The enchanted heemparks of Amstelveen

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The enchanted heemparks of Amstelveen

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The enchanted heemparks of Amstelveen A walk through the heemparks De Braak, Dr. Koos Landwehrpark and Dr. Jac. P. Thijssepark

AriĂŤn Slagt Arlette Kouwenhoven Carien van Boxtel

LM Publishers

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Contents Foreword

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Wonder, daydream and enjoy

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A tapestry of spring ephemerals: flowering bulbs and tubers

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De Braak

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Dr. Koos Landwehrpark

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Dr. Jac. P. Thijssepark

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List of plant names

www.heemparken.nl

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Foreword Regularly, Amstelveen receives national and international appreciation for its lovely public parks and gardens. Our beautiful heemparks are true greenery gems. The heemparks in question are the Dr. Jac. P. Thijssepark, De Braak and the Dr. Koos Landwehrpark. In fact, the first two parks are national heritage sites and we are extremely proud of this.

In the early 1940s the planning of heemparks commenced on Amstelveen wet peat bog. The parks comprised approx. 11 hectares.

Architect Chris Broerse designed both the Thijssepark and De Braak in such a way that these are exciting and enchanting parks, each with its own distinctive character. The Landwehrpark is also his work.

Whichever park you choose to stroll through: you can enjoy the indigenous flora at every time of the day during each season. You will find many varieties of plants in our parks that are rare in the Netherlands; such as Alternate-leaved Golden Saxifrage, Wolf’s Bane and Saw-Wort. You will even find the Ivy-leaved Bellflower along the paths. We tend to the parks ourselves and we do this with a great amount of passion. Our maintenance method is unique. Weeding is done by hand and we prune the trees and trim the bushes in a specific manner. That is how the parks maintain a fully-developed wooded setting with beautiful views through to a wealth of different varieties of bulbs, plants, bushes and trees.

Let yourself be enchanted by the beauty of the heemparks. Enjoy the peace and quiet that the parks exude. Come and enjoy the parks with us and be amazed. Do you see us at work? Talk to us. We are very proud of our work and we are happy when we see strolling people enjoy themselves. That inspires us to maintain and manage the parks in our ‘Amstelveen way’. It’s what we live for! That’s our passion.

We look forward to seeing you!

A proud Heempark team

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Wander, daydream and enjoy ‘He doesn’t know the names of everything that grows there, but he recognises many familiar shapes and senses the murmuring of something he once experienced but cannot put into words. He recognises the Black Elderberry, the Hawthorn, the Ragged Robin and the Ox-eye Daisy from his youth, from a solitary stroll on a summer morning. It felt as if he was donning an old, well-worn coat that he always felt so good in, because it was such a comfortable fit: now he regretted throwing that coat away.’

Thus did Koos Landwehr, one of the founders of parks dedicated to indigenous (‘heem’) plants in the Netherlands, describe in simple yet striking language the essence of what he meant by a ‘heempark’. Of course, people can relax here in tranquil surroundings that allow them to forget the world outside for a moment and recharge their batteries.

School children learn about the enormous diversity of flora in the Netherlands and how important it is to manage it carefully. But it is exactly those melancholic ripples that pass through you as you follow the winding paths and see the shades of white, yellow and purple, and the delicate flowers swaying and bobbing in the breeze, and smell their fragrances that, more than anything else, remind you of the past: this is ‘heem’, this is ‘home’, and it is especially this that Landwehr and the other founders of the heemparks in Amstelveen envisaged.

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View over the large lake in the Jac. P. Thijssepark

Regardless of whether you have only a moment or an ocean of time we would like to invite you to stroll through De Braak, the Dr. Jac. P. Thijssepark and the Dr. Koos Landwehrpark – with this book in hand – and take you to that wonderful place called ‘home’. They still grow here, the plants of yore: Cornflowers, Upland Enchanter’s Nightshade and Scottish Harebells, even if they are no longer profuse in fields, or alongside roads and ditches. Decades of ceaseless construction and changes to land management and agricultural techniques have resulted in some varieties such as Wood Buttercup and Dwarf Cornel becoming extinct or hardly ever growing in the wild. Other varieties such as Common Butterwort and Marsh St. John’s Wort have been saved from extinction, but they are nowhere near as widespread as they once were in swamps or bodies of water. All these plants have their place in Amstelveen’s heemparks that cover an area of approximately 11 hectares, be it in the open compositions of bodies of water and surrounding greenery in De Braak, in the romantic and more enclosed ‘garden rooms’ in the Dr. Jac P. Thijssepark, or in the rugged Molinia meadow in the Dr. Koos Landwehrpark. We invite you to wander, daydream and get lost in the colours, fragrances and forms of our enchanting indigenous flora, no matter the season.

