Some gardens reveal themselves all at once. Others unfold as you move through them. De Theetuin in Weesp, the Netherlands, is one of them.
Danielle Sherry and Carol Collins are currently traveling with readers on our Stunning Gardens of the Netherlands tour. They are hosting the trip alongside British garden designer Annie Guilfoyle. Danielle sent over photos she took at several of the gardens along the way to share with GPOD readers.
For a little background, De Theetuin opened in 1986 as a model garden meant to surprise and inspire visitors. Jacqueline van der Kloet, Stan Gall, and Niek Roozen designed it together, with van der Kloet developing combinations of unusual perennials, bulbs, shrubs, grasses, and annuals that carry the garden through the growing season.

Hedges play an important role throughout De Theetuin, limiting how much of the garden visitors can see at once. The design reveals each space gradually, encouraging people to stop and take it in before continuing along the gravel paths.

At the center of the garden is an oval brick-edged pond surrounded by arborvitae (Thuja cvs., Zones 3–11). This area is described as a central resting point, and it’s easy to see why.

This winding gravel path leads toward a hedge shaped like a doorway, reinforcing the sense of moving from one garden room to the next.

White Japanese anemones (Anemone cvs., Zones 4–8) are part of the late-summer display.

Spring is especially bulb-heavy here, with thousands of bulbs woven through the perennial beds. But bulbs aren’t left out later in the season. White autumn crocuses (Colchicum cvs., Zones 4–9) carry that interest into late summer and early fall.

A bumblebee visits a purple aster, one of the late-season flowers still providing forage as summer winds down.

Hello from the Fine Gardening tour group in the Netherlands!
Thanks for taking us along, Danielle! I’ve never had FOMO (fear of missing out) quite like this. I’ll be sharing more from the garden tour over the next few days, so stay tuned!
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