Renovated garden
Read more about the redesign of the new garden. The new design by landscape architects Ars Horti and fashion designer Dries Van Noten is all about tranquillity.

A nod to the past, but looking to the future
Different every day of the year. The 22,000 plants in the redesigned Rubens garden delight with their new hues every day. The look is completely natural, but the overwhelming array of colours has been meticulously thought-through. Jan Bleys and Jasper Bijnen of Studiebureau Ars Horti based their design on the historical floor plan, looking to the future at the same time.

Historians from Flanders Heritage Agency delved into the past, and Antwerp-based fashion icon Dries Van Noten provided colour advice. The result is a radiant and electrifying garden in every season. Which in terms of tranquillity, look and greenery, recalls the atmosphere of old times, but thanks to contemporary touches is more sustainable, biodiverse and maintenance-friendly than ever.
Get stuck in
Once the plan was approved, the redevelopment started in the autumn of 2022. The contractor handled the heavier work such as planting large trees, shrubs and hedges. The more delicate work was entrusted to staff from the city's greenery service. Besides the annuals and perennials, they were also responsible for planting the two square parterres.
The redesign
The yew hedge-lined beds are divided into four smaller rectangles, filled with a colourful flower assortment. Of the 10,000 bulbs, 1,000 are tulips. Like the 40 citrus trees - arranged in wooden barrels, tubs and terracotta pots throughout the rest of the city oasis - the spring blooms show off The Walk in the Garden, a painting by Rubens

Yellow path, green tunnel
To create a lush carpet effect in spring, additional tulips are planted every year. In the central axis of each parterre is an imposing marble vase and a bluestone fountain. The paths between the flowerbeds are covered with yellow-coloured HanseGrand, a permeable material with a colour that matches the architecture of Rubens' studio.

A copper-green steel structure with ivy, grapevines, hops, honeysuckle and roses forms a covered garden path around the garden. The word gaelderije (gallery) in a deed from 1610 suggests that Rubens also had a similar tree tunnel. The tunnel raises its green beacon of tranquillity even more into a hortus conclusus, an enclosed garden that makes you forget how close the busy city is.
Rubens Leaf Corridor
The same, and yet (bio)diverse
In the parterre in front of the garden pavilion stands a fig tree. It is one of the few plants that researchers are sure Rubens also had in his garden. He bought them from apothecary Peter van den Broeck in the 1630s and, in a letter to his apprentice and caretaker Lucas Faydherbe, Rubens asks the latter to bring figs from the garden. Perhaps as an ingredient for medicine against his attacks of gout.
A letter from 1638 proves that Rubens also had a pear tree. The rosilepeertjes he describes are still unknown to this day. Sources from the time do however mention a summer pear: Rousselet de Reims. This now stands opposite the fig tree on the other side of the central walkway. Fruit trees including quince, raspberry apple and peach were also given a place in the new design.

Today there are also trees that Rubens never saw up close in his lifetime. From medlar, black oak and fig to evergreen magnolia from Asia and Kentucky coffeetrees from America. The mix of native classics and exotic eye-catchers should ensure the necessary biodiversity, while the majestic yew or taxus baccata watches over the garden and courtyard like it used to.