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A tapestry of spring ephemerals: flowering bulbs and tubers If there is one group of plants within the rich indigenous flora of the heemparks that deserves special attention, it’s that of the bulbs and tubers. As early spring bloomers, they pre-eminently use the available light at this time of year and transform the woodland floors, thickets, natural shores and open landscapes in the parks into magical floral tapestries. The flowers seem to have settled there as a matter of course; so picturesque and natural. These beautiful softly-coloured groups seem painted in their green background, but that is merely an illusion. It is all thanks to careful gardening and especially to ‘regulating’. The gardeners aim to allow these varieties (and plants that compete with them) to naturalize semi-spontaneously. The ideal conditions are created by manual weeding (so not by hoeing, which is disastrous for bulbs and tubers), thinning and pruning. Moreover, over-intrusive bulbs and tubers are not spared either: even the fairylike Wood Anemone is removed without mercy in certain places to prevent it from overrunning less vigorous plants. In the parks you can admire beautiful combinations of bulbs and tubers with perennials, grasses and ferns that can also easily be applied in other, public and private gardens.

Large scale, grand effect The secret to the magic of spring bulbs and tubers (the English also refer to them as 'spring ephemerals') lies mainly in the scale in which they manifest themselves: the large groups, ribbons or drifts of soft colours, like white, pink, blue and yellow, achieve a great effect in the early season in the still 'bare' parks and are highly appreciated by the public. During the full spring season, the different varieties and species flower in succession as well as in combination: from Snowdrops and Winter Aconites in January to their successors in the following period such as Bird-in-a-Bush, Hollowroot, (Wild) tulips, Daffodils, English Bluebells and Grape Hyacinths. The bulbs and tubers alone result in beautiful multi-coloured carpets already, but the combinations with other ground cover and woodland plants such as ferns, Periwinkle and grasses add yet another extra dimension!

Why do the bulbs and tubers flourish so well in the heemparks?

All the naturalizing varieties are so-called geophytes: plants that appear aboveground in the spring as bulbs, tubers or rhizomes and

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then survive completely underground during summer, autumn and winter and collect and store nutrients for the following year. That requires a specific, slightly moist habitat which contains sufficient humus (originating from fallen leaves that are quickly broken down by soil life) and lime. In addition, the structure of the soil must be light and not overgrown by invasive herbs such as Nettle and Cow Parsley.

The mineral cycle created by the underground interplay of soil life and fungi (mycorrhiza) is essential: it provides nutrients for the bulbs and tubers. Precisely these circumstances, particularly in woodland vegetation, are pre-eminently present in the heemparks. We often see populations near trees in the park that flourish exceptionally well: an indication that trees, bulbs and tubers live together in symbiosis.

The gardeners as "stage-directors" No matter how natural all that floral splendour may seem: the reality is that traditional and daily gardening work is involved. The succession is constantly kept under control because without interference, everything will become a dark forest and no more light will reach the ground. And the literally murderous competition between the seemingly friendly-looking plants that grow above ground level must be kept

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under control by "regulation". It is precisely this targeted steering of spontaneous growth that allows the desired populations of the naturalized bulbs and tubers to really flourish.

Lightweight vehicles, lava on the paths and a small knife as a tool No concessions at all are made by the gardeners when it comes to preventing compaction and trampling of the soil, because both are disastrous for all plantings. That is why the parks, including the paths, are not open to motorized and heavy (work)vehicles and why dogs are not allowed in the parks.(Cycling is also prohibited.) The gardeners themselves, with their characteristic handcarts, only move around through the parks on foot. The paths are "semi-paved" with lava grit: perfectly permeable and the released lime in the lava has a positive effect on the development of the bulbs and tubers. The (manual) weeding is also done with great care, so that bulbs, tubers and roots do not suffer unnecessarily. It is not done with a hoe, but with a small weeding knife.

Indigenous bulbs and tubers: endangered in nature, thriving in the heemparks Varieties that can be admired in the heemparks include the Spring and Summer Snowflakes, that bloom in February and April respectively, and the indigenous Wild Daffodil. The huge white to soft pink carpets that the Wood Anemone weaves through the park with its underground creeping rhizomes are breathtakingly beautiful. They are subsequently followed also by the Yellow Anemone. The Wild Tulip is also very special: cheerful yellow on elegant, curved stems and, contrary to what the name suggests, it is not a woodland plant but a bulb for an open (and sunny) space. When the elongated candles of the Hollowroot bloom in many shades of lilac and cream in April, visitors hold their breath: this special and delicate plant is that beautiful and graceful. The Fritillary that is still found in the Netherlands in the stream valleys of a river named the ‘Hollandse IJssel’, is also present in large numbers.

