2025/42 - Open Tuinen Groei & Bloei - 3

 I promised, right? So here is my third visit to the Open Garden Scheme. This time* we went to Melissant and Nieuw-Helvoet. Both small villages; the first on the next island over: Goeree-Overflakkee.

The Uulestee is situated on the outskirts of the village, near the Grevelingenmeer. It is a farm, a real one, so the court where you park is muddy and there is a midden, with residing chickens. My eye was immediately caught by some very attractive goats.

I adore goats, grew up with Nanny goats. So with these ones, I really had to look hard, a breed I had never seen before. Anyway, lovely and friendly animals.

The garden, which was the purpose of this visit, is situated on the other side of the farm buildings. And jolly good, there is a tea garden.

 Finding the entrance to the garden was a bit tricky... it took three goes for me, but then I got it: cross the 'sloot' next to the sheep. And ah...that was not easy for a not very stable-on-the-feet  old woman like myself. So be warned, take a sturdy fellow traveller with you for support. Or a cane.

That sloot has high sides...But the view! More typically 'my side of the Dutch delta' you will not find.

The garden is well worth the effort of scrambling down the muddy side of the sloot, and up the other side. It is inspired by Piet Oudolf, with lots of tall, waving grasses, and I thought it wonderful.

Narrow shell paths lead you through an area planted with waving grasses and masses of tall perennials, most of them in the purple/blue/pink/red spectrum.

Caryopteris, beloved by all kinds of bees, and with a nice scent. I have this shrub in Hunky Dory, but it is still a baby.

* it being the middle of September when I visited, most of the flowers of the Echinops had gone over, but the Verbena bonariensis was still going strong. It made a lovely contrast with the already brown Thistles.

Nieuw-Helvoet

A totally different garden, in my old neck of the woods. I used to walk past this garden, so it was great to finally be able to satisfy my curiosity and have a peek inside. And joy of joys, a huge pond! Very clear water, with a bog area at the back. But the gardener told me that it is not problem-free: the pond has a leak, so he has to fill it up from time to time (hey, where have I heard that before? Oh, right, at home), and the bog garden is silting up and rambling plants colonise it. Still, I thought that pond beautiful.

The entire garden was very attractive. This is a very good example of the shrubbery/trees, this is a very green, leafy garden, with layering. And not an ornamental grass in sight! Except for the pond area, it is mostly shady, because of the high Poplars everywhere. The highest of the entire polder, the owner said proudly. It had one of the loveliest umbrella shaped Mulberry trees I have ever seen, which he prunes by climbing on top of it. That is what you may call a sturdy tree! I forgot to take a photograph, sorry.

I did take one of the tiny Cyclamen though, aren't they sweet?

Here you are, one more. You'd expect Ophelia to dreamily drift by, don't you?

Or the Frog Prince.

This was the last Open Garden garden for this year; I'll make sure to visit some gardens in 2026.

In the meantime I have made a start with building raised beds in my greenhouse. As soon as there is something worthwhile to see there, I'll show you. Hunky Dory is winding down now, and the storm we had this week does not really help. My Artichokes look a fright, but the grasses are looking absolutely fine. That Melissant garden has convinced me to plant some more!

Right. Have a great weekend, wherever you are. Do follow the blog when you like it, and look me up on my website Renée Grashoff Schrijft , won't you? There is a translator button. Oh, and I have news: part 2 of my trilogy about Noor and Agnieken will be in the shops by Spring 2026.

Bye!

Renée Grashoff 

2025 /43 - Autumn is in the air again

 The morning being lovely balmy and quiet, I took my secateurs and myself to Hunky Dory, to finish what I started yesterday - pruning the spent flowers, and the removal of all those pesky Solidago.

There's this 'thing' about Solidago: I like it for its cheerfulness, but only in the right spot. And that plant walks all over my garden, settles in all the wrong spots and makes itself at home. If I had got a Euro for every plant I pulled out over the last 4 years, I could afford a larger apartment. Or publish at least 10 more novels! So yes, I regret planting it.

Here is another wanderer. But in this case, it reminds me of J.R.R. Tolkien: "Not all that wander are lost." This Nasturtium can go walk-about to its hearts content! Every time I see it, it lifts my mood. It will go on until the first night frost, and then die overnight.

The allotments being deserted, I took a peek at the garden of my neighbour at the back of my plot, who has gardened there for more than 60 years. He is very much into veg, but we share many a conversation about my love of flowers, which he appreciates too, especially my Lilies. He planted these Courgettes, aren't they fun?

