OpdeHaar garden is an open garden in the woodland in Hoevelaken, on the border between Gelderland and Utrecht, The Netherlands

This garden is open to the public by appointment

Especially suitable for groups of 8 to 50 people

8 different style gardens in one garden (ca 5 acres)

A unique landscape in the middle of an ancient woodland reclaimed from swamp in the 14C

A plant lover’s garden with over 4500 different plants, trees and shrubs, most of which are labelled

OpdeHaar garden in The Netherlands is renowned for its woodland and shade tolerant plants

During 2020 we planted a new raised bed, created a stumpery, with a large collection of ferns, and built a new pergola.

We are members of the Royal Horticultural Society, the Nederlandse Tuinen Stichting and Groei en Bloei Nijkerk

John and Joyce Ramsbotham

Email: ramsbotham@planet.nl

Telephone: +31 (0) 653753221

Contact form: Click here

Click here to see the television programme made by RTBF (Belgium) in Juni 2015 and screened by RTBF in “Jardins et Loisirs” on 24 January 2016 Click here to see a video made by Dutch television in the winter for the programme “BinnensteBuiten”. It was screened on 23rd February 2016 Click here to see a video made by Dutch television in May 2016 in the pouring rain for the programme “BinnensteBuiten”. It was screened on 11 May 2017

Click on the photo to see highlights in autumn Click on the photo to see highlights in November

A small selection of highlights in November at OpdeHaar garden

Skimmia japonica

Our garden is a plant lover’s garden and the main focus of this website is naturally on our gardens and the plants in them. However, keeping plants healthy and happy and meeting the criteria for “the right plant in the right place” requires  an understanding of some basic botany and in this context we have written several articles:

• • • Photosynthesis
    • Plant nutrition 
    • Why is a plant shade-tolerant?

We have powerpoint presentations  on:

• colour and contrast and shadow plants in our garden with more than 100 photographs and also
• a presentation about the evolution of plants on earth.

Something for the winter months perhaps.