They like to grow in damp places in grassy vegetation.

“Stinzenplants”, what are they?

"Stinzenplanten" is a Dutch collective name for a special group of naturalizing spring flowers. These are mainly bulbous, tuberous, but also root plants that were (and are!) planted at country estates and around castles and country houses from around the sixteenth century.

The name is derived from the old Frisian word "stins": that is a former

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Wood Anemone fortified farmhouse. In 1932 botanist J. Botke used the word "stinsblomkes" for the first time, named after the location of the Frisian Schierstins. Other important stinzenplant-populations are still found today in old Frisian ‘states’, beautiful country estates with park woodlands, orchards and vegetable gardens, but also in other parts of the country. So, stinzenplants are actually the "garden plants of the past", settled so comfortably in their "stinzen environment" that they have survived and have multiplied with the help of proper management.

Are “stinzenplants” also heemplants?

There is discussion among the handful of specialists who study and work with stinzenplants. The terms are not interchangeable. In principle, stinzenplants are cultivated garden plants or "introduced" plants. Much of the confusion is due to the fact that the same species are stinzenplants in one part of the country (i.e. regionally) (because they were planted there by humans) and elsewhere they are not (because they occur in the wild in those areas). The Yellow Anemone, for example, is (regionally) indigenous to the South Limburg province and therefore in South Limburg not a stinzenplant, but a wild or indigenous plant. In the north of the Netherlands, in Friesland, where they were often planted near country houses, it is a (regional) stinzenplant. Moreover, permissive experts also accept spontaneously occurring plants in the stinzen environment as stinzenplants. And why should more modern bulb and tuber varieties from far away not be called stinzenplants? Viewed from this perspective, the Camassia from the United States or the Drumstick from Central and Southern Europe

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and West Asia could also be considered to be stinzenplants. But of course, this criterion does not apply in the heemparks: only indigenous plants have a place there.

Which stinzenbulbs and -tubers do we find in the heemparks?

'True' stinzenplants include Wild Garlic, Wood Anemone, Lords-andLadies (both the purple-spotted and the Italian one), Forbes Glory of the Snow and Lesser Glory of the Snow, Autumn Crocus, Naked Ladies, Lilyof-the-Valley, Bird-in-a-Bush, Tommasini’s Crocus and Spring Crocus, Common and Double Snowdrop, Summer and Spring Snowflake, English Bluebells, Fritillary, Grape Hyacinths, Narcissus poeticus, Wild Daffodil, (Drooping)-Star-of-Bethlehem, Alpine Squill and Siberian Squill, Wild Tulip, Winter Aconite and Dogtooth Violet.

However, not all of these typical stinzenplants can be found in the heemparks. This has to do with the fact that, in the view of the Heempark management at the time, not all varieties belonged to the established indigenous flora. The year 1825 was the reference moment for this. That is why, for example, Large Dutch crocus, Squill, Glory-of-the-Snow, Dogtooth Violet, Narcissus poeticus and Meadow Saxifrage are not included in the parks: these were possibly already grown commercially in 1825 but did not meet the 'heem-' standard at that time. We also know that two varieties, the Winter Aconite and Common Snowdrop the Common Snowdrop, were missing because designers Landwehr and Broerse were said not to have liked them very much. That has since been adjusted somewhat: the Common (but oh so beautiful) Snowdrop has been planted at all entrances to the parks, to invite visitors to visit the parks even as early as January and February.

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Bulb and tuber varieties from month to month January and February The first flowers of the season are the bright yellow Winter Aconites, family of the Buttercup, with the Common Snowdrop in its wake. The Winter Aconite is a tuberous plant that was first found in the Netherlands in 1836 and therefore it is not a heemplant. Thanks to the gardeners, they are fortunately present now, as they herald a hopeful new spring with their bright yellow nectar-rich cup-shaped flowers above a beautifully incised green leaf collar.

Winter Aconites The Common Snowdrop is said to have been found in the Netherlands in the sixteenth century already. Its natural habitat is a bit further away from us, particularly in southern Europe up to northern France. The white Bellflowers with their typical green hearts and stripes on the petals are highly nectar and pollen-rich and are pollinated by early-flying bees.

In the heemparks you only find Common Snowdrops at the entrances, because they have recently been introduced there by the gardeners.