Me having managed to grow just one Cucumber this year, I was a bit sad to see his being abandoned a bit. I suspect he had that many that he can't eat them all.

I pruned my Elaeagnus ebbingei again. Now that I have done it twice, those bare branches are beginning to stand out, don't you think? Whilst I was doing it, my head was 'buzzed at' by many, many bees. They love the tiny cream flowers of this shrub, they do smell amazing, I must say. So far I have never been bitten, it is as if they recognise me as 'harmless'.

I do hope those hornets which are colonising my country from the south upwards pass by though! They sound quite tricksy.

The few showers we have had last week, have done this Artichoke a lot of good. Most rain has passed us by though...More is predicted for this afternoon, well...promises, promises.

Last year, my garden was a mass of these summer bulbs, Ixia. This extremely dry year, there are only a few, next to the frog pond.

But to my astonishment, the Cyrtomium falcatum not only survived that drought, it took it in its stride! Well, yay!

The Malus has so many apples, it is a miracle that the branches didn't break during that storm we had last week. Actually, I was near breaking point as well! Those 100 km/hr gusts around my balcony were driving me bonkers. I would not do well in hurricane country!

The trees on Brielle ramparts are turning now. It always makes me a bit melancholy. Winter in my part of the delta usually is a very wet, chilly, grey affair. I counter it by masses of bulbs.

The Asters, Michaelmas Daisies, are in full bloom now.

The pink ones are always a few weeks earlier than the white ones though.

The plan was that they would bloom together, hahaha. Best laid plans, eh?

Okay, I'll leave you with one of our national treasures, in autumn attire.

Do follow this blog when you like it, and if you are interested in my website, here is the link: Renée Grashoff Schrijft

The Dutch Delta is Willow country!

Bye bye,

Renée Grashoff 

2025/41 - Rotterdam Veerhaven - a #1 Must See!

 From time to time I divert from my usual garden chatter. This time I'll take you to my favourite place in the town of my birth  Rotterdam. In particular: to Veerhaven.

This photo has many typical Rotterdam harbour elements: the River Nieuwe Maas, the Spido, the shiny Fenix Museum (designed by Chinese architect Ma Yansong), the pricey housing, but to me: the 'kinderkopjes' paving, the lantern and the 'moseiken' (Quercus cerris). Love it!

Is that all it has? No, of course not! I have to apologise for my photos, I use an ancient Samsung Galaxy, sorry. But what can you spot when you squint and look right to the distance in the middle of this pic? Right! The iconic bridge of Rotterdam: the Swan.

The yellow brick building in the middle distance is the old Royal Rowing and Sailing De Maas clubhouse. It is but one of the many 'rijksmonumenten' (important historical buildings), which were spared total destruction during the bombardment of Rotterdam in 1940. Walk around the Veerhaven and you will get an inkling of what this city looked like before WWII.

As a 2nd generation survivor of that war (my Mum never got over the trauma of the bombardment and passed it on), I love to walk around the Scheepvaartkwartier and admire the classy buildings.

De Maas

Not only did the river lend its name to the sailing club, but also to one of the most striking buildings around the Veerhaven. This Jugendstil (a style which I adore) building, again in yellow brick, is also called De Maas. Designed by Barend Hooijkaas jr. and Michiel Brinkman in 1908, it dominates the quay.

Not in yellow brick, but in sandstone another Jugendstil building along that same quay. The green-white-green flag is the Rotterdam flag. Ah...they knew how to build in those days!

And here we are: the one photo every visitor wants to take. Our beautiful Swan, and part of the skyline of 'de Kop van Zuid', the Southern shore of the Nieuwe Maas, seen from the Northern shore Veerhaven.

The river appears empty from traffic, but don't be fooled, it is an extremely busy river.

Veerhaven

The name means 'ferry harbour', and that is what it used to be: the place to take the ferry to Katendrecht on the other shore. There are documents proving it already existed in the 15th century. My Mum used to talk about taking the ferry from 'Noord' where she lived to her auntie in 'Zuid'. She could have crossed the Willemsbrug (from 1878), but preferred the ferry.

Ferry Offices

This floating office building is another interesting building. It used to be the station of the river police from 1895, how cool is that?! Nowadays it houses the Harbour Master. Yes, you can berth in this harbour, as long as your vessel is not deeper than 4.5 m. But beware, the tides in the Nieuwe Maas can differ 2.5 m and more.

Quite a few vessels are moored here (semi-)permanently. This querky one seems to be protected from financial misery.

