The English Country Park | Kitchen Garden
Surrounded by the park in the Von Witzleben estate and at the foot of the greenhouse is the manor house’s kitchen garden. It is a small offshoot of the larger garden that had been on the site of what is now the visitors’ parking lot and parts of the present cemetery. A stand of fruit trees indicate the garden’s former expanse.
The small kitchen has garden has seemingly always existed. It is tucked away behind a green picket-style fence surrounded by roses and shadowed by a cherry tree. For many years it lay in the background in a ‘secret garden’-type seclusion within the greater garden itself. With the help of Kallisch Bau Hude, GmbH, the small garden was brought back to life. The existing remains of the old raised flower beds could not be reconstructed and were thus replaced by five new beds of a more English style.
Because the kitchen garden was once an indispensable resource for the supply of produce to the estate kitchens (with herbs, fruits, vegetables, medicinal plants, etc.), the choice to keep and preserve the unique garden was a decisive one. In the age of fast food, the phenomenon of the slower-paced production of food has been largely forgotten, hence the significance of this important resource.
The small kitchen has garden has seemingly always existed. It is tucked away behind a green picket-style fence surrounded by roses and shadowed by a cherry tree. For many years it lay in the background in a ‘secret garden’-type seclusion within the greater garden itself. With the help of Kallisch Bau Hude, GmbH, the small garden was brought back to life. The existing remains of the old raised flower beds could not be reconstructed and were thus replaced by five new beds of a more English style.
Because the kitchen garden was once an indispensable resource for the supply of produce to the estate kitchens (with herbs, fruits, vegetables, medicinal plants, etc.), the choice to keep and preserve the unique garden was a decisive one. In the age of fast food, the phenomenon of the slower-paced production of food has been largely forgotten, hence the significance of this important resource.
As the garden had been largely neglected, it has gone through restoration in stages with the larger parks and gardens, but remained unfortunately on the sidelines. Larger projects such as the rehabilitation of a 200-year-old red beech tree took precedent, but upon further scrutiny during the renovations of the larger gardens, the old kitchen garden seemed to contain a particular aesthetic blend of utility and adornment.
One is often impressed when entering a symmetrically arranged kitchen garden with a wide variety of produce. Only a few such splendors exist today. Notable examples are located in Oldenburg, Eutin, and Ippenburg. For this reason, a kitchen garden network has been established to document the restoration and preservation of such historical gems, and it can be accessed at www.kuechengarten.net.
Though the Hude Kitchen Garten is still in the early stages of restoration, the foundation has been laid. Visits are possible within the guidelines of the general garden tours.
One is often impressed when entering a symmetrically arranged kitchen garden with a wide variety of produce. Only a few such splendors exist today. Notable examples are located in Oldenburg, Eutin, and Ippenburg. For this reason, a kitchen garden network has been established to document the restoration and preservation of such historical gems, and it can be accessed at www.kuechengarten.net.
Though the Hude Kitchen Garten is still in the early stages of restoration, the foundation has been laid. Visits are possible within the guidelines of the general garden tours.