The Spring Snowflake is a large "Snowdrop look-a-like" and, unlike its name, it blooms still in winter. It is an almost extinct bulbous plant in the Netherlands that was planted in gardens as early as the fifteenth century. There are two large, rare populations in the J.P. Thijssepark,

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Spring Snowflake thanks to the favourable damp ‘stinzen-environment’. The six white petals that form a kind of lampshade, are all decorated with a green dot and the blooms are considerably larger than those of the Snowdrop.

Also, the leaves are overall broader and larger than the leaves of the Snowdrop.

Especially in the open woodland edges of the southern part of the J.P. Thijssepark we are treated to huge patches of Tommasini’s Crocuses, affectionately called "Tommies" in English.

This small lavender-coloured Crocus on its slender white flower stem has a more refined habitus compared to the Large Dutch Crocus and blooms earlier. In the full sun, the flower will open wide like a star and welcome early-flying (wild) bees and bumblebees. As a result of the upcoming trade in rich soil, originating from Frisian farms, the plants also ended up in meadows in the first half of the nineteenth century.

Ants play an important role in propagation: they drag and drop the tiny seeds to which small fleshy bits are attached: elaiosomes. Regrettably, we do not know where the original planting material was collected. There is quite a bit of variation in the "true" Tommasini’s Crocus. In a somewhat

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colder month of February with few hours of sunshine, it also blooms in March.

Ants work at least as hard as the gardeners: myrmecochory Ants play a very important role in the propagation process of bulbs and tubers. You can find tiny tags, called elaiosomes, attached to the seeds of many bulbous and tuberous plants. These are full of oil and carbohydrates and the ants drag these to their nests in warm, lime-rich places to feed their larvae. During all that dragging, the seed breaks from the elaiosomes and germinates a little further on or even inside the ant's nest!

March The Bird-in-a-Bush is indigenous to the province of South Limburg and therefore truly belongs in the heemparks. Bird-in-a-Bush is easily confused with Hollowroot, which is found there on a large scale and which blooms at the same time. The slightly more modest flowers with long flower spores, that are arranged in a row, are usually pink, while

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Hollowroot

Wild Daffodil

Yellow Anemone

those of the Hollowroot are reddish-purple to purple and sometimes also creamy-white. And if we look very closely, we will find incised or hand-shaped leaves, whereas the leaves of Hollowroot have smooth leaf edges. You can find Bird-in-a-Bush in particular in De Braak.

Especially in the J.P. Thijssepark, fantastic groups of Hollowroot (which is somewhat larger and less elegant than the Bird-is-a-Bush in

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all respects) bloom from March to mid-April. On a sunny day, this rare, tuberous plant releases a wonderful scent. The name Hollowroot is derived from the (medicinal) tuber, that is indeed "hollow".

With their nectar and pollen both species are magnets for bees and bumblebees, that have to really put in quite an effort; they sometimes "bite" their way through the flower.

From the end of March, the Wild Daffodilblooms with pendant flowers with pale yellow petals and a bright yellow trumpet. They form large groups on many locations in the parks, partly because they seem to spread so easily. It is a typical stream valley plant that likes a moist location. Wild Daffodils also occur in open deciduous woodlands.

The Yellow Anemone is a fragile and extremely rare plant that occurs naturally in the province of South Limburg in Oak-Hornbeam forests with moving, lime-rich groundwater, where Wild Garlic, Bird-in-aBush and Naked Ladies also feel at home. The flowers of the Yellow Anemone that bloom from the end of March are reminiscent of those of a Buttercup. You will have to look carefully to spot this understated beauty, because they never form large populations. However, in the heemparks they seem to thrive, helped by the excellent water quality and increasingly warmer springs.

Bulbs and tubers enhance biodiversity Stinsbulbs and tubers may be closely intertwined with history, they are very topical and for various reasons a very sustainable and therefore modern choice. After all, planting bulbs and tubers makes an investment for years, maybe even for centuries: the bulbs will remain and expand steadily underground (by forming bulblets/offset bulb) or above ground (through pollination by insects and setting seeds), whilst management is relatively easy. So in this regard they have the same characteristics as many other plants, but they disappear underground after flowering and seed formation and then make room for other ground cover plants. That is why combinations with other plants that take over are also so important. Moreover, they offer a lot of colour in 'bare periods' and are an important source of nectar and pollen for (wild) bees and butterflies (in early spring).

