The design of the Orangery Garden is inspired by the famous XVIIth century Orangery of Versailles. The plan of this historic garden is formal and axial. It is composed as a number of ‘parterres’ – ornamental arrangements of lawns. Along the paths citrus plants in pots are situated outdoors during the summer time. The water pond with a fountain is an important element of the garden; it is located where the main axes intersect.
The design of the Suzhou orangery garden is a modern interpretation of that historical plan. The emphasis of the composition is put on the citrus plants. In the summer they can be situated outdoors on the square in the middle of the garden. The floor of the square is decorated with a pattern of two shades of grey pebbles. The plants in pots can be arranged on the square in a formal or irregular way. In the winter they will be stored in an adjacent glasshouse, which is symmetrically located at the entrance to the garden. On the other side of the garden the water pond encloses the composition of the axis.
The square with pots is surrounded by the ornamental arrangement of lawn and paths. The green and paved parterres are 1m sunken in relation to the surrounding park. Thanks to that it is possible to view the whole garden while seated on a surrounding terrace on one of the white Luxembourg chairs. Ramps located at the two entrances allow also handicapped people to enter the garden.
The citrus plants itself served as an inspiration of the pot design. Simple round concrete pots are decorated with engraved emblem. It depicts lemon fruit as in an old botanical illustration.
location: Suzhou, China
year of design: 2011
client: Niek Roozen bv, City of Suzhou
in collaboration with: Niek Roozen bv, NITA Nanjing