De Hoge Veluwe National Park

De Hoge Veluwe National Park is one of the oldest and largest continuous nature reserves in all of the Netherlands. The park was founded in 1935, is about 13,590 acres in size, and consists of heathland, sand dunes, woodlands, and lakes.

The park is roughly 50% woodland and 50% open land. The landscape is very dramatic, even more so with the dramatic light that the Netherlands are known for. Many artists were quick to capture the beauty of this light and immortalize it in their paintings, and for good reason, it is incredible.

Being a huge fan of color myself, it was a real treat to see all of the different tones and even the textures that the park had to show me. Over the course of my time here, I have visited this landscape three times, and find inspiration in it each time.

The self-seeding Scots Pine, Pinus sylvestris, is apparent everywhere here. It was noted that the pines grow outwards, instead of upwards here, due to excessive exposure to the strong winds that occur here.

While whizzing through one area on my bike, which the park provides for free(!), I saw a blur of yellow right next to the path and stopped to check it out.

This was blooming in my visit in July and I cannot i.d. this . Tofieldia sp.?Once again, my bike pulled me back to my surroundings, as the sun was pulled behind some clouds. There is a certain feeling one gets when in large open spaces that I love. Finally, my friend and I came across the beginning of the sand dunes. It seemed like a dark landscape to us, but its beauty was breathtaking none the less.
In an effort to expand the moving sand dunes, it looked as if some large trees were felled in the adjacent grassland.

Scots pine growing in the sand dune area.

My most recent visit, middle of September, had the landscape seem more alive since the heathland had come into bloom. I was very eager to come back to see this since I missed the opportunity in England.

Though the color of it was more subtle than imagined, but it still made its presence known in the landscape. Calluna vulgaris, grew in huge drifts of plant communities.

The Heather was not alive everywhere though, with large patches of dead areas. Still, the richness of nature kept me happy with its colorful tapestry.

This area, near a peat bog, revealed some small jewels if you looked hard enough.Such as this insect eating Sundew, Drosera rotundifolia. A tightly growing wood of Scots Pine.
Small clumps of Festuca ovina and

the low growing Sheepsbit Scabious,

Jasione montana which grows on dry grassy places and heaths.

While looking for plants most of the time, it was a great surprise to look up and see a herd of red deer on the outskirts of some of the woodlands.

My friends and I would always laugh at these signs we sometimes see. Though no wild roosters were seen, this place has exceptional beauty that I haven't seen much of anywhere else in the Netherlands. I have been there three times already and would love to continue to go back and explore at other times of the year... Oh, and the sign translates to "cattle grid skidding" which helps protect the animals by keeping them in this Dutch national park. No wild roosters, sorry.....

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 ....