Schwetzingen - Schlösser-Magazin

IV.
Fig. 1: The central parterre in
1935. After pruning had been
neglected the limes had grown
to a height of 30m and a width
of 12m. The detailed layout of
the parterre beds suffered in
consequence, and was given
up as well (Postcard No. 208,
published by Photohaus Thomé,
Schwetzingen).
100
IV. Palace Gardens: Role and Significance
concerned with the shrubby borders with rare
plants, taking up the boulingrins in front of
the quarter-circle pavilions and the arbour
walks. Their survival was to be ensured by
special care, but also by the replacing of
dead specimens. Another concern was the
treatment of plants grown on the trellises in
the circular parterre, the arcades, colonnades
and arches in the bosquet areas, especially
with regard to their pruning and tying-up.
Sckell thought that money could be saved by
cutting the topiary boxwood less often; the
lawns, however, must be cared for, and the
upkeep of the circular parterre’s tree-lined
paths was deemed essential too. On the other
hand, the summer planting of the borders
lining the central parterre must have been a
far cry from the original Baroque showiness,
if Sckell’s proposal to limit it to delphiniums,
poppies and Michaelmas daisies was taken up.
To maintain the meandering paths in
the angloises, Sckell asked for regular
trimmings of the trees lining them. All the
hornbeam hedges within the large bosquets
and elsewhere in the garden were to be
clipped annually, and while repairs could
be suspended for a year for money-saving
reasons, this had to remain an exception.
The “Protocollum” tells us that Sckell urged
a regular clipping of the trees in order
to maintain the avenues, for example
the chestnut trees of the allée en terrasse
surrounding the bosquets, according to Sckell,
one of the best walks and worth maintaining.
Generally, all avenues of firs, larches, sweet
chestnuts and limes should be tended, and
missing trees replaced, because they were
essential to the garden’s appearance and
worth keeping for that reason alone 8 . Losses
among the ball-shaped topiary trees on the
long sides of the tapis vert, on the other hand,
were not to be replaced. The gravel on the
paths was to be kept, and replaced at need, for
it improved their appearance and discouraged
weeds. And Sckell was determined to keep the
orangery parterre with its lawns, slopes, gravel
paths and elm arcades in pristine condition.
Of special concern was the upkeep of the
landscaped areas. This meant that Sckell’s
first work ever, the “Arborium Theodoricum”,
and especially its large collection of trees
had to be carefully maintained because “this
excellent garden is not only pleasant to visit,
but also provides instruction for foresters
regarding kinds of trees.” 9 Twice a year all
weeds were to be removed from the paths
in the English garden, to prevent them from
becoming overgrown and to keep walking
there pleasant.
The care and maintenance of trees and copses
is explained with the example of the garden
surrounding the Temple of Mercury. “The
charming and picturesque views provided
by this garden should be preserved with
much care, especially as the expense is small.
Only where groups of trees grow tangled
together, obstruct the view of other groups,
or interfere with the picture as a whole, must
they be thinned out. Generally care should
be taken that trees that are of value must
not be cramped and ruined by other trees;
it is necessary, and useful too, to provide
them with space and air by thinning out the
others.” 10 This principle serves as a reminder
that the care of wooded areas always involves
taking decisions from an artist’s point of
8 GLA, 221/46 of 01.07.1795, Sheet 5.
9 GLA, 221/46 of 02.07.1795, Sheet 8.
10 GLA, 221/46 of 02.07.1795, Sheet 9.