SITUATED BETWEEN THE FORESTED RIDGES OF THE UTRECHTSE HEUVELRUG AND THE OPEN VALLEYS OF GELDERLAND, THIS GARDEN DESIGN DRAWS ITS SOUL FROM SOESTERBERG’S gRID OF HEATHLANDS, SAND DRIFTS, AND WOODLANDS.

GUIDED BY THE SITE’S ZAVEL-RICH, FERTILE SOILS, THE DESIGN INTERWEAVES LAYERS OF STRUCTURAL SHRUBS, NATURALISTIC PERENNIALS, AND TEXTURAL GRASSES TO CREATE A LANDSCAPE THAT FLOWS LIKE A RIVER THROUGH STONE.

INSPIRED BY THE SOFT, TIMELESS ELEGANCE OF COTTAGE GARDENS — BUT REIMAGINED IN A CONTEMPORARY LANGUAGE — THE PLANTING WEAVES A NARRATIVE OF SEASONAL CHANGE AND TEXTURE. CLUSTERS OF NATURAL STONES AND ROUNDED BOULDERS EVOKE DRY RIVERBEDS, WHILE RIBBONS OF MEADOW PLANTING LEAD THE EYE THROUGH THE SPACE.

THE DESIGN HONORS THE LOCAL LANDSCAPE: SCULPTURAL TREES CREATE HEIGHT AND SHADE, UNDERPLANTED WITH HEATHERS, WILD THYMES, AND SAND-LOVING GRASSES THAT REFLECT THE CHARACTER OF THE SOESTER DUINEN AND SURROUNDING HEATHLANDS. NATIVE SPECIES PROVIDE HABITAT FOR REPTILES SUCH AS THE SAND LIZARD, INSECTS LIKE THE GRAYLING BUTTERFLY, AND BIRDS INCLUDING BUZZARDS AND LARKS.

STEPPING STONES AND PATHWAYS IN WEATHERED NATURAL STONE CONNECT SPACES AND INVITE SLOW EXPLORATION, WHILE STRATEGICALLY PLACED BOULDERS BECOME SEATING, SCULPTURE, AND MEMORY OF THE LANDSCAPE’S GEOLOGICAL HERITAGE.

DESIGNED NOT AS A STATIC SCENE BUT AS A LIVING, CHANGING CANVAS, THIS GARDEN CELEBRATES THE RAW BEAUTY OF SOESTERBERG — WHERE NATURAL STONE, RIVER-INSPIRED LINES, AND LAYERED PLANTING MEET IN A MODERN NATURALISTIC SANCTUARY.