Gardens Illustrated.
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Denne historien er fra August 2023-utgaven av Gardens Illustrated.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Field of Dreams - The naturalistic gem Hans Gieszen has created in former meadowlands near Utrecht in the Netherlands is the culmination of a lifelong passion
Ever since his mother gave him seeds as a small boy, gardening has been a passion for Hans Gieszen. He is completely self-taught, relying on garden visits and books for instruction, with one book in particular, Dream Plants for the Natural Garden by Henk Gerritsen and Piet Oudolf, influencing his style. “It was fascinating,” says Hans, remembering his first encounter with the book. “All those photos – pictures with mists and these tall and low plants and grasses. I realised I couldn’t do it in my small garden, but I kept dreaming and reading about it.”
WORLD OF POSSIBILITY
This superb tour of the world's botanical gardens highlights their vital role in saving the planet's flora, says Claire Masset
THE FEMININE TOUCH?
Does your garden have masculine or feminine style, and does it even matter? Head gardener Benjamin Pope unpicks gardening's gender stereotypes
'If you emulate nature, you're on to a winner'
Gardener, television presenter and author Carol Klein talks about her new book, the books she loves, her current challenges and what she's up to next
FRIENDLY ADVICE
When tasked with creating a garden for her friends, designer Neive Tierney found the project came with challenges - not least the need to include a wheelchair ramp and squeeze in a saltwater swimming pool
Passing the baton
The celebrated nursery and garden at Marchants Hardy Plants in East Sussex is now being managed by a new team, who continue to inspire visitors with innovative planting
My sweet gourd
Clark Lawrence, an American living in the heart of Italy's pumpkin province, loves growing different cultivars of pumpkins and ornamental gourds for their sweet flavours and fabulous looks
ANDY JASPER
The new CEO of the Eden Project on his excitement about a new chapter, the legacy he's left at the National Trust and his joy at heading home to Cornwall
Bedding in
In just under nine years, the owners of Arvensis Nursery in Wiltshire have created a mature garden that displays their high-quality perennials
Late summer dreams
From cool pastels and foliage to hot colours, designer Jo Thompson creates three stylish container combinations for autumn
