In the Netherlands there is a history of gardens and parks planted primarily with native plant species.

Influenced by the pioneering work of Jac P. Thijsse from the 1930s onwards, they are known as Heemparken ('home parks').The most famous such garden and one of the oldest is the Thijssepark in Amstelveen, a town close to Amsterdam. This is easy to get to by train from Amsterdam and the garden, which takes the form of an extensive public park built around a wetland area, is well worth visiting if you are staying in Amsterdam.

The main Dutch wildlife gardening organisation is called Stichting Oase, ('Oasis Foundation'). Amongst various activities the organisation publishes a guide to 160 wildlife gardens, ecological parks and wildflower gardens in the Netherlands and Flanders (Belgium).

Last updated 1 October 2015. © Marc Carlton 2006 - 2015. See 'About this Website' for terms of use.