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Summer Snowflake

April

The Summer Snowflake is a 40 – 60 cm tall plant and looks like a giant snowdrop. It is indigenous to the Netherlands where it can be found mainly in grassland, swamps, willow plantings and banks on clay or peaty soils in sunny and semi-shaded areas. In the heemparks they have been planted very strategically and visibly along banks and bridges and in April they form magnificent "ton-sur-ton" colour combinations with the large groups of white birches.

The Wood Anemone is a true, indigenous woodland plant, andaccording to the gardeners - it is both a blessing and a curse: it clearly feels very much at home in the heemparks. They are favourites of the public because they seem so delicate and are tough at the same time

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and it can be found in great numbers. All the anemones open their slender flowers on thin stems only on sunny and dry days from the end of March until well into April and naturalize through their creeping root system but also through their seeds. So if you want to experience this small wonder, visit the heemparks in April, especially on a nice sunny day! Most Wood Anemone flowers are virgin white, but many shades of pastel pink and dark pink also occur, presumably due to local differences in soil quality.

The wonderful Fritillary was already introduced in the Netherlands in 1573. As a typical’ riparian’ plant, it should not be missed in the heemparks, where the situation is ideal: not too nutrient-rich, peaty soil with a relatively high or fluctuating groundwater level. This beauty feels at home there. You will have to really pay attention, as the

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Fritillary

Wild Tulip

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Fritillary is such a subtle beauty, usually deep burgundy red with a wonderful chessboard pattern or, in contrast, completely white with very narrow leaves on a slender stem, 20 to 40 cm tall. If you are lucky, there are three flowers dangling from one stem! You will find many in De Braak in particular. It is a fantastic bulb that feels at home on the edge of a pond or in a rain garden.

The Wild Tulip is the crowned queen of bulbous plants in the heemparks. Originally from Turkey, the Wild Tulip arrived in the Netherlands through the famous hortulanus Carolus Clusius in Leyden around sixteen hundred. After that, they soon became established in the province Friesland especially and spread mainly through trade in rich soil and planting material in which the bulblets were present. There is nothing daintier and more elegant: unlike the cultivated garden tulip, the Wild Tulip has very narrow grey leaves and a very slender, curved stem with pointed flower buds. Upon opening, the flower stem stretches and the crown formed by the pointed goldenyellow petals will reveal itself. A long offshoot grows from the bulb, which can result in a new bulb. It does not flower equally faithfully every year, which is why gardeners regularly dig up and replant the plants. Contrary to what the name suggests, you will find the Wild Tulips in modest groups in sunny or semi-shaded spots in the parks in picturesque combinations with Wood Anemones and soft and subtle yellow Primrose varieties.

May The dashing Wild Garlic is only allowed to grow at one isolated growing location in the J.P. Thijssepark. As its tiny bulblets multiply rapidly indeed and it also naturalizes very profusely with its seed. As a result, dense mats are quickly created in which there is no space left for other delicate spring plants. In De Braak, the Wild Garlic is allowed to take up a little more space. It is nevertheless a beautiful plant that is also edible for people (and animals: badgers and bears love it): for good reason it is called Wild Garlic: leaves are eaten blanched or processed into pesto. The flowers are used as a garnish.

The Lords-and-Ladies is a 15 to 45 cm tall tuberous plant with two to three arrow-shaped, sometimes brown-spotted leaves. There is a brown calyx in the pale green flowering sheath. But it's the leaves that make the Arum decorative and as a bonus they remain green in winter.

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English Bluebell Arums are pollinated by flies, that can sometimes be "trapped" in the flower for a number of days. After pollination, Arums form beautiful, bright orange seeds (berries) that are mainly spread by blackbirds.

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The true form of the English Bluebell does not grow in the wild in the Netherlands and also the cultivar here is probably a cross between the Spanish Bluebells and the true English ’Bluebell’ that was introduced

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Wild Garlic in the Netherlands around seventeen hundred. An English Bluebell is characterized by a narrow leaf, with a number of small dangling blue bells on the same side of the curved stem. It is a very strong plant that is well-visited by bumble bees, bees and other insects, which can spread abundantly and so form beautiful blue carpets, a well-known and treasured phenomenon in British woodlands. In the Netherlands you can see it in The Hague (Hyacinth Woodland on the Ockenburgh estate) and in Belgium (Hallerbos), among other places. A beautiful and easy plant that fills the temporary "flower gap" between early flowering bulbs and summer-flowering perennial plants perfectly.

Strictly speaking the well-known Lily-of-the-Valley is not a bulbous plant but a rhizome: swollen underground stems, usually horizontal, always very shallow (sometimes on the surface of the soil). The plant usually has two large elongated, lancet-shaped leaves that sprout at the base of

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Lily-of-the-Valley