Restoring the Parterre de Broderie
Fredericksburg Castle Gardens, Denmark
During the last 5-7 years the plants in the parterre have succumbed to nematodes, which are tiny, but in this case very harmful worms that feed off the roots of the plants.
The Agency for Culture and Palaces has over the years tried to exterminate the nematodes, but without success. As a result, many of the box plants have been lost, and many more are in a very poor state.
The parterre de broderie is about to be cleared, new soil will be brought in, and all the plants will be replaced by new, healthy specimens.
Previously restored and replanted in 1996, when Frederik IV’s original garden from the 1720’s was recreated. The parterre de broderie is one of the garden’s finest elements.
The parterre consists of four large fields, each field is framed with box hedges adorned with summer annuals, bulbs, and pyramidal yew topiary.
As the centre of the elegant pattern, tightly clipped box plants and coloured gravel complement each other in order to create the intricate design of the Royal monograms.
The restoration of the parterre will begin in the spring of 2019 and the restoration should be completed in the early summer of 2021.
Did you know that:
- About 20.000 box plants, Buxus microphylla ”Faulkner”, will be planted to form the pattern of the parterre de broderie
- In the autumn of 2020 the palace gardeners will plant about 12,000 new bulbs such as tulips, hyacinths, daffodils, and narcissus within the beds of the four monograms.
- All the plants in the Baroque Garden today could have been seen and enjoyed, during the reign of Fredrik IV
- Every year, the palace gardeners trim some 6 kilometers of hedges in the Baroque Garden.
Thanks to Dr David Jacques at Sugnall Hall for bringing this story to our attention.
Information from the Denmark Ministry of Culture
