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 

2025/32 - Ponds, essential holes in the ground

 You are well aware that I am struggling with my frog pond, 'cause I have moaned about it often enough, right?

Whether it is the freakish weather, or that I have a leak, I simply cannot keep it filled up to the water level I need to keep my Waterlily happy.

In February, sure, no problem then! By then it is full of leaves that have blown in from the trees along the road which runs in between the city moat and the allotments.

Here it looks alright, happy Waterlily, but only because I filled it from the water butt just before taking the photo. I cheated.

Same. This was July 2023.

This year that water butt was empty by the end of April, and it has not filled up since. I keep the tap permanently open now, so every measly drop that falls onto my greenhouse roof gets transported straight down the gutter, through the butt and into the frog pond. It keeps a couple of inches of water in there. Enough to keep my salamander and plants alive, but not enough for the Waterlily. She lives, but has not produced one single bud this year. Sod it.

Now here is a pond! 

I visited the Open Garden event organised by Groei & Bloei, a gardening society in my country, and had the pleasure of walking around two ponds in one garden in Oostvoorne.

The lady of the house had 'done' the 2 hectare garden herself, she said off-hand, as if this was achieved between breakfast and lunch one day.  She owns the field to the right as well, and has an arrangement with a neighbour who keeps his sheep there. "Just to make sure no-one gets it into his head to build there", she stated. The garden is only 4 years old, but it looked as if it had been there for 40. Huge trees ("I was lucky those trees were already there"), good landscaping, beautiful borders with gorgeous plants. The white and black ducks were 'pets', and helped her keep the garden free of slugs and snails. They live in a coop (pen?) next to the pond. It rained (it has finally started raining, folks), but did I care? Nope!

And here is the other one. You cannot spot it, but on the other side slightly to the left there is a boardwalk for lounging on and a swim ladder, you know, to swim to this pebbled beach? And then lounge some more?

She has been very clever to oh so tastefully repeat the planting on both sides of this beach. A variety of high and low Echinaecea. My camera (old mobile phone) does not do justice to the jewel colours of those flowers. I could have dug them up and taken them to Hunky Dory, wet leaves and all. In fact, if it had not started to pelt down with rain a moment later, I could have stretched out on that beach and stayed for an hour.

What a garden! She used the dug out soil of those ponds to make mounds, on top of which there were fruit trees. So the garden was uncharacteristically hilly (no hills around this delta), and just restful lawn, colourful borders and the two huge ponds, surrounded by age old beaches and willows.

Paradise!

To me, with my tiny flat and my parcel of allotment, and my faulty frog pond, it showed how other people manage to live. Am I envious? Truthfully? A teensy weensy bit. Just of the garden, mind, not the lifestyle. But hey, I have this view every morning.

It is the dammed river Brielse Maas, re-named Brielse Meer (meer = lake), that flows at the end of my street (until it meets that stupid dam).

My little patch of prairie. Those grasses become waist high! Occasionally I spot a roe deer, or if I am extremely lucky a beaver. They cross from the Brielse Meer to the small waterway near it, to nibble on the trees there. I once came across one who had just climbed out of the Meer and was strolling along the grass path, not a care in the world. Until it saw Puck and me, and then legged it to safety. And believe me, a beaver is large and it can run! My dog was so flabbergasted that she did not even bark, just stood there.

This is Puck's "what's goin' on?" look.  

So. I started with ponds and I end with my doggie.

Have a lovely weekend, wherever you are!

Renée Grashoff 

73 - Tranquil ponds

 My frog pond has turned into a shallow bowl of green soup.

Obviously I knew this would happen at some stage, as I am aware of the existence of a green monster called blanket weed. Also known as spirogyra, string algae or silk weed, and that should be a warning in itself. An algae that goes by many names must be feared by many.

Before the monster struck

Blanket weed can be submerged, or float on top if the water. In my frog pond it is both. The green silky strands have twisted themselves around my mini waterlily and the logs, making it rather tricky to get out.

I have had a pond before, a much bigger one, and that had blanket weed as well in the first year, but after that it was alright. But that pond had some shade as well, and this one none at all, as Hunky Dory has no shade (yet! Working on it). It is filled with rain water, which is best, and has no fish, which is better, and I will just have to grin and bear it, raking the muck out from time to time. 

You know, this garden really is in a state of flux. Over time I slowly learn what works and what does not, and there is quite a lot of the latter. So I spend quite some time simply observing how nature works around my garden plans, and usually puts those plans awry. You like to have ornamental grasses, dear? Well, they don't quite like your soil, but the wild grasses love it! You want clematis up your obelisks? Na-ah! Why not try bindweed instead? It loves your garden! (No way! There are limits)

I make lists of plants that do well, and I can already predict Hunky Dory will look very different next summer.

The balcony pond

On my balcony is a mini-pond as well. It was in a copper pot at first, but I changed that to a tin wider one, as Puck likes to play with the sprinkler. That toy will drain the pond within half an hour, I must keep topping it up, so I only put it in when I feel like doing that. Keeps it exciting for my doggie as well; oh, the waterthing is in, yay!!, let's bite the water! Puck is not a playful dog, there were no toys when she was living her first years on a chain I suppose, so whenever she feels like playing I am happy for her.

There are lovely plants in the tiny pond, and they are all blooming as well, which is nice. The coal tits who live on the flat roof come down to drink every day, and the dragons who live on the roof opposite do too.

Not really. The dragons. Just seeing if you are paying attention. Everyone knows Dutch dragons only drink milk.

I adore sitting in my chair surrounded by plants and watch the water. It is very peaceful. 

Buiten Leven Magazine, July 2022

 Last week I told you I have exciting news, right? This is it. My balcony garden is featured in a magazine, such fun! It is a tiny piece, with a slightly larger photograph (by me), but I am chuffed all the same. And I hope to meet some new garden friends through it, one can never have too many of them. 

Right. Do check out Instagram@songsmith2962 and Pixelfed@DutchDeltaWoman if you like to see more of my photos and read more of my garden stories, you never know, you might meet a dragon or two. Have a lovely weekend!