PLACES TO VISIT
Recommended places to see seasonal plants at their best both in Europe and the UK
In the Netherlands, especially in the northern provinces of Friesland and Groningen, you find a special type of flora, known as stinzenplanten, growing around old manor houses (or stinzen as they’re called in Friesland) and other older country gardens. These are spring plants, mainly, but not exclusively, bulbs and tubers that were imported into the Netherlands from the 16th century onwards and have naturalised so well we tend to think of them as natives. They’re plants we cherish because they belong to our cultural heritage and many of the bulbs and perennials I’ve chosen this month fall into this category. Gardens and parks that feature these stinzenplanten among communities of native plants are protected and restored and one especially good example is Stinze Stiens Garden, in Stiens, Friesland. Once home to the local doctor, its garden was designed by the well-known Dutch designer Gerrit Vlaskamp (1834-1906), who designed many of Friesland and Groningen’s parks. The current owners have restored the garden with care and knowledge, and after years of neglect many of the stinzenplanten, including Crocus tommasinianus and Leucojum vernum, have returned to their former glory. Smelbrege 6, 9051 BH Stiens, the Netherlands. stinze-stiens.nl
One of my favourite nurseries Kwekerij De Hessenhof, near Ede in the Netherlands, is a great source of inspiration for spring plants. It’s an organic
nursery owned by Hans and Miranda Kramer, and it is always a pleasure to walk through the planting beds and discover new plants. Hans has introduced plants from all over the world, but he’s most famous for his selections of Helleborus x hybridus. In February he and Miranda organise hellebore days with highlights from their own selections. Hessenweg 41, 6718 TC Ede, the Netherlands. Tel +31 (0)318 617334, hessenhof.nl
Under the leadership of Robert and Jelena De Belder, the Kalmthout Arboretum in Belgium has become one of the most prestigious botanical collections in the world. It’s a great garden to visit and has a huge collection (one of many) of Hamamelis. Every winter it hosts a witch hazel festival, which runs up until the end of February. Heuvel 8, 2920 Kalmthout, Belgium. Tel +32 (0)3 666 6741, arboretumkalmthout.be
Despite my reservations about galanthomania, I will concede that a walk among mass plantings of snowdrops can be one of February’s great joys. One of the loveliest snowdrop walks in the UK is at Colesbourne Park in the Cotswolds. It was once home to the Victorian botanist and galanthophile Henry John Elwes (1846-1922) after whom the snowdrop Galanthus elwesii was named. His original snowdrop collection has grown into one of the largest in the UK, including more than 250 cultivars, with new ones added each year. Colesbourne Gardens, Colesbourne, nr Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL53 9NP. Tel 01242 870567, colesbournegardens.org.uk
Not far from Colesbourne Park is Painswick Rococo Garden, where you’ll find more snowdrops along with Cyclamen coum and several hellebores. It’s also the only garden from the rococo period open to the public. Painswick Rococo Garden Painswick, Gloucestershire GL6 6TH. Tel 01452 813204, rococogarden.org.uk