Step into Rubens's garden and you will be overcome by the 22,000 plants, trees, shrubs and flower bulbs. Take time to breathe, just as Rubens himself did when he came into this patch of greenery in between painting commissions and as a break from everyday life.
If you zoom in on Rubens's painting ‘The Walk in the Garden’, you will undoubtedly recognise a few key elements. In this garden, housemaids, gardeners and apprentices would cross paths during their busy everyday activities and it was here that Rubens would chat with Isabella and Helena, would play with his growing children and would welcome artists and important guests for an informal chat with the scent of exotic orange and lime trees in their nostrils. Yes, Rubens was a trendsetter and planted the seed that grew into the walking meeting that we know today.
Today, thanks to a design by Ars Horti, the garden once again looks as colorful as it did back then. Among the plants it contains you will find lilies of the valley, quinces, dogtooth violets, tulips, bergamot and bay trees. After an extensive study of hundreds of archived documents, floral still-lives and gardeners' handbooks, Rubens's garden has now been brought back to life. Even a few written sources – such as a handwritten letter from Rubens himself – set the gardeners of today on the right track. Rubens was absolutely in love with his garden. And that is the feeling we are now bringing back.
Thanks to the colour advice from the fashion designer Dries Van Noten, each season brings with it a new set of colours. In spring, you can admire the fiery flamed tulips. In summer, the Nigella damascena (love-in-a-mist) flowers provide a wealth of colour. In the autumn, ground-covering plants such as cyclamen are the true workhorses. And in winter, you can enjoy the striking green of the shrubs. In this open-air part of the museum, you can wander from one story about Rubens to another. Go out there and find out for yourself!
Enjoy Rubens’s green paradise.
