“The cookie tree is one of the most beautiful trees I have,” says Wiecher Huisman of Arboretum Arcaië in Gasselte proudly. Yet it looks like an ordinary tree, there is not a cookie in sight. “That’s right, but in the fall when the leaves fall, it smells like a cookie factory in here.”
Nearly twenty years ago, Wiecher put the first small trees and shrubs in the ground. “I bought a piece of land in 2007 and then started planting plants and trees that I like to have in my collection.”
Slowly but surely the garden in Gasselte is getting bigger and bigger. “I have at least 1,500 species here, just in plants.”
Wiecher gets his trees and plants from all over the world. “Then I’ll really go back with the seeds in the bags. Actually, you can’t pass that on,” says Wiecher, laughing. “But I also buy trees and sometimes I get them as gifts.”
One place he likes to visit in his garden is where the Daphne is. “That’s my great pride,” he says of the bushy plant that is difficult to transplant, but he has succeeded. “A plant that smells wonderfully like perfume, but be careful. It looks very cute, but is very poisonous.”
Although he now has thousands of trees, plants and shrubs, Wiecher decided to expand his arboretum. “I was able to buy the piece of land next to my garden. I didn’t miss that opportunity.”
The difference between the two pieces of land is clearly visible. In the old part the bushes are quite round and the trees are tall. The new part is still bare, with plenty of space between the trees. “The new part is now four years old and everything has to grow there. In about fifteen years it will be just like the other part.”
He wants as many people as possible to enjoy his garden, which is why Wiecher has recently received help. “There are volunteers who support him with management and maintenance,” says Gerard Schippers, who helps with the administration. “There is now a board and we are a foundation in formation.”
And this immediately secures the future of the garden. “Wiecher is of course getting older and the day will come when he will no longer be there. His two sons have no interest in continuing the garden,” Schippers explains.
“It is Wiecher’s wish that if he were no longer there, this beautiful garden would continue and be opened to the public.”
With all those trees, plants and shrubs, there is always work to be done. Yet Wiecher can also leave work and enjoy his garden. “I do that in the evening when I have cleaned my tools and hung them in the shed. And when there are no plants waiting to be planted.”
“When I walk through the garden, I really enjoy every plant and tree.”
