Considered the best example of Dutch baroque gardens, Paleis Het Loo, about one hour from Amsterdam in Apeldoorn, is one of those must-see historic destinations on a garden tour to the Netherlands. I like to include it in my tulip tour itinerary.
Back in 2013, Het Loo took the radical step of replacing 27 km (16.8 miles) of boxwood hedging in its parterres with Ilex crenata (Japanese Holly).
I was curious to see how this much taunted substitute for boxwood was performing.
The Gardens
Het Loo’s formal gardens were originally laid out by William of Orange (1650-1702) and his English wife Mary (1662-1694), when they had the palace built as a hunting lodge in 1684. The gardens were completely restored to their historical state in the 1980’s.
Although a contemporary of Versailles, Het Loo was not designed to impress like the Sun King’s Palace. Het Loo was intended as an intimate, refined, and beautiful palace for leisure. The emphasis was on the gardens, reflecting the royal couple’s shared love and interest in the outdoors and botanical trends.
While Versailles was certainly an inspiration to William and Mary, Het Loo has one up on the Sun King’s place. The water features, central to the design, can be easily fed by the natural springs on sight: the garden is laid at the bottom of a hill, allowing for the use of gravity to work the many fountains – a far cry from the complicated engineering mechanisms required at Versailles.
As befits a garden of that period, symmetry is the master word at Het Loo. The strict, classical lines of the building define the layout. The formal parterres are arranged in a series of identical squares, placed symmetrically on either side of a central axis. The strict geometry is in contrast to the whimsical design of the parterres, all curves and counter curves.
The gardens are divided into three parts – closest to the palace and directly accessible from their respective apartments are the King’s and Queen’s gardens. The King’s Garden sports a lawn, so William could indulge his love of bowls.
By contrast, the Queen’s Garden is home to a covered hornbeam walk, allowing the ladies to be outdoors without compromising their complexion through exposure to the sun. Both gardens also include intricate parterres.
Directly in front of the palace is the second part of the garden, known as the lower garden. Water features add drama, and the parterres are intricate and extensive, showcasing exotic plants.
Beyond is the third part of the garden, known as the upper garden. Here the parterres are less intricate as the visitor transitions from the formal space close to the house to the wilder woods beyond.
So where is the Ilex crenata?
I entered the gardens through the King’s Garden and was amazed to see, in the parterres before me, not Ilex crenata, as expected, but boxwood. And healthy-looking boxwood too. Same in the queen’s garden. Only in the lower and upper gardens could I still see Ilex crenata. I was intrigued! Because it was Saturday there were no gardeners whom I could ask. So I read up upon my return home.
It turns out one of the main reasons for ripping out the original boxwood hedges was the decision for the Het Loo estate to go completely organic. The synthetic chemicals required to keep the blight in check were not compatible with this goal.
Hence the choice of replacing the boxwood with disease-resistant and compact growing Ilex crenata. But Ilex crenata did not develop as one had hoped – it turned out to be leggier than boxwood, also requiring more frequent clippings to keep in shape.
In the last decade, the nursery industry has been hard at work developing hybrids that are disease resistant. In particular, a Belgian nursery ,“Herplant”, has developed several such varieties known as Betterbuxus©. Their names are quite evocative, especially for a baroque garden: “Renaissance”, “Heritage” and “Babylonian Princess”.
Since 2020 these new varieties have been trialed at Het Loo, first in the King’s Garden in 2020, then in the Queen’s Garden since 2022. Apparently, the gardeners are satisfied.
What about the caterpillar?
I had just spent the previous weekend catching caterpillars on my boxwood at home. I don’t mean just any caterpillar. No, the one boxwood owners are after is that of the Japanese moth Cydalima perspectalis, black and yellow, which can strip your boxwood dry in a matter of days.
At Het Loo, I saw no sign of caterpillar damage. The foliage was green and healthy, the leaves whole and green, without any of the signature crunch marks of the caterpillars. I read that the Betterbuxus© hybrids are thought to be resistant not only to the blight but also to the caterpillar.
Even so, an effective organic treatment, Bacillum thurengensis, exists. Spraying a few times a season prevents propagation and keeps the pest in check.
What about the tulips?
I visited on a cold, rainy day in the third week of April. It had been quite warm in early April, so the tulips had already flowered. As a result, there were few tulips still in bloom. What struck me, however, is how the tulips were planted as single specimens, showcasing the different varieties, not in generous clumps as one tends to find in modern gardens. I assume this is in keeping with the desire to cultivate the garden in the way it would have been cultivated in the time of William and Mary. At the time, tulips were an exotic plant, and just one specimen was enough to show one’s wealth and success.
Must dos on a visit to Het Loo Gardens
As the gardens are designed to be seen from above, it’s important to see them from the inside of the palace. I did not enjoy the visit of the inside, as the only way to get any explanations about what you see is by downloading the app (yet another app!) But luckily you don’t need an app to look out the window!
A positive innovation is access to the roof. The view is definitely worth the steep climb of 100+ steps. You’ll gain a new understanding of the design and its objectives.
A sign will tell you that Queen Mary herself liked to come up to the roof and take tea here, enjoying the view over the gardens. As a normal visitor, you can’t have tea there, but the staff is very attentive, providing blankets and umbrellas, as you must check your coat when you visit the inside of the palace.
Conclusion
I’m glad I went back to visit Het Loo.
It´s thrilling to experience how Het Loo is living up to its reputation of being at the forefront of boxwood innovation.
There is a way forward with boxwood.
New boxwood hybrids, vigilance, and organic pest control are viable ways to manage boxwood going forward.
There is hope for those of us who don’t want to give up on boxwood in our gardens!
Ready to start planning your dream trip?
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