The gardener’s bucket list
PETERHOF in St Petersburg, Russia
Peterhof in St Petersburg, Russia
Resplendent with gleaming statues and extraordinary fountains, the gardens of Peter the Great’s pleasure palace rival those of Versailles, says JANE EDMANSON
Some gardens have the ability to completely transport you to a different time in history. When I visited spectacular Peterhof Palace in St Petersburg, for instance, the grand gardens brought to life the impressive era of the Russian tsars, their tastes and culture, and I could really imagine the courtiers strolling around the palace grounds. I’ve always had a fascination with Old Russia, and these gardens play an enormous part in appreciating the country’s past and its present day.
Reigning from 1682 to 1725, Peter the Great was a big man with big ideas, and he wanted to build the Russian equivalent of the Palace of Versailles in France. Peterhof was to be his country palace, located at a site about 25 kilometres out of St Petersburg, overlooking the sea with a view towards the coast of Finland. This was a fine vantage point for him to watch his beloved navy sail past. Before Peter the Great, there were no such pleasure grounds elsewhere in 18th-century Europe.
A gravity-fed water system designed to power Peterhof’s cascades and 176 fountains was turned on in 1721, and it still works today. Water flows down the beautifully proportioned marble steps of a double cascade, which features gilded statues of mythical figures and jets of water, into a basin. At the base, Sampson is seen vanquishing the lion, among other mythological heroes and gods – all with great metaphor, portraying Russia as a powerful nation. These water features are extraordinary in their creativity, still using the power of water to feed and lift the water jets several metres high. It’s amazing when you realise the water is fed from a source 22 kilometres away.
The glitter, the gushing water, the beautiful trees in a parkland setting… it is
all overwhelming. It certainly matches the dazzle of Versailles, but in my opinion it’s a more atmospheric garden than its French counterpart. The big difference is it’s in a country with the toughest climate in Europe.
The Lower Park surrounding the palace is fitted with trick fountains and small villas for amusement. It looks like an English-style landscape formally laid out with grand allées of mature trees, bosquets (woodland trees in groups, with spectacular silver birch trees native to Russia) and more fountains and cascades, notably the black and white Chessboard Hill Cascade. Like Versailles, citrus trees flourish in a large orangery, which protects them from Russia’s long winters and freezing temperatures.
Lime trees (Tilia spp.) and maples give shade, and shrubberies are dominated by fragrant lilac and mock orange (Philadelphus spp.). Lilac abounds in Russia; we saw locals carrying huge bundles of blooms, and many country houses feature lilac. Peonies were also in flower in abundance – a sight to take your breath away.
Peterhof suffered hugely in World War II. The gardens were almost entirely wrecked by the Nazi army, trees were felled, and statues were removed to be melted down. But everything has been restored, and there is no visible evidence of wartime damage. This is another page in Russia’s history, with Peter the Great’s work shaping the St Petersburg that we know today.