Un hommage à Lady Day: A musical garden

Discover the garden that pays tribute to the life of Billie Holiday in “A Tribute to Lady Day: A Musical Garden,” by Strootman Landschapsarchitecten.

n 2010, a poetic garden was designed to participate in the open competition of the garden festival in Chaumont-sur-Loire. The theme of the festival was Body and Soul, so we decided to create a tribute to the legendary jazz vocalist Billie Holiday (Lady Day), as “Body & Soul” is one of her most well-known songs.

This garden is an evocation of Holiday’s brief yet intense life. Amidst a sea of white and pink flowers dominated by poppies, there are a lacquered black piano and a microphone. 

Vista desde el pabellón / View from the pavillion
Fotografía / Photography: Strootman Landschapsarchitecte

“The jazz classic “Body & Soul” blends with the abundance of flowers emanating from the piano.”

This bittersweet spectacle can be contemplated from a comfortable jazz lounge that offers visitors a moment of shade in a garden full of fragile romanticism and addictive love for life.

The skin of the garden is dark black, but its heart is soft and pink. A small pavilion with lounge sofas spans the entire width of the garden at the entrance. Black curtains frame the garden and enclose its space. Inside, you find yourself in a different world: sitting on the stage, you enjoy the landscape as in a Japanese Zen garden.

Planta conceptual Conceptual plan
Ilustración / Illustration: Strootman Landschapsarchitecten

The vegetation consists of plants that are annually cultivated in the Netherlands to ensure sufficient color in the garden in May

Echinacea
Fotografía / Photography: Strootman Landschapsarchitecten

The dominant pink poppies allude to Billie Holiday’s habit of drug use and are interspersed with others such as Forget-Me-Nots, Mallow, Cosmos, Echinacea, Anemone, Argemone, and Lavatera, creating an explosion of color throughout the season.