Taking time off from the election, we went to Leiden, to visit "the oldest botanic garden in western Europe" – if you conveniently ignore a couple in Italy. I fancy we saw it at its very best; there was certainly lots of vernal wood from which to get impulses about good and evil. The Hortus Botanics Leiden, to give it its Dutch name, is celebrating its 450th anniversary this year. The form of the original garden can still be seen with its numerous small rectangular beds, but the site is now much more extensive. It was good to see a garden celebrating wildness and disorder. The display (not really the right word) of spring flowers beside and beneath the trees was both visually stunning and wonderful to behold with even dandelions having their place. There were, of course, also tulips galore. I particularly appreciated a huge weeping beech and a Japanese elm (Zelkova serrata) one of which we once had in our own garden. Such a sad loss when it died. The research at the Hortus Botanics that was most accessible to the casual visitor was the DNA-based reclassification of plants, with informative displays around the garden.
We also went to the Garden of Appeltern in the east of the Netherlands, which was very different. The research here was about garden design, though any theory in use was not apparent. No matter, in part it was a cross between Chelsea at its most wacky with a good, but still utilitarian, garden centre. Like all good gardens, it had nooks, crannies, and hideaways, all with seats. It was the place to take a Dutch picknick, a sun hat, wine, time, and good company.
So, a week sans newspapers, sans TV, sans radio, sans internet, sans email, sans post, sans telephone, sans election. Rather a joy. Back now; recalled to life.
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