I believe old Queen Beatrix's yacht 'De Groene Draeck' (a Frisian Lemsteraak) used to be moored here as well, but it has moved to Muiden. Those ships always remind me of the seafaring heritage of us Dutchies.

Not a great sailor myself, my blood heats up anyway when I take in views like this one. That sky also is much more realistic for our country than the freaky steel-blue skies we've been having this summer. 'Altijd een vessie mee' (always take your cardigan) my very Rotterdam grannie used to say.

Right. I do hope you have enjoyed my diversion from plants to Veerhaven. Since there is much less worth mentioning about my gardens during the winter months, I tend to divert.

Do follow if you like my blog, and do visit my website for more blogs, click click! Renée Grashoff Schrijft

Have a good weekend, wherever you are.

Renée Grashoff 

2025/40 - Ups and downs of Hunky Dory

 We had another freaky hot day yesterday, 27°C☆. So this morning I rushed to Hunky Dory to see if my potplants had survived, and to water them. ☆ By now you will have sussed out I write my blog a week before publishing, right? So don't feel cheated: "what? That hot? It was not hot at all yesterday", that kind of thing, hahahaha.

I was there at 8 a.m., and the sky was cloudy, which gave an unearthly light to my Pampus grasses.

No filters used!

I love to be in the garden in the early morning. Just me and the birds.

So. What was my gardening week like? Well, a mix of 'yay' and 'damn it!'

Let's get the last one out of the way. For the last 3 years I have done my utmost to get climbers climbing the nook where my chair lives. There is no shade in my garden, so I try to create it by using climbers. And yet again the climbers (Lonicera this time round) have not survived the summer - 4th batch. So frustrating!!!

My friend, who lives behind this door in Brielle vesting, has a shady city garden, very green. She has exactly one patch of sunlight (which sits two chairs) during the day. Would you believe I sometimes envy her?

Still, she cannot grow Echinaecea, and I can. So I should not grumble. It has been a very good summer for Echinaecea. This falls into the 'yay' category.

And so do the three Gaura I have. They have been very pleasant. This white Gaura Butterfly had a slow start, but it caught up.

Another 'yay' for the roses this summer. They were in their element and have a bloomed three times already. Adore them!

This Dahlia is my neighbour's, but I enjoy it as it's very near to the border between our gardens. He has left the tubers in the soil last winter, and it doesn't matter by the looks of it.

Buddha has surfaced...all summer long it was practically hidden. I found the head beside the garbage container, and it now lives very serenely amongst the Carex in the hot border (which has stopped being hot by now, I still have not managed to get the balance right).

It always amazes me what people throw out. I keep hoping for a totem pole. Seriously!

Walking around taking photos this morning, I made a mental list of all the things I need to tackle in the coming months. Lots.

The major thing will be completing the greenhouse.

I emptied it last autumn, put down anti-root cloth with French bark on top and then left it,  to save up for the next stage.

That next stage will be constructing  at least two raised beds out of scaffolding boards. My knee artrosis doesn't allow me to sit on my knees any longer, as I was accustomed to. I also want to paint the windows with chalk paint, because all my tender seedlings scorched to death this year. Definitely a 'damn it!' occasion.

One of the 'issues' of my gardening is that I cannot throw a pot of money at it, as some people can. I have to save up, and control the budget very carefully. Not an issue at all, really, it only takes a little more time to do things. 

My one and only cucumber from the balcony this summer. ONE. I mean...watered and sang to. Rotten luck.

The grass is still in a very sorry state. The rain keeps missing our area. But this is the delta, so I'm confident we'll get some water soon. And then it will probably rain for months on end...

Okay. I'll leave you with a panorama of the Rotterdam skyline. Took it because of that sky, a very Dutch sky!

Have a good weekend, and keep an eye out for the 3rd Open Garden Scheme blog, which will be coming up soon, and for my Special about Rotterdam Veerhaven.

Website Renée Grashoff Schrijft 

Do follow me if you like this blog. Bye😚

Renée Grashoff 

 

2025/ - Boerenwormkruid Nieuws: Deel 2 van de trilogie komt uit!

 De kogel is door de kerk!* In voorjaar 2026 volgt deel 2 uit de trilogie over Noor en Agnieken, en kan jij dus lezen hoe het verhaal over deze twee sterke dames in 1573 en 2023 verder gaat.

