Garden Tour: A Dutch Masterpiece Brings Year-Round Enchantment
This gardener uses flowers the way an artist uses paint, and the wild beauty of his canvas gets better with each season
The flat, rural landscape of Friesland, in the north of Holland, is still full of wilderness thanks to its small population. The country’s largest province, Friesland has waterlogged land and a harsh climate, with a wind that blows directly from the North Sea. After the rough winters here, summers feel like a miracle. The region’s famous dikes regulate water levels, especially in the polders, or artificial tracts of land that have been reclaimed from the sea.
De Vries, pictured, is a master gardener who paints with nature. He has carefully considered the property’s perspectives and sightlines so that the panorama is perfect no matter where you are in the garden.
“I propagate, grow cuttings, divide and sow everything myself. I develop the garden little by little. Everything grows year after year, up to the trees in the background. This is why it took some time to get this result,” he says.
He is a meticulous perfectionist who doesn’t hesitate to shuffle plants or even entire thickets around to attain the desired effect.
“I propagate, grow cuttings, divide and sow everything myself. I develop the garden little by little. Everything grows year after year, up to the trees in the background. This is why it took some time to get this result,” he says.
He is a meticulous perfectionist who doesn’t hesitate to shuffle plants or even entire thickets around to attain the desired effect.
Winter
In the Dutch winter, light is pale, days are short, and mornings in this region are harsh and frosty.
Large trees surrounding the garden shelter it from the sometimes violent and freezing wind blowing in from the North Sea. Interspersed with the long stems of grass left over from fall, they make for a romantic atmosphere.
In the Dutch winter, light is pale, days are short, and mornings in this region are harsh and frosty.
Large trees surrounding the garden shelter it from the sometimes violent and freezing wind blowing in from the North Sea. Interspersed with the long stems of grass left over from fall, they make for a romantic atmosphere.
De Vries doesn’t mow his grasses in the fall. This way, he can enjoy seeing them frosted over and casting their elegant silhouettes throughout winter. They serve as a reminder that spring will soon come back in force.
Cozy and warm at home, de Vries spends winters thinking about new garden compositions and the places where he can add more color and texture.
Cozy and warm at home, de Vries spends winters thinking about new garden compositions and the places where he can add more color and texture.
Translucent hydrangea petals add a delicate texture reminiscent of crumpled paper.
When the wind blows, the grasses move together, animating the garden in golden waves. The painting is always changing.
Spring
In very early spring, the first green sprouts are visible on the grassy path winding between the beds.
In very early spring, the first green sprouts are visible on the grassy path winding between the beds.
Other shades of green appear bit by bit, and the trees, flowers and meadow start to come alive.
“I select both classic and very rare plants. I spend a lot of time in specialized nurseries, and I listen to these professionals’ advice,” de Vries says. “In the beginning, I started with classic plants I already knew about, and I gradually refined my choices.”
“I select both classic and very rare plants. I spend a lot of time in specialized nurseries, and I listen to these professionals’ advice,” de Vries says. “In the beginning, I started with classic plants I already knew about, and I gradually refined my choices.”
The first flowers to appear in the spring are 6-inch-tall reticulata irises (Iris ‘Katharine Hodgkin’), which are fragrant and subtly colored. The bulbs’ original habitat is in the Caucasus Mountains, where they can be found at an altitude of 3,500 to 6,500 feet. The bulbs go dormant again over the summer.
These precious little irises are often accompanied by winter aconites (Eranthis hyemalis), which may resemble buttercups to the untrained eye.
Then come common grape hyacinths (Muscari botryoides), small bulbs that grow in dense thickets.
Dog-tooth violets (Erythronium ‘Pagoda’) stretch out their dainty corollas. These tiny lilies are right at home in this garden’s light soil.
Snake’s head fritillary (Fritillaria meleagris) grows in damp places but adapts to new soils easily and can cover large areas fairly quickly.
Of course, it wouldn’t be Holland without tulips. They can be found everywhere, and tulip season is the opening act to a cascade of flowers that continues into autumn.
