II. - Schloss Schwetzingen

The newly acquired, and sometimes very
rare, kinds of wood have been industriously
propagated, and used for bartering purposes”
11 . From 1806 onwards, Zeyher published
a number of inventories of the plants grown
at Schwetzingen. 12 The inventory of woody
plants published in 1809, lists 827 varieties. 13
In his 1819 inventory, Zeyher mentions a
total of 9,500 varieties. 14 The inventories are
important documents for today’s replanting
schemes.
A large iron gate surmounted by a gilt crown
gives access to the arboretum. It was probably
in 1825 that Zeyher wrote: “The arboretum.
Immediately behind the orangery we enter
this part of the garden. It was laid out in 1804,
at the orders of His Royal Highness, the Archduke
Karl Friedrich von Baden. Native and
foreign woody plants are grouped together
as much as possible. There is a pleasant pond
here enclosing a beautifully planted island.
During the summer the greenhouse plants are
displayed here, and at the foot of a a shady
wall, the alpine plants are situated, some in
pots, some in the soil [...] This collection is
probably one of the most complete in Germany,
and maintained with great care.” 15
About the nursery, Zeyher writes: “Beyond
the bridge is the entrance to a nursery
thirteen acres in size and containing more
than 240,000 foreign trees and shrubs. All the
archducal gardens are supplied from this rich
store, and the plant-lover, too, may buy here
whatever he needs for his own garden.” 16
Zeyher was concerned for the English garden
“where natives and visitors like to linger”. In
the plan of the garden submitted by him in
1809, the layout of the entire garden becomes
evident. The symmetrical paths within the
11 Zeyher 1819, p. 4.
12 Johann Michael Zeyher, Verzeichniss sämmtlicher Bäume
und Sträucher in den Grossherzoglich-Badischen Gärten zu
Carlsruhe, Schwezingen und Mannheim, Mannheim 1806.
13 after Wertz 2004, p. 27.
14 Zeyher 1819, p. 5.
15 Johann Michael Zeyher, probably 1825. In: Repr. Freiburg
1983, pp. 146 f.
16 Johann Michael Zeyher/Georg Christian Roemer, Beschreibung
der Gartenanlagen zu Schwetzingen. Mannheim 1809, p. 36
f. (First edition, with a “Verzeichniss sämmtlicher Bäume,
Glas- und Treibhauspfl anzen des Schwezinger Gartens”). Rpt.
Freiburg 1983.
II. Schwetzingen – A Prince Elector’s Eighteenth-Century Summer Residence
menagerie area were later replaced with
meandering walks.
Some decades later, around 1840, disturbances
of growth and the thick planting necessitated
the felling of trees. However, it is thanks to
these measures, that the grand ducal arboretum
still retains some of its original plants,
among them Austrian pines (Pinus nigra)
and a pale green Japanese Zelkova (Zelkova
serrata).
The Arboreta Today
About thirty years ago a restoration of the old
arboreta was embarked on. Many new plants
were planted, that now complement the old
collection of trees. Today, the two arboreta
contain about 180 species and varieties of
woody plants belonging to about 50 families 17 .
Besides the above-mentioned woody plants,
dating from the early years of the arboreta,
a number of other fi ne trees are on display.
There are some magnifi cent deciduous
cypresses (Taxodium distichum) from North
America, a picturesque tulip tree (Liriodendron
tulipifera), an Italian maple (Acer
opalus) and spreading yews (Taxus baccata).
There are also numerous younger trees and
shrubs, planted more recently, the choice of
which was suggested by Zeyher’s inventories.
17 e.g. Jost Fitschen, Gehölzfl ora, Wiebelsheim 2002.
II.
Fig. 5: Autumn at Zeyher’s
arboretum (photo: R. Stripf).
79