Colorful Blooms

The rhododendrons are in bloom at the Clingendael. Eat your heart out, Augusta.

Calm but Crowded

See what we mean about the people at the Japanese Garden in the Clingendael (referencing Monday's post)? Even so, it's a pretty place.

Not-so-secret garden

Every year, for just about one month, the Japanese Garden at the Clingendael estate opens to the public. I posted on it last year, and my neighbor in The Hague beat me to it this year.

For photographers, it's best to go during the week. On the weekends there are so many visitors that it's almost impossible to get a photo that doesn't include people (can you spot them in this photo?). But don't let that stop you ... even when it's crowded, it's a special place.

Garden Gazing

The roses in the Princessetuin aren't in bloom yet, but the garden still makes for a nice place to relax during our warm spell.

Spring has Sprung

We've been so busy traveling that the greening of the area seems to have happened overnight. The warm sunny weather has helped.

This pic was taken yesterday evening, just outside of one of the many embassy residences located here in Wassenaar.

Bloom Envy

This one is for our friends back in the midwestern US and blog visitors from colder climes. These azaleas were shot just a few days ago in Amsterdam. A bit early--indicative of the mild winter we've had here.

Antwerp Garden Art

A quick weekend trip to Belgium took us to Antwerp, Diest, and Tongeren. In Antwerp we came across a small garden ("Kruidtuin" or herb garden). Dating from the early 1800s, it is an interesting little oasis and it was nice to see some of the early spring plants blooming. It's not a dainty recreation of an 1800's garden, as this modern sculpture shows.

Winter Bloom

The garden has remained quite green throughout the dreary but mild winter here. We had a cool start to the winter, causing many dutch people to dream of skating on the canals, but that now seems unlikely. Except for plenty of rain and harsh winds it hasn't been a tough winter at all.

The hellebores in our garden show off with their rare winter blooms, a promise that spring will get here eventually. I managed to squeeze in a few shots before the winds started to howl (gale-force winds predicted over the next day or so).

Münsterland Sphinx -- Where?Wednesday

A much different sculpture from yesterday's post. This is from the sculpture garden of the Schloss Nordkirchen, also known as the "Versailles of Westphalia."


We've jumped over the German border again, into the state of Nordrhein-Westfalen.


This sphinx is enjoying the fall colors, as we hope you do while we travel some more. See you back here next Tuesday.

Local Gardens

In a country where space is at a premium, community garden plots make a lot of sense.

The styles vary: some specialize in one type of plant, some grow fruits and vegetables, and some tend full-blown leisure gardens. Many of those you'll find in Wassenaar are quite beautiful.

Pears - Peren - Birnen

I'm cheating a bit here ... I normally try to keep this blog confined to The Netherlands.

But, given the fall season and the fact that we'll be in Germany three times this month, I think it's OK to share this shot from the village of Steinfurt in the Münsterland region, just over the border.

These pears are all grown in the Kreislehrgarten, founded in 1914. Unfortunately, the store was closed when we visited, so we weren't able to bring any samples home.

From the European Garden Heritage website: This educational garden covering an area of 3 hectares provides valuable information on ornamental and kitchen gardens. Visitors are offered numerous ideas on how to design, maintain, and use their own green realms. During harvest time, visitors can buy the many fruits of the garden directly here. The central school garden aims especially at teaching children a careful approach towards nature. The beehives in the orchard and the herb garden are a valuable help in this regard.

Have a great weekend; see you on Monday.

Castle Gardens: Where?Wednesday

This Wednesday we're in the Southern tip of The Netherlands. Pictured is the promenade in the Kasteeltuinen (castle gardens) in Arcen.

This 17th century estate is located near the Maas river in the province of Limburg, close to the border with Germany.

A nice place to visit; aside from the formal gardens, there is a tropical greenhouse and some animal exhibits.

Fall hadn't quite taken hold yet when we recently visited; as you can see from the bottom left, the roses were still going pretty strong.

More Amsterdam Gardens

A courtyard garden from the open garden tour, with a spectacular hydrangea display in the center.

Amsterdam Gardens

Most of the homes in Amsterdam have very small (if any) gardens, so many of the spaces on the Open Garden Tour were examples of creativity with small spaces. This garden had an intricate hedge design filled with many flowering plants. The outbuildings are also interesting; the one you see here at the back of the garden is an artist's studio.

Giethoorn cottage

The village of Giethoorn is a really wonderful little town in the Overijssel province. It's about two hours drive from Wassenaar. It is remarkably well-kept; there are no modern buildings and the only way you can get around in the village is by boat or walking. Although a popular tourist attraction (it is known as the "Venice of the North"), it manages to avoid being as kitschy as some of the other "preserved" towns in The Netherlands. This is a typical village house with a beautiful garden as seen from the canal boat.