Were you a gardener in the 17th century? Then you were lucky. Were you a good gardener? Then noblemen and the well-to-do entrusted you with their gardens. They therefore paid you a considerable sum to get their gardens looking their best every season. A tasteful garden would be a green calling card. In other words, if you had the necessary funds to transform your garden, you were one of the happy few.
Maintaining a garden was a lot of work. From digging, sowing and fertilising, to chopping, weeding and painting trellises and gates. It is a list of tasks that can be found on just about every garden contract from the time. From everything you could spot with the naked eye above the ground, to everything below it. It was no different with Rubens. Gardeners Willem and Jaspar worked together with kitchen maid Willemyne to bring the best of every season to the table.