(* eerst schreef mijn autoscript 'de vogel is door de jerk', wat ik héél toepasselijk vind, want vogels, een 'jerk' èn de kerk spelen een grote rol in dit deel)

De aankondiging van een signeersessie

   Noor heeft niets met de kerk, maar wel met moord. Een beetje morbide misschien, maar zij weet dat ze zéker niet de enige is die smult van het oplossen van een goede whodunnit.

Ze vindt weer een dode man, dit keer voor haar tuinpoort. Het brengt haar opnieuw op het pad van inspecteur Jansen, die ze dus ook irritant voor zijn voeten loopt. Althans, hij vindt haar lastig, zij wil alleen maar helpen! Dit keer wordt onze bejaarde speurneus daarbij geholpen door drie jonge mensen die, net als Noor zelf, buitenbeentjes zijn. Inspecteur Jansen vraagt schamper 'of ze nu een detectiveclubje hebben', maar Noor blijft hem mooi steeds één stapje voor.

Agnieken wordt volledig opgeslokt door de nasleep van de bevrijding van Den Briel door de Watergeuzen. De Spanjaarden zijn de stad uit, maar de Nederlanden zijn nog lang niet onder controle van Willem van Oranje. De gepolariseerde bevolking van Den Briel moet zichzelf staande houden in een hele onzekere tijd. Aarzelend, hiertoe aangezet door haar beschermer Johannes, neemt ze haar werkzaamheden als vroedvrouw en heler voor de armen als zijn 'nicht' weer op. Helaas verblijft de Geus die geprobeerd heeft haar zusje Elsken te verkrachten ook nog (ongestraft!) in Den Briel.

Ik durf te beweren dat de mensen die Boerenwormkruid met plezier hebben gelezen, ook deel 2 grappig, spannend en herkenbaar zullen vinden.

Okay: klaar voor De Grote Onthulling?

Deel 2 heet: Zwaartekracht.

Uiteraard is het mogelijk om alvast in te tekenen voor dit boek. De makkelijkste manier is om mij via mijn website een bericht te sturen. Dan hou ik je op de hoogte.

Bezoek vooral mijn website en blijf up to date: Renée Grashoff Schrijft

Groetjes!

2025/39 - Heksenwaag Oudewater/ Gardens Kasteel de Haar

Once in a blue moon I manage to see something of my own country. And every time, I am struck by how lovely it still is, despite being clogged up by traffic and swallowed whole by building projects. Recently I visited Oudewater and nearby Kasteel de Haar.

This castle is something out of a fairytale!

But first I'll tell you about Oudewater.

Now, don't expect a guidebook text; I am not a travel writer. I simply natter on about my likes and dislikes. And about gardens, of course!

Oudewater is a quaint 17th century town in the province of Utrecht, with tiny bits of 16th century still intact. But it got its town rights in 1265, and hey-ho, that is an old town, right?!

 Like in my own old town, most of its surviving houses are 17th century, undoubtedly due to the original older wooden houses not surviving. (How am I doing so far?)

Our destination was specific: the old Heksenwaag, or Witches weigh house. 

During the horrific persecution of witches that swept Europe in the 15th to 18th century, Oudewater provided a very important document which could save your life. You could step on the scales and get weighed. Too light, and you were a witch. Heavy enough, and no strangulation, drowning or pyre for you.

Definitely not a witch!

The Heksenwaag is a museum about the history of this persecution, and well worth a visit! Especially because it draws parallels with our day and age.

Kasteel de Haar

This castle was built on the ruin of the old one in 1892, by a blatantly rich family, who hired designer and architect Pierre Cuypers. Now, style is very personal. This style was state of the art in 1892. Love it or hate it, it certainly is impressive. What I like about it, is the history and the for me very important fact that it sits in the middle of an English Landscape garden.

Yes, that garden was, to me, wonderfully lovelier than all the riches inside. But do take the tour if you get there! I'll give you one example, and then it's back to that garden.

Sorry, plants are my 'thing', hahaha.

 

This is the part with the Dahlia borders, on the side of the castle. And gosh, those Dahlias! Gorgeous!

There were many, many more! And all looking good, despite the bone-dry summer.

This must be the oldest weeping Beech tree I have ever seen. Very impressive!

I took many photos of the interior of the castle, but this is a garden blog...so...

We will have to return to see the Roman garden and the maze...there simply was not enough time. If you ever get to my country, do take time off to visit this castle. You will not be disappointed.

Okay, time to say bye bye. Do follow this blog if you like it, leave me a comment, or drop me a line on my website Renée Grashoff Schrijft

That beech! Trees are simply the best!

Renée Grashoff