The garden in figures
- 39 trees
- 5441 perennials
- 631 climbing plants
- 15,025 flower bulbs and exotics
- 346 shrubs
- 438 hedge plants
- 30 orangery plants
- 50 aquatic plants
A long-term vision
The 21st-century Rubens garden was given layered vegetation. The goal? To put a brake on elements that fuel climate change: high temperatures, flooding during heavy rain, urban noise, CO₂, etc. Six massive water tanks together collect up to 90,000 litres of rainwater. An almost inexhaustible supply for the garden plants and sanitary facilities.
Unlike a painting, a garden lives and breathes. That's why the museum team and the municipal services worked out a detailed maintenance plan for the next 25 years. The plan describes exactly who is responsible for management and helps safeguard the historical story. In this way, the vision remains faithful in the long term, regardless of the changing colour palette.
Plant list
Plant Names and Cultivars |
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Acanthus mollis 'Hollande du Nord' |
Acanthus spinosus |
Achillea millefolium 'Terracota' |
Aconitum henryi 'Spark's Variety' |
Aconitum vulparia |
Adiantum pedatum 'Imbricatum' |
Alcea rosea 'Nigra' |
Alcea suffrutescens 'Parkallee' |
Alchemilla erythropoda |
Allium ursinum |
Althea officinalis |
Amaranthus caudatus Coral Fountain |
Anemone nemorosa |
Anemone pavonina |
Angelica archangelica |
Angelica atropurpurea |
Anthemis nobilis |
Aquilegia vulgaris |
Arbutus unedo |
Armoracia rusticana |
Artemisia abrotanum |
Artemisia dracunculus |
Asarum europaeum |
Asplenium scolopendrium |
Astrantia carniolica 'Rubra' |
Athyrium filix-femina 'Lady in red' |
Plant Names and Cultivars |
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Bellis perennis 'Pomponette' - Bellis perennis 'Pomponette Rosa' - Bellis perennis Bella Daisy Red - Bellis perennis Bella Daisy White |
Bellis perennis mix red, pink, white - regular Bellis perrenis |
Blitum virgatum |
Borago officinalis |
Plant Names and Cultivars |
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Calendula officinalis 'Bronzed Beauty' - Cal. Off. Touch of Red Buff |
Calendula officinalis 'Ivory princess' |
Calycanthus floridus |
Campanula lactiflora 'Border Blues' |
Campanula persicifolia |
Campanula poscharskyana |
Campanula trachelium |
Cautleya spicata 'Robusta' |
Centaurea scabiosa |
Ceratophyllum demersum |
Choisya ternata |
Cichorum intybus |
Citrus aurantifolia |
Citrus aurantium 'Salicifolia' |
Citrus aurantium 'Striata' of 'Bizzaria' |
Citrus Japonica Kumquat |
Citrus latifolia |
Citrus limon |
Citrus limonia Osbeck |
Citrus mitis |
Citrus paradisi |
Citrus sinensis |
Citrus volkmeriana |
Claytonia perfoliata |
Clematis alpina |
Clematis armandii |
Clematis vitalba |
Codonopsis vinciflora |
Consolida regalis |
Convalaria majalis |
Convalaria majalis 'Rosea' |
Coreopsis verticillata 'Moonbeam' |
Corydalis solida |
Crocus Angustifolius 'Bronze form' |
Crocus sativus |
Crocus speciosus |
Crocus tommasinianus |
Crocus tommasinianus 'Albus' |
Cyclamen coum |
Cyclamen coum 'Album' |
Cyclamen hederifolium |
Cydonia oblonga 'Champion' |
Cymbalaria muralis |
Cynara cardunculus |
Cyrtomium falcatum |
Plant Names and Cultivars |
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Daucus carota 'Dara' |
Dianthus carthusianorum |
Dianthus deltoides |
Dicentra macrocapnos |
Dictamnus albus |
Digitalis ferruginea 'Gigantea' |
Digitalis purpurea |
Dipsacus fullonum |
Plant Names and Cultivars |
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Elodea canadensis |
Epimedium pubigerum 'Orangekönigin' |
Eranthis hyemalis |
Erigeron karvinskianus |
Erodium cicutarium |
Erythronium dens-canis |
Erythronium dens-canis 'Pagoda' |
Eupatorium maculatum 'Atropurpureum' |
Euphorbia characias subsp. Wulfenii |
Euphorbia griffithii 'Beauty Orange' |
Plant Names and Cultivars |
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Fatsia japonica |
Ficus cariaca |
Foeniculum vulgare 'Giant Bronze' |
Fragaria vesca |
Fritillaria imperialis |
Fritillaria meleagris |
Fritillaria meleagris 'alba' |
Fritillaria persica |
Fritillaria uva-vulpis |
Plant Names and Cultivars |
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Galanthus nivalis |
Galium odoratum |
Geranium phaeum 'Mourning Widow' |
Geranium pyrenaicum |
Geum rivale |
Gymnocladus dioica |
Plant Names and Cultivars |
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Hedera colchica 'Dentata' |
Hedera helix 'Hibernica' |
Hedera helix 'Sagittifolia' |
Helianthus 'Lemon Queen' |
Helianthus annuus 'Velvet Queen' |
Helleborus foetidus |
Helleborus niger 'Atrorubens' |
Hemerocallis altissima |
Hemerocallis fulva |
Hemerocallis lilioasphodelus |