Take a Tour of an Enchanting Bulb Garden in the Netherlands
Take a Tour of an Enchanting Bulb Garden in the Netherlands
Even in May, daytime temperatures can be cool in the far north. The garden sleeps, but with one eye open: Deep down, the roots are still alive.
Summer
In summer, the grassy path is soft underfoot, inviting guests to take a walk and enjoy the flower beds blooming as far as the eye can see. Orange sneezeweed (Helenium spp.) dots the way.
In summer, the grassy path is soft underfoot, inviting guests to take a walk and enjoy the flower beds blooming as far as the eye can see. Orange sneezeweed (Helenium spp.) dots the way.
Benches scattered throughout the garden invite visitors to just stop a moment to listen while being hidden by flowers or low shrubs.
The first globe thistles (Echinops sphaerocephalus) to appear are more than 3 feet tall, towering over the other flowers.
Ornamental alliums (Allium aflatunense ‘Purple Sensation’), like all plants of this genus, prefer light and well-drained soil, and spread naturally in sandy ground. Perched on 30-inch stems, the softball-size flowers play hide-and-seek with the sun. Like grasses, they bend and sway in the wind, adding movement to the meadow.
6 Unsung Bulbs for Fall Planting
6 Unsung Bulbs for Fall Planting
A few lupines spring up and add their dramatic energy.
Purple coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea) grow everywhere in Holland. You can see them in nearly every garden.
Tapering poplars are the only tall trees on the perimeter of the garden. Their height stands out, forming a tall, green border around Jakobstuin.
Sneezeweed (Helenium sp.) and Monarda sp. form vibrant swaths of color.
Blazing stars (Liatris sp.) and spider flowers (Cleome sp.) extend the violet streak. The former are hardy perennials that return year after year, while the latter are annuals.
Playing around with annuals against a background of hardy plants is a good way to vary the look of a garden from year to year and to prevent the hardy species from completely taking over.
Playing around with annuals against a background of hardy plants is a good way to vary the look of a garden from year to year and to prevent the hardy species from completely taking over.
Grasses capture and diffuse light better than any other kind of plant, which is perhaps why they are so beloved in northern countries and left unmowed in the winter.
Fall
The grasses put on their show when summer comes to an end. In fall, colors give way to textures.
The grasses put on their show when summer comes to an end. In fall, colors give way to textures.
Fine-textured Mexican feathergrass (Nassella tenuissima) sways readily in a breeze. It is scattered throughout this garden but is considered invasive in some parts of the world, including California.
Even in winter, there remains some color, such as the gold of faded straw, which has a subtler beauty than a palette of flowers.
Grasses have to be carefully placed in a garden so that they can become more than just long blades and tall stalks. De Vries’ lush artwork comes together thanks to his trained eye and tireless work.
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Read stories about other inspiring gardens
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Who lives here: Maria and Jaap de Vries, owners of the bed-and-breakfast de Coulisse
Location: Jistrum, Netherlands
Size: 2½ acres (1 hectare)
Friesland has light and sandy soil, like much of the Netherlands, and is coveted by gardeners such as bed-and-breakfast owner Jaap de Vries. After his retirement, de Vries decided to follow his dream and create his own garden in the village of Jistrum. Completely self-taught, he took inspiration from Dutch landscape designer Piet Oudolf’s garden as well as from Le Jardin Plume (The Feather Garden) near Rouen, France. “I fell in love with Le Jardin Plume and even bought the book,” de Vries says. “It’s a real source of inspiration for me.” He also sought advice from nursery owners on how to combine plants according to color and texture.
His garden, Jakobstuin (Jacob’s Garden), may as well have been painted, each flower a brushstroke. It changes with the seasons and offers charms throughout the year, not least of all in winter, when the faded greenery is blanketed in a delicate layer of frost.
Jakobstuin is instantly enchanting. It is simultaneously a little classical, extremely romantic, a tad English, very Dutch and above all full of surprises. De Vries has created a garden unlike any other: It almost looks as if it were painted by an artist who carefully selected his colors to bring out highlights and shadows, depending on the time of day.