Flower garden at Gunnebo House and Gardens – in the footsteps of André Mollet

At her studio in Klippan, artist Nina Nilsson is busy preparing part of this summer’s exhibition at Gunnebo House and Gardens.

“My task was to design a flower bed for the east grove in the formal garden, as part of Gothenburg Green World 2016,” she says. “I was given a free hand and chose to work on a garden composition inspired by André Mollet and the history of garden design.”

André Mollet was a French garden designer who was commissioned by Queen Kristina to work at Stockholm Palace around 1650. Mollet also spent some time in Holland and England, where he introduced the French approach to garden design. During his time in Sweden he had a book published: Le Jardin de Plaisir – a 40-page folio that contains several chapters on gardens and garden design.

“André Mollet wrote the first recorded description of the flower garden and its various plants,” explains Nina Nilsson. “Garden paths, meadows and tree-lined groves had all been described before, but this was the first time that flowers and plants were placed centre stage. André Mollet believed that flowers should be given their own space. He also enclosed a growing list in which he described ten flowering plants in greater detail.”

Mollet is renowned for his love of bright colours, geometry and contrast. Each plant has to have its own space – so there is one plant in each area.

“Tackling this exhibition has been an exciting challenge for me! I began by studying paintings and contemporary documents. Mollet is renowned for his love of bright colours, geometry and contrast. Each plant has to have its own space – so there is one plant in each area. And the central theme for this summer’s exhibition is the contrast between light and dark. I also have to keep in mind a few practical requirements, such as remembering to incorporate maintenance paths into the installations.”

This exciting exhibition will have several elements – including an aviary and a fish pond.

“In the formal grove, where couples would once walk arm in arm, or as I imagine it – tread very cautiously – visitors will be able to walk among the plants and let themselves be surrounded by them. In my case the aviary takes the form of a chicken coop edged with aromatic plants, and the fish pond is a small jardinière filled with plants and exotic objects.”

“I am trying to bring a touch of humour and relate to the everyday – capturing ideas that visitors could recreate themselves.”

The installations will be made up of common plants that grow in Sweden.

“Agapanthus, or African lilies, were not around in Mollet’s time of course, but they do grow at Gunnebo, where they provide a striking flash of blue. Using them in my planting is a way of linking to the distinctive blue in the landscape of Gunnebo.”