Hepatica nobilis |
Humulus lupus |
Hyacinthoïdes non-scripta |
Hyssop officinalis |
Plant Names and Cultivars |
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Ilex koehnear chestnut leaf |
Iris f. 'Citrina' |
Iris g. 'Black Knight' |
Iris g. 'Indian Chief' |
Iris siberica |
Plant Names and Cultivars |
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Jasminum officinale |
Juniperus communis |
Plant Names and Cultivars |
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Koelreuteria paniculata |
Plant Names and Cultivars |
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Laurus nobilis |
Lavandula 'Hidcote' |
Lespedeza thunbergii |
Leucojum aestivum |
Leucojum vernum |
Leucothoe fontanesiana |
Lilium candidum |
Lilium martagon |
Lobelia cardinalis |
Lonicera 'Copper Beauty' |
Lunaria annua 'Sissinghurst White' |
Lysimachia ephemerum |
Plant Names and Cultivars |
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Magnolia grandiflora ‘Ferruginea’ |
Malus domestica 'rode herfstcaville' |
Mespilus germanica |
Monarda didyma |
Morus alba |
Morus rotundiloba Mojo Berry Noble |
Myosotis sylvatica |
Myrtus communis |
Plant Names and Cultivars |
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Narcissus 'albus plenus odoratus' |
Narcissus 'Elka' |
Narcissus poeticus 'recurvus' |
Nigella damascena Miss jekyll Indigo Blue |
Nymphoides peltata |
Plant Names and Cultivars |
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Olea europeana |
Oleander nerum |
Origanum vulgare |
Ornithogalum nutans |
Osmunda regalis 'Purpurascens' |
Plant Names and Cultivars |
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Pachyphragma macrophyllum |
Paeonia delavayi |
Paeonia Duchesse de Nemours |
Paeonia officinalis 'Rubra plena' |
Paeonia tenuifolia |
Papaver orientalis 'Beauty of Livermere' |
Partenocissus quinquefolia |
Pistachia Lentiscus |
Polygonatum multiflorum |
Polypodium vulgare |
Polystichum polyblepharum |
Polystichum setiferum |
Poncirus trifoliata |
Potamogeton crispus |
Primula auricula |
Primula elatior |
Primula veris |
Primula vulgaris |
Primula wanda |
Prunus persica 'Reine des Vergers' |
Pulmonaria officinalis |
Pulsatilla vulgaris |
Punica granatum |
Pyrus communis 'Rousselet' |
Plant Names and Cultivars |
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Quercus nigra |
Quercus x turneri 'Pseudoturneri' |
Plant Names and Cultivars |
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Ranunculus aconitifolius 'Pleniflorus' |
Ranunculus acris flore pleno |
Rheum rhabarbarum |
Ribes rubrum |
Ribes uva-crispa |
Ricinus communis 'Honolulu' |
Robinia pseudoacacia |
Rosa 'Annelies' |
Rosa 'Charles Austin' |
Rosa 'Climbing Etoile de Hollande' |
Rosa 'Coralin' |
Rosa 'Crimson Glory |
Rosa 'Fighting Termeraire' |
Rosa 'G. von Hardenberg' |
Rosa 'Ghislaine de Féligonde' |
Rosa 'Leontine Gervais' |
Rosa 'Night Owl' |
Rosa 'Phyllis Bide' |
Rosa 'Pierre de Ronsard' |
Rosa 'Purple Skyliner' |
Rosa 'Raubritter' |
Rosa 'Roseraie de l'Haÿ' |
Rosa 'Treasure Trove' |
Rosa 'Zephirine Drouhin' |
Rosa ‘petit serpent’ |
Rosa Banksiae lutea |
Rosa Félicité et perpétue |
Rosa gallica 'Officinalis' |
Rosa Paul Noël |
Rosa Paul Noël' |
Rosa Spinossisima/pimpinellifolia |
Rosa x centifolia |
Rosa Xanthina 'canary bird' |
Rosmarinus officinalis |
Rosmarinus prostratus 'Repens' |
Rubus fruticosus 'Thornless Evergreen' |
Ruta graveolens |
Plant Names and Cultivars |
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Salvia officinalis |
Salvia uliginosa |
Sanguisorba officinalis 'Tanna' |
Sarcococca confusa |
Saxifraga geum |
Scilia bifolia |
Sedum telephium |
Smyrnium perfoliatum |
Symphytum officinalis |
Plant Names and Cultivars |
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Tagetes lucida - Tagetes lucida 'Sweet Mace' |
Tagetes patula |
Tagetes patula linnaeus |
Taxus baccata |
Taxus baccata |
Thymus vulgaris |
Tillia platyphyllos |
Trifolium rubens |
Trochodendron aralioides |
Tropaeolum speciosum |
Tulipa 'Black and White' |
Tulipa Absalon |
Tulipa Acuminata |
Tulipa Alba Regalis |
Tulipa Bacchus |
Tulipa Batalinii 'Bronze Charm' |
Tulipa clusiana |
Tulipa clusiana 'peppermintstick' |
Tulipa duc van tol Red and Yellow |
Tulipa duc van tol Violet |
Tulipa eichleri |
Tulipa Insulinde |
Tulipa Julia Farnese |
Tulipa Lac van Rijn |
Tulipa Little Princes |
Tulipa Maryland |
Tulipa Rubens broken |
Tulipa Sprengeri |
Tulipa Sylvestris |
Tulipa The Lizard |
Tulipa Turkestanica |
Tulipa Whittallii |
Plant Names and Cultivars |
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Valeriana officinalis |
Veronica verna |
Viburnum opulus 'Roseum' |
Vinca minor |
Viola canina |
Viola lutea subsp. Calaminaria |
Viola odorata |
Vitis vinifera |