During the second day at Park Muskau, I focused on the various planted forms that were present within itinerary 1a. Since this itinerary was so close to the Schloss, these forms had obvious and high levels of maintenance, and were more showy than Puckler's comparatively subdued tree clumps. 

As my group had discussed, there were many forms of approach, enclosure, opening and thresholds within the itinerary, and many were found within the Blue Garden. Upon reflection, I noticed a 'bridge' typology. The name is in reference to the frequent use of bridges as thresholds within Puckler's design, but also relates to the physical manifestation of the planted form. The form is found in the arcs of tree boughs that frame distance views, the entrance to a grove of hazelnuts that shelter a path, as well as a seemingly innocuous blob of aesculus. 

Attached is a sketch diagram of the aesculus blob. From the outside, it appears as a mound or dome. However, there were at least five openings (bridges in and of themselves) to the clump. Inside, an ethereal grove of horsechestnut envelopes the visitor, protecting them from light and wrapping them in humidity. The clump was beautifully layered - a clear footpath with dense horsechestnut as a groundcover, a middle layer of leaves supported by spindly Dr. Seuss branches, and a top layer of dense vegetation acting as a barrier to the air of the Blue Garden outside. The clump was a bridge itself - one that you could walk beneath, hide in. It was a protected place to hunker down. The thresholds between inside and outside were bridges, ones that were framed by dense vegetation and a wash of bright sunlight. It was totally goofy, totally Puckler.