Lock-down 25, Gardens and Sunsets

Saturday 09-05

An interesting week. At least, I made it interesting, as it was such a glorious week. Nature begged me to go outside, to enjoy and admire its beauty: the blossoming cherry trees, the different shades of green of the young leaves, the fascinating sunsets followed by a bright orange sky, gradually turning into salmon and then mauve.  The supermoon, bright, big and full, and every night Venus as bright as I have hardly ever seen her, almost unreal. Of course, I can enjoy a lot of that by just staying put in my garden, reading a book or working in it, tidying it. However, I think this period of lock-down gives us so little stimulus, that I really had to go out.

Not to feel guilty – the garden needed it! - I went to a nursery in Boskoop, a wonderful place, consisting of lots of islands, crossed by canals. The soil is very good for shrubs like azaleas and rhododendrons. Since my neighbours have uprooted and got rid of all the shrubs which formed the partition between their front garden and mine, and replaced their plants and trees with a trampoline surrounded by artificial grass, I looked out on this playground and wanted some colourful evergreens to block that view.

This nursery is vast, and divided into different zones. There are no pots, pans, garden furniture, trinkets one could do without, just very healthy and often unusual plants. The main attraction for me are the acers. They have the largest and most varied collection of acers in Europe, the first acer which started it all a small seed from Von Siebold who had taken interesting plants from the Far East to Leyden, to the Hortus, the University garden. By some complicated connection, an acer also landed in Boskoop and was the beginning of this stunning acer garden. I have three acers in my garden. The one I most cherish is an acer purpureum dissectum which I bought as a small plant in 1983 when we designed, built and planted the garden. 

 1983. Standing high on a slim stem in the top corner is the acer, which I just planted

The same acer in 2020. The other plants I had to plant somewhere else. except for one lilac azalea on the left. Now overshadowed by the acer. But it blooms before the acer has leaves.

All the plants I bought in Boskoop at this nursery, Esveld, have done very well indeed. The acer has grown far too big for this garden, but I can’t prune it or get rid of it, it is far too beautiful. In Boskoop they have many mature acers. An acer half the size of mine cost €450! Which means mine might be worth €1000 by now. But the value is not what I am interested in. It is the colour, bright red in autumn, and in spring with equally red tiny flowers hanging under the leaves. It is its bare shape in winter, which reminds me of fairy tales, with its crooked branches. Nothing grows beneath it, and the other shrubs I planted at the same time had to be moved to some other spot. Next to it, in another section, is a magnolia stellata, also too big now, and embracing the acer with its branches. 

I came home with two modest azaleas or rhododendrons, and planted them the next day. The colours are very vibrant, but I think I have to go back to buy something with more height.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The whole visit was inspired by an afternoon visit the day before to Clingendael, a park or estate in The Hague which stretches all the way to Wassenaar. A Japanese garden is hidden in a corner, normally open to the public at this time of the year, but this year closed because of our lock-down. I tried to get a glimpse of the lipstick red bridge, a focal point, but it came out too vague. When entering Clingendael, immediately to the right begins a path through a wall of azaleas in the most brazen colours, luminescent yellow, bright orange, pinks and mauves, whites, reds, all mixed in a riot of what fashionistas would think of as clashing colours. The spicy smells are intoxicating and pungent. It is a wonderful entrance to the rest of the park which is planted with rhododendrons, many very old and towering over me. The paths going through it are straight, but nevertheless it is easy to lose one’s way. A bit further on are fields and lawns, some hilly parts which are part of what is left of the dunes, beech trees sprouting dark red and yellow green leaves, ponds and small lakes, connected by a canal which is what is left of a canal the Germans built in WWII as an anti-tank device. It is now rather decorative, and spanned with attractive white bridges. There is also a formal Dutch garden, designed by one of the last owners of the manor house, Huize Clingendael, which now houses the Netherlands Institute of International Relations.  In one field sheep are grazing, and normally honey from the bees here is for sale. You can buy a pot and hand in a glass jar in return. Just a pity everything is closed at present, as well as the nice little teashop.

 

 

Yesterday I went to the beach towards the evening, to see the sunset, as the sunsets have been glorious of late, and see the super moon. And I wanted to test the tele lens of my new camera, which has a sun visor, ideal for sunsets. The sun doesn’t set till 9.15 pm. It is obvious that the longest day is not far away. I went for a walk along the beach, and wasn’t the only one. Still, it was very peaceful, and I aimed at being back near the boulevard at sunset. Usually gulls are very busy in the evenings just before they settle down for the night, huddled together in groups facing in the same direction. This time there was a group of common terns, which I had never seen here ‘at work’. It was great to see them flying very fast and expertly low over the breaking waves, plunge-diving at great speed to catch fish, like a stone dropping straight down. Against the setting sun and the orange sky it was a fascinating spectacle.

 

 

This morning I went to a glass house nearby where they sell garden plants in May and June, pot plants for the garden, and bags of compost and potting soil. The plants are healthy, and there is no need to go through all the stuff which is on display nowadays in a garden centre. I think there are too many people milling around in the garden centres as it is one of the few things one can do. I bought pot plants and potting soil, and worked in the front garden all afternoon. It faces north, so I only potter around there if the weather is warm, and if there is no wind. That seldom happens, but today was the day! A Saturday, but if I do not look in my diary, I wouldn’t have known. These days all days are alike, even the Sundays now that churches are closed and choirs forbidden. The front garden is covered in the white lace of flowering wild garlic, reminding me of the white dots of foam along the beach. This plant just showed up one spring and enjoys itself so much here that it multiplies while I am looking and has decided never to leave this spot again.

Wild garlic. Not a very representative picture.

As far as our lock-down is concerned, this week showed us also some light at the end of the tunnel. From Monday on the hairdressers are allowed to open, as well as the dentists, so Monday is the big day: away with my coupe Corona!

I was a bit taken aback when the dentist’s office called me asking if I was healthy, didn‘t cough, had no high temperature etc, etc. They added that they had to be careful because I belonged to the high-risk group. Just because of my age! I was amazed, I use no medication whatsoever, have no underlying condition I know of, and no problems so many people my age suffer from. I am fortunate that way. I suppose it is what they have to ask under the circumstances and that it is standard procedure.

It will be a week full of excitement! After so many weeks of lock-down and nothing much happening, even a visit to the hairdresser and the dentist is an adventure to look forward to.  Isn’t that sad!