Kasteel Weldam

Walking down the shady country lane, one has no idea of the history and beauty that is about to reveal itself. Welcome to Kasteel Weldam.Kasteel Weldam is situated in the east of the Netherlands, and was built in 1645 and was then later expanded in 1897, though the property was first mentioned in the 12th Century. The castle itself is surrounded by a moat and is the heart of the estate, which all sits on 11 acres of grounds. The garden itself was designed by Edouard Andre (1840-1911), a French architect and a trained horticulturalist. Andre also worked on public parks throughout Europe, and in 1860, he helped Alphand and Haussmann re-design Paris with its famed boulevards and parks.

The garden is an Old-Dutch garden with a French character. While Andre designed the garden, he left the construction of it to his pupil Hugo Poortman.

Seen throughout the garden were box and yew, which were grown and clipped into hedges and forms. These were commonly used in gardens created during the 16th Century. Eventually plants that were in fashion during the 19th Century made there way into the garden, which would include rhododendrons, roses, shrubs and annuals.

These clipped forms took on a playful role as they seemed to waddle back and forth across the garden, though I am sure this was not intentional.

A fleeting moment quickly captured as Herons are always so fast to fly away.

One of the highlights of the garden is the hedge maze. Thuja was used to create this labyrinth that makes anyone feel like a child again. My friend Becky and I raced to the finish, which was a central watch tower that gave a beautiful view over the garden. This hedge maze was replanted in 1999, using the original design, due to people "cheating" by squeezing through the walls to get to the finish.

Here is Becky showing the scale of the hedge, which was around 7' high.

After the maze it was easy to lose track of time and marvel at how symmetrical the parterre hedges were laid out in the adjoining garden room. The maintenance of the box embroidery hedge is time consuming but immaculately executed. The real gem of Weldam was about to shine though... To the right of the garden was a tall hedge, that beckoned us into its dark clipped entryway,

only to reveal the most breathtaking beech tunnel I have ever seen. The

cathedral-like ceiling was only enhanced by its length of 475'! The Fagus sylvatica was trained over an iron frame that was originally built in 1887. This masterpiece created an atmosphere of hushed tones where you could not help but stare in awe and amazement. The tunnel was left with open gaps on purpose to have the play in light and dark, which emphasizes the incredible length of the tunnel. The octagonal tower was added on to the castle in 1888-1889.
Across the country lane that leads to the estate is the walled kitchen garden. It holds a number of small glasshouses, an orangery, and cold frames. The fruit and vegetables that are grown here are used by the family that live in the castle.

Orangeries made their debut at fashionable residences starting in the 17th Century. They were used in a similar way that greenhouses or conservatories are used today. Though the main purpose was to store citrus trees, and other exotic imports, they were primarily seen as a symbol of prestige and wealth on top of being an important architectural element.

A look inside one of the glasshouses revealed trained grapes growing inside to take advantage from the trapped heat of the sun. The view inside the orangery gave the romantic impression of the passage of memories and time ....

Ireland

My sister, Jen, and I took a trip to Ireland for a few days - which is something we have spoke about for ages. A trip to the motherland...... We stayed in Dublin, on the East coast, and spent each day driving in a different direction.

Something I didn't expect was that Ireland has art everywhere, especially sculptures.

Of course, while driving, as my eyes should be on the road, I am scanning the passing countryside for flowers and sculptures. And all of a sudden I am seeing red flying by us. Of course I knew I had found one of my favorites......

The one and only poppy..... They were everywhere, the motorways looked like they had recently had work done, which would explain why they were there. They germinate heavily on disturbed soil.....

And then I came across this montage of splendor, doesn't mother nature just make you sick because sometimes it's so sweet. You can't beat that- even the grass in the background.....My poor sister had to endure me running up and down the hills to take photos while she sat in the car. thanks for that....

One of the many sculptures, done by different artists, that are seen while driving along the motorways. I have seen a few sculptures of trees and by far have found this to be the most interesting and beautiful one to look at.

The city view near Waterford on the Southern end of Ireland.

Got the brilliant idea of driving all the way west one day, which took 5 hours, one way.. Made it to County Clare where we are from and saw the Cliffs of Moher

As everyone was gawking at the cliffs, I was looking at the plants. Even though they are common plants, they seemed more exciting because of their location.

The sight was beautiful though.......

We came across green field after green field, as lush as you could imagine. And the stone walls everywhere were incredible.

There were many different types built, depending on the areas.

This one was interesting with slabs pushed up sideways and then filled in with soil. A new way to plant a wall in the garden?!

We made it to Helen Dillons garden in a suburb right outside of Dublin. It didn't rain the whole time we were in Ireland, but go figure, the second we got to the garden the sky just dropped buckets and it stopped the second we left the garden. This was such an oasis in an urban environment. The house was a bit hard to find but you knew you found it when the other front yards just paled in comparison.



This is the back garden, which is made up of borders and rooms built around this pool of water.

You have your warm border on your left and the cool on the right.

A painted stone in the garden..

A Dublin bridge.

A moody but mesmerizing scene of bridge and castle..

While in Dublin, there were many works of art on the streets. Here was a fountain, with some figures, that some people put bubble bath into... It was foaming all over the sides into the streets....

Typical colors in an old town.

Nothing more Irish than a old man, his horse, his sweater, in his field surrounded by his rock wall.....

Thanks for such and amazing time Jen, love you lots. When are we going back?!