Choices in the Garden

Choosing how to remember

Imagine the words “memorial garden”; we could assume that you’re imagining a large monument, perhaps a sculpture in the image of the deceased, with signs that tell his story. In the Memorial Gardens at Ramat Hanadiv an intentional, conscious choice was made to create a different memorial experience – an experience that may include a visit to the grave but does not depend on it. The gardens in memory of the “known benefactor” do not focus on Baron Rothschild, and during your visit you might miss the sign pointing toward the mausoleum plaza; the memory of his spirit and legacy are summarized through the artistry of the site that acts as source of inspiration. The winding trails will lead you to blooming garden corners; the time you spend there will open your heart and their beauty is a delight to the eyes.

The gates of Ramat Hanadiv opened for the first time in the spring of 1954, on the day that the bones of Baron Edmond (Benjamin) de Rothschild and his wife Adelaide were laid to eternal rest in the burial crypt in the heart of the gardens. Indeed, one of the stations in the garden is the Baron’s grave, which is a beautiful, special plot, but is not located in the middle of the garden.

In these gardens, you won’t see “ride-ons” or bicycles, guides with loudspeakers, or food. These choices were made in order to offer a memorial experience characterised by a feeling of reverence and appreciation, and behaviour that is respectable, pleasant and quiet, but not sad or “heavy”, but rather, living, changing and developing.

Today, the gardens are almost completely identical to the original plan and very little has changed. The choice to preserve the gardens, their trails and the original plan is based on their historical value. In Israel, which does not have a long history of gardening culture like Europe, and where the Mediterranean gardening approach is still in its early stages, great value can be attached to a garden with old trees, a garden that reflects a gardening approach rooted in the previous century. Thus, the gardens acquire an educational, symbolic value that does not succumb to design “trends” but maintains their classical look; gardens that show restraint and a long-term perspective, and give expression to both the past and the future.

The significance of this in practice is that throughout the gardens, small changes take place according to the times – in the garden beds, the composition of shrubs, the way trees are treated, the irrigation method, and the addition of accessible trails – but in essence they remain as they were.

Choosing a drying reality

Some choices have accompanied the gardens from their establishment while others have arisen from the changing reality. Such a dilemma arose about a decade ago, during a drought period, remembered by the campaign ‘Israel is drying up’, when the public was called to action to reduce the use of water and was encouraged to let private lawns dry up. At that time, a question arose at Ramat Hanadiv with respect to the green lawns in the gardens. Since they were considered important for the pubic, particularly during times of drought – a “green island” to escape to when the gardens around are drying up – we decided to continue maintaining them. However, the need for a source of irrigation not based on drinking water was very clear; this understanding led Ramat Hanadiv to a significant change in our approach to irrigation, and a transition to irrigating the gardens with non-potable water, which to date is the main source of irrigation water at Ramat Hanadiv.