In April 2012 in lieu of going to the Netherlands to see the
tulip fields I visited Floralia Brussels at Château de Grand Bigard. “Getting
there is easy. There are signs.” I was told. So I took the tram and ended up at
the Grand Bigard Tram Stop which was on an empty residential street. The Tram
conductor unhelpfully told me this was the stop and he did not know where the
castle was.
Two youths had gotten
out so I asked them if they knew where the castle was. They looked at each
other and laughed and admitted they had no idea there was a castle here but
maybe if I walked down “that way” I would find it. So we walked with the two
clueless if helpful local (?) boys walking ahead since we were going in the
same direction.
This time we continued down an underpass and more empty
streets which made me wonder where everyone was and if they might all be at the
flower show or had been abducted by aliens or if it was just a very quiet small
town. Then we came out of an empty stretch and suddenly we arrived at what had
to be the commercial and administrative centre because there were shops, cafes,
a church and a town hall. And there were people. Not many but enough to seek further
directions. But then I saw the second sign as did my two helpful local boys who
pointed at it and waved me goodbye as they continued on their way.
As I said the grounds are big (hectares ) and I only realised afterwards that they had other plant displays indoors. And a special surprise in the tower which I did not get to visit so I never found out what the surprise was. But I did get to see lots of flowers: lots and lots of flowers.
They were mainly bulbs, tulips, hyacinths, muscari, Fritillaria Imperialis, wild tulips, violets, azaleas and rhododendrons, and others. Some had little signs giving the names but as I had not brought a notebook I did not bother reading many. I know, I should keep a photographer’s log.
They had set them up in various settings, which proved quite interesting and pleasing aesthetically. First there were the beds with one type of flower and colour. Then there were combinations of flowers of different but complimentary colours and then there were the swaths of what I can only call natural woodland flower mixes.
Over all it was a harmonious and complementary combination
of flowers and colours. They also had a labyrinth and a French Garden. By the
time I got to the French Garden I was most appreciative of being able to take
pictures of flowers without the need to crouch down to take close ups or vary
the angle of the shots. While taking photos of one bed earlier on I made the
mistake of putting one knee down only to discover that the ground was soaking wet
and icy cold.
All in all it was all quite brilliantly done and when you
realise that all these thousands of bulbs were planted by hand and deliberately
planned to achieve a certain look it is impressive. Another interesting thing
about the flower show which shows the thought and expertise that went into it
is the inclusion of early flowering, midseason and late flowering plants. This means
that not only will you be getting constant flowers over the month long period
in which the Floralia runs but it also means that the whole display would shift
and change as time passed with different flowers and colours emerging. When I
realised that, I really regretted not having bought a multiple entry pass.
Aside from the plants planted outside there was an indoor exhibition
in a 1000 square foot greenhouse. These comprised of indoor garden flower
arrangements. But I did not even get around to see these and actually because I
was too busy taking pictures and did not read the pamphlet I only realised that
there were more flowers to see after I left.
In retrospect I would have done several things differently:
1.
First of all I would have come earlier not only
to get more time but also for the lighting as some there were some shots I
could not take due to the direction of the light. Yes I know there probably is
a way but I am not that advanced in photography and besides it was not just the
light but the angle that I wanted to take the photo was directly into the sun.
2.
Secondly I would have come with lots more
batteries and maybe even tried to get hold of one of those pocket warmers I
read about that can be used to keep the batteries warm. Although I definitely need
to read up more on taking photos in cold weather because aside from the dead
batteries I want to avoid any problems with condensation in the camera.
3.
Thirdly I would probably bring more equipment.
Okay when I say more equipment I have to admit the only other camera equipment
I have is my camera stand with the telescopic legs. But still having that would
have helped a bit as taking photos in the cold is not easy it would have made
it easier to take photos at some awkward angles and especially the close ups
and close to the ground shots. I would also bring small board or something
waterproof to kneel on. I did have my umbrella and a plastic bag to stick my
camera in, in-case it rained which thankfully it did not. One reason I did not
take the stand with me was for fear of looking like a tourist. I know silly but
it is a holdover from my time in Hawaii where people deliberately avoid doing
anything that might make people mistake them for tourists. But at the gardens
there were quite a few people taking serious photos. There was even a TV camera
crew there. No one seemed to find it odd and actually unlike other places most
people seemed conscious and respectful of the people taking photos. When I say
respectful I mean that if they saw you were lining up a shot they would pause
and wait for you to take it instead of just continuing to walk and getting in the
way. All the photographers including me were very appreciative of that as it
enabled you to take your shots and move on rather than wait ages before you had
a clear shot.
4.
Another thing would be to do a bit more research
on what there was to see so that I do not miss anything and if necessary can
better organise my schedule and go on several visits as this obviously merited.
Frankly taking the changing floral arrangements over time and the amount of
flowers to see I would probably have been able to spend 4 weekends and not
quite see all there was to see. Fortunately there are restaurant and toilet
facilities so you could actually spend the whole day there if you really wanted
although as I mentioned the village centre is close by and I saw several pubs
around where you could get a bite to eat and a drink as well.
5.
Finally I would take a notebook to at least take
some notes of what the flowers names were. Apparently some were rare or new
varieties.
Additional Facts:
Floralia Brussels is a yearly event held in early April
through till early May at the Grand-Bigard from 10AM – 6PM. Note the ticket
booth closes at 5PM.
It is a spring flower exhibition held throughout the grounds
of Grand-Bigard which comprise of about 1 million bulbs planted by hand in approximately
14 hectares. According to the official website there are 500 varieties
including 400 tulip varieties. Among the other bulbs are hyacinths, daffodils
and are arranged by Maarten and Pieter Bakker who are descendants of a famous
family Dutch bulb producers.
The park is accessible to people with reduced mobility and
dogs are allowed on a leash but owners are expected to pick up after their
charges.
There is a cafeteria that sells sandwiches, salads, cold
dishes as well as a daily special dish or from the menu.
Reservation is necessary for groups. I did not go in so I cannot comment on what it is like.
Entrance Fees are:
Adults - 10 €Children (6-14 years) - 5 €
Children less than 6 - 0 €
Groups more than 20 people 9 € (per person)
Passe-Partout - 15 €
In essence Grand-Bigard dates from the 12th
Century and is surrounded by a moat.
The
stately home was built in the 17th Century and is considered a fine
example of the Flemish Renaissance.
The Keep dates from the 12th
Century. This is a fortified tower which was built around 1347 with walls two meters
thick and is composed of four stories rising up to thirty meters.
Flora and Fauna - Plants and Critters Blog by Vincent Albert Vermeulen is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
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You can visit their official site by going to this link http://www.grandbigard.be/en
