Gunnebo House making preparations for 2016!

At Gunnebo House and Gardens, preparations are in hand for Gothenburg Green World. The reconstructed orangery is an exciting part of Gunnebo’s exhibition programme. Next summer season, visitors will be able to see an orangery parterre in the gardens for the first time.

The orangery, which is located in the southern formal garden, was used to over-winter exotic species in the eighteenth century, everything from tulip trees to citrus and laurel. The building will be completed in 2018 and will then be used for the same purpose by Gunnebo’s gardeners.

The orangery will give us unique opportunities to resume the cultivation of exotic plants

Joakim seiler, head gardener

“The orangery will be a fantastic addition to the gardens, both aesthetically and to enable over-wintering of non-hardy plants,” explains Gunnebo’s head gardener, Joakim Seiler. “The orangery will give us unique opportunities to resume the cultivation of exotic plants, which were an important and prestigious part of the gardening activities in many historic gardens.”

In its day, the orangery building was also a first-class attraction for visiting guests, who were treated to a variety of festive occasions. At the northern end of the building the city architect, Carl Wilhelm Carlsberg, created a spectacular artificial grotto with stalactite formations on the walls and mirrored glass in the roof. The grotto alone demanded extensive expertise from the craftsmen who are recreating it – including specialist masonry skills. The carpenters and craftsmen who are working on the orangery project are collaborating with various educational institutions to preserve knowledge of traditional craft skills.

Joakim Seiler, head gardener, Gunnebo

“In preparation for Gothenburg Green World, and in consultation with the estate manager and architect at Gunnebo House, I produced an orangery planter,” adds head gardener Joakim Seiler. The orangery planter, which is inspired by a planter designed by Carlsberg, the city architect, is made using traditional methods at one of Sweden’s three remaining barrel-making companies. Gunnebo will have an orangery parterre, consisting of attractive planters and citrus plants set out in front of the orangery.

Read more about the reconstruction of the orangery here.