Zprávy památkové péče 2016, 76(5):521-529

Thermophilic plants and buildings for their cultivation in the Kroměříž Flower Garden

Lenka Křesadlová

Using the example of the Flower Garden, typical characteristics can be presented of the phenomenon of plants in containers versus the authenticity of garden art composition, both in terms of the range of plants used and their different methods of wintering and presentation, from the early Baroque period to the present. The Flower Garden in Kroměříž is unique in that the tradition of growing thermophilic plants was not interrupted here even after World War II. The plant collections have been continuously maintained and presented for more than 350 years.
Thanks to the meticulous management of the Archbishop archives, at least partial records of cultivation assortment are available for most of this period, as well as a whole series of plans showing the building development and the development of construction technology for growing plants for the 19th and first half of the 20th century. It may be asserted that the development of the cultivated assortment and the method of plant usage in the garden composition copied contemporary European trends.
From the perspective of authenticity, the structure known as the Large Greenhouse and its collection of potted plants are particularly significant. This began to form in its present appearance in approximately the mid-19th century, and today almost 2/3 of the plants are likely about 100 years old. The plants are presented according to the customs as depicted in photographs from the early 20th century. In the cold season they are presented as a winter garden, enriched by a traditional exhibition of camellias, then in the summer as rangierung. The palm house was reconstructed into its late 19th century appearance. Unfortunately, the original collection of palms and cycads was not preserved, and its renewal is presently not under consideration.
As part of the extensive heritage restoration of the Flower Garden, completed in 2014, the space for the Baroque orange garden was returned. For operational reasons, and due to the absence of period planning documentation, it was not renewed as a collapsible wooden structure with plants planted in soil. A total of 36 citrus plants are presented here planted in containers.
With this undertaking, the Flower Garden has become a place where visitors are presented with period ranges and customs of the use of plants grown in containers both in the Baroque period as well as in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Keywords: Flower Garden; Kroměříž; garden art monument; orangery; plants in containers

Published: December 1, 2016  Show citation