Rosebud – le jardin secret > Julie Martineau & Holger Schröder, 2019

Rosebud – le jardin secret > Julie Martineau & Holger Schröder, 2019

Inscribed on the end of a rampart in Vauban, the site is an interstice hidden from the urban fabric, where the vegetation spontaneously gave the romantic tone ; Sycamore maples, ash trees, privet and locust trees gave body and organic spaces to a 5m x 50m plot delimited by straight fences. Anchored at the top of the hills of the fortified bank, the leaning solitary trees, developed and wrapped, in vigorous shrubs, in pairs on either side of the fence, defined the densities, the shadows and clearings of the garden. The trees and fences support the vigorous ivy, which also contributes to varying the volume of the place and making people forget its linearity but also which favors its withdrawal.
As a garden intention, this is about establishing the meeting or even a confrontation between this vigorous yet discreet nature, and the rose (climbing), a plant just as virulent but especially emblematic of gardens, prized for the delicacy of its flowers. By introducing “The Flower”, this introverted space opens up to curiosity while preserving the dimension of its secrets. From this contrast is born the Rosebud – le jardin secret. Climbing roses/lianas mark the entrance to the garden, some of which are found along its entire length, hidden at the feet of trees and fences, which they occasionally take hold of, emphasizing the “chiaroscuro” of the place. Roses alternate with other flowering climbing plants that cling to fences, such as honeysuckle and clematis (climbing garden). In spring, a preliminary garden made up of perennial white flowers (woodruff) stretches on the ground along the entire length of the plot, its oriented design indicates the climbing plants which will flower a few days/weeks later. Various ferns and grasses accompany the woodruff by forming a new (micro) topography on shaded ground (creeping garden).