DREER report #4

Christopher Keil
Czech Republic
November 2009
http://chrisinprague.posterous.com/

Time is flying by. It is hard to grasp that I have less than a month left of this half-year
adventure. As that is the case I have been very busy helping to generate a report for the
Veltrusy Park. This means spending more time indoors than during the previous weeks which
is fine as it is colder and the days are shorter. Amazingly many tree and shrub species are
still holding their leaves, though fall foliage is weeks beyond peak. Many plants are still green
like black locust which seems to be particularly vigorous here. I already mentioned in a
previous letter that it is considered an invasive species in the Czech lands (as it is in regions
of the US) but the species does not cease to amaze me as its spread, growth, and dominance
is so different than what I am used to even in the Northeast. It is evidence of the principle that
species can act very differently in what at first glance seems like similar climatic and cultural
conditions to the native range. Some aspects of soil and ecological context (composition of
competitor species) produce this different outcome. From a general plant perspective, there
is still plenty to see and I am glad that I decided to stay through fall as the character and
views of many places that I have grown familiar with have changed now with the leaves
down, as is the case anywhere with predominantly deciduous vegetation.
I have spent some more time recently exploring the neighborhoods nearby and the
contrasts from block to block are incredible. Obviously the Czech Republic is still a nation in
transition but the differences between neglected overgrown land, perfectly manicured new
office parks or residential developments, maintained yet loose garden-city villas and their
yards and stark concrete communist tower developments with their useless and hence
unused open spaces, are incredible. Often these different landscape and urban conditions
are immediately adjacent to one another so the differences are all the more clear and
startling. At the same time, I wonder about how the current trajectory, that I will term “catch
up with the west,” will ultimately transform and erase some of these elements. Obviously
there is a lot of animosity towards the communist period and particularly the physical
manifestation of this era but the shear number of socialist realist or brutalist panel tower
developments insures that they will remain for some time yet. They provide homes for a large
sector of the population in Prague and elsewhere in the country. During the last twenty years,
in dilapidated former industrial sites or vacant open space pockets in the city a more
contemporary European style of architecture and landscape has emerged to fill these niches.
The landscapes of the new developments are in many ways typical contemporary
landscape architecture projects. The new spaces are a marked change from the communist
era open spaces as they are usually more elegant, functional, and definitely expensive.
Some verge on minimalism and all are neatly composed. They often include large turf areas
and fancy modern materials. Where the client has the money water features are common
and, as in much of Europe, previous paving is standard. A cosmopolitan tree palette of
species such as Ginkgo biloba, Carpinus betulus, Tilia cordata, and Catalpa bignonioides
identifies these sites. Interestingly Southern Catalpa (C. bignonioides), a frequently used
urban tree, is used instead of Catalpa speciosa and it has been in cultivation in Europe for a
very long time. The turf areas are of course well-maintained, or at least brand new, and the
ornamental grass craze is present as well. And, if I haven’t said it before, Cotoneaster sp.
which are definitely a favorite plant of Czechs and with good reason as they perform very well
here are used everywhere. While these new developments are very clean and modern
looking I cannot help but think that they are somewhat generic as they are often the products
of foreign multi-national design and development firms. For now they are refreshing and crisp
but as the trend continues I can imagine being nostalgic in the future for the shaggy meadow-
like grass areas mixed with chicory, poppy, and yarrow and bounded by clumps of self-seeded
canopy trees and fecund fruit trees. It will be interesting to see how these markedly different
patterns of development and subsequent landscape design interact going into the future.
One recent excursion which was a lot of fun and interesting was to the village of
Chudenice which is near the city of Plzen in western Bohemia. This is the region which was
liberated by the United States at the end of World War II and there are some plaques and
statues to commemorate this event which, again, stand in contrast to the surrounding
communist era planning and development. There is an interesting water castle Svihov, where
the River Uhlava has been diverted to create a protective moat. The large heavy stone castle
seems to float on the water of this man-made canal. There are some beautiful specimens of
Alnus glutinosa along the bank, another species which I have warmed to since being here.
Nearby is the neglected Chudenice chateau which has an American garden in its surrounding
park area. The garden is essentially a fenced rectangular plot in the middle of the forest
which contains a small arboretum of sorts. The site is at a relatively high elevation and its
cold and wet conditions force it to be a representation of the northern latitudes of America,
and predominantly the Northeast. The maintenance is minimal, the trees are poorly marked
and many of the species are of Asian origin despite the garden’s name. However, there are
mature species such as Clethra alnifolia and Magnolia acuminata which may be the only in
the country. There are some beautiful specimens of Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca and
the Douglas Fir that was generally used in forestry experiments in the surrounding woods.
We estimated some of the these trees to be nearly 100 years old, dating them back to the
time of First Republic, which not so ironically was also the Czechs’ first attempt at
democracy. There are also gorgeous Beech forests in the vicinity. There is a Czech saying
that Beech is the “mother of the forest” as apparently its leaves make a nutrient rich woodland
soil. It was nice to see many species from the Northeast that I do not commonly see here, but
the real standouts in the garden for me were not American: Fagus sylvatica ‘Fruticosa’ and
Berberis gagnepainii were both really beautiful. I will post pictures soon.
Finally, although not necessarily related to horticulture it is important to note that the
th
20 anniversary of the Velvet Revolution is being celebrated now in Prague. There are
concerts and exhibitions in the city commemorating this bloodless student-led movement that
toppled communism. There is also a discussion on television and in the newspapers
regarding the state of the nation today as people attempt to reassess progress and the
country’s future direction. On the face it appears that Czech have openly and enthusiastically
embraced capitalism and democracy particularly as evidence of everyday freedom of
expression, new wealth and consumerism abound. However, there are also undercurrents of
government corruption and many economically devastated areas (particularly in industrial
regions outside of Prague) where people are looking back to the communist era fondly when
jobs and pensions were guaranteed. It is inevitable this debate will continue as the residue
and memories of the communist past (particularly the physical form mentioned above) will not
fade from the society for quite some time. Interestingly this retrospection comes at a time just
after, the Czech Republic, the last country in Europe to do so, signed the Lisbon Treaty
formally creating the European super-state. A whole new political and economic chapter is
beginning for the small country and understandably people are skeptical of the larger power
that no doubt will influence the culture, the traditions and the landscape.