Since 1994, Wester-Amstel has come equipped with a "rose medallion". It is located at the front of the house and cannot be missed by visitors or passersby. And while we love it dearly, at the respectful age of 27... Our beloved rose medallion was beginning to lose its youthful appearance. Therefore, the garden group went to work to give it a complete makeover.
The garden group had quite the challenge on their hands but took everything in stride. Many planting choices had to be made, soil needed to be replaced, and "The Spanish Dancer" sculpture had to be temporarily relocated. In the end, they actually ended up redoing all of it.
Here’s what they did:
The roses: The old roses had reached their limits and needed to be replaced. It took a lot of time and research to decide which rose would be most suited for the medallion. In the end, a new rose called ‘Roter Duft’ was chosen. It’s a dark red, large-flowered rose with a wonderful scent. The young foliage is also a beautiful shade of red.
The soil: The soil had to be removed. Why? After years of being used for the old roses, ‘nematodes’ had infiltrated the soil. These are harmful to old and new roses. So not only was replacing the soil an ecologically sound way to combat these little pests, but new soil also means new nutrients for young plantlings.
The buxus: The garden group volunteers also removed the buxus (or more commonly known as boxwood) that stood along the edge of the medallion. Caterpillars of the buxusmoth (now a common pest in the Netherlands) had damaged the buxus beyond repair. They were replaced with ilex crenata (also known as Japanese holly), which stays low, is easy to prune, and has small shiny round leaves. It is, without a doubt, a worthy replacement.. Not only is it beautiful, it’s also not as susceptible to diseases.
The rose medallion was redone with passion, expertise, and a lot of hard work! We hope you get the chance to see it and enjoy it this summer.
We send out our thanks to Aleid Brederode. Not only was she the driving force behind this project, but she was also kind enough to tell us about the how and the why.
Speaking of roses… The garden group is currently on the hunt for a rose expert to help with the upkeep and renewal of the ornamental garden. If you have the knowledge and the interest, please email tuinen@wester-amstel.nl.
By: Taylor Blades