Superbloei Arnhem
Arnhem, NL
| Type | Landscape design, Research |
| Design | 2022-2023 |
| Construction | 2023 |
| Location | Arnhem, The Netherlands |
| Size | >1 ha |
| Client | Arnhem Municipality, Provincie Gelderland |
| I.c.w. | De Bloeimeesters, Arjan Boekel |
| Team | Peter Veenstra, Mark Spaan, Sara Ingignoli, Lucio Fiorentino, Austin van Beek, Esther Pellegrom, Marijn Vreriks |
| Photography | Arjan Boekel, Ben ter Mull |
Superbloei takes over the city
The Arnhem (NL) city council presented an ambitious vision for a radical greening of the city. Commissioned by the municipality, LOLA Landscape Architects studied the south-east canal of Arnhem and made several proposals for greening this area and for steps to achieve an overarching green structure.
One of the proposals is ‘Superbloei’ (Super Blossom), a project that aims to remove the pavement and increase the biodiversity in the area around the Prinsenhof. For the design of the site next to the Provinciehuis (the provincial government building) in Arnhem, LOLA teamed up with Arjan Boekel of Coöperatie Bloeimeesters.
What started as a temporary garden to showcase the city’s green ambitions, became a ‘growing garden’ with a colourful explosion of flowers in the first year, and evolved into a permanent garden that is connected to the local ecology. The planting has a second layer of bulbs, which bloom profusely during the Second World War commemorations held at the foot of the John Frost Bridge.
For Superbloei, LOLA and Arjan Boekel created a temporary planting scheme that evolves from a lush field of flowers to a robust ecological border. Initially, perennials are planted to attract immediate attention, followed by flowering annuals the following season. Over the years, the flowering gradually diminishes to make way for the perennials growing in the background.
The perennials and annuals were planted and sown in a white sand bed. This results in fewer weeds and better root development, making the plants much more resilient during the drier periods.
Over time, the gaps between the plants were filled by planting and seeding. The new and existing plants continue to grow into autumn, so the garden is keeps on changing. Season after season and year after year.
Superbloei is the first project LOLA proposed for Arnhem’s new green structure. Since the start of the project, the temporary garden has grown into a permanent ecological garden.
Superbloei is designed as a ‘growing garden’ that offered a colourful explosion in the first year and then evolved into a permanent garden in line with local ecology.
At the scale of the site, the challenge is to bring all climate ambitions together in a way that is visually strong and captures the imagination.
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