Klaas Cornelis van Nes (1876-1952) Klaas van Nes born in Boskoop, came from a family that had a long tradition as nurserymen. The family business passed from father to son until Klaas van Nes took over in 1907. The company called "Firma K. van Nes en Zonen" was especially known for its extensive shrub assortment. K.C. van Nes who had been in daily charge of the company since 1900 was particularly interested in garden design. The 1901 catalog also advertised "Designing and laying out parks, country houses, gardens, orchards and fruit courts" . The first garden designs as far as known are: the design for the garden of paper factory 'de Eendracht' in Apeldoorn and the layout for the grounds of 'Het Apeldoorsche Bosch' both date from 1907. From that year van Nes receives regular commissions for private gardens in addition to larger commissions. The first known garden is that for Mr. J. P. Vis in Rotterdam. Due to his great interest and much self-study, he focused more on landscape architecture than garden design. In addition to landscape architecture, Van Nes also regularly operated in the field of urban planning. In the design for the garden city "Berg en Bosch," van Nes first acted as an urban planner. This 525HA project included residential neighborhoods, parks and pieces of forest. At the State Mines in Limburg: Emma, Hendrick and Wilhelmina from 1917 to 1919, van Nes designed the urban design with various parks and street plantings. Later, van Nes became a member of the Bond van Nederlandse Stedebouwkundigen which was founded in 1935. In addition to the BNS, van Nes was also a member of the Bond van Nederlandse Tuinarchitecten (BNT), a member of the Urban Planning Council of the Institute for Public Housing and Urban Planning, and a main board member of the Royal Dutch Society for Horticulture and Botany. Van Nes also advocated training as a landscape architect because he felt that in building expansion, both urban planners and garden architects fell short.... In the work of the structural engineer, the structure predominates. The work of the landscape architect is characterized by the predominance of plant material and uses crops that do not fit the region. Van Nes worked on various types of commissions for individuals, institutions and the government. Characteristic of Van Nes' designs are the thorough study of the landscape and the adaptation of planting to it. A fine example is the "Leidsche Hout. In the catalog of 1924-1925 it is written: "It is of great importance to have your garden laid out not only to match your house, but certainly also the surroundings of your grounds. Even on so-called poor soil one can have a beautiful garden, as long as, when choosing the plants, one carefully considers which species suit the soil and the surroundings." (1) In 1926, van Nes sells the family business in order to focus entirely on design. The buyers are the arborist Mr. J. Brusse and the landscaper Mr. A.H. van Hanswijk Pennink who continue the business under the same name. Van Nes received several commissions for various institutions, the largest of which was the site design for "The Central Israelite Insane Asylum" (1907-1948) for which he carried out several assignments. He also designed the gardens for the Roman Catholic Insane Asylum Sint Joseph in Apeldoorn (1927-1928), the psychiatric institution Coudewater in Rosmalen (1928-1929 and 1933-1939), the Dr. Mr. Willem van den Bergh Foundation in Noordwijk (1929-1930) and the gardens for the St. Willibrordus Foundation in Heiloo (1932-1938). In the later period, van Nes performed a number of assignments for the municipality. For example, he was commissioned for the landscaping along national highway 50 between Arnhem and Zwolle (1939-1945). He also gave advice for the construction of landscaping for the road diversion near Epe on the road from Deventer to Nunspeet. Also a number of small commissions for public greenery and road diversions. During World War II, van Nes received a few more small commissions, and he continued to work after the war until his death on August 20, 1952. Edward Sillem, 16-12-2009 Notes, literature: 1. Younger Garden Art 1900-1940; Blok, E; Dutch Garden Foundation, 1992, Wageningen Apeldoorn Municipal Archives Wageningen UR, Library Special Collections K.C. van Nes 75 years, The Nursery; 9 (1950)13, p109 Garden architect or landscape architect, de Koerier; 6-1-1928 Ancillary activities: Royal Dutch Society for Horticulture and Botany/principal board member/;Union of Dutch Garden Architects/member/;Union of Dutch Urban Designers/member/;Urban Planning Council of the Institute for Public Housing and Urban Planning/member