Het Witte Lint is a design for the bypass road near Zutphen. Een landscaping art work along the provincial road N348 realised in 2016. It consists of a low dike and a row of diagonally planted hawthorns, supported by white natural stone poles. Het Witte Lint is designed by artist Erick de Lyon and landscaping architect Ronald Rietveld. Nursery Udenhout cultivated and shaped1.300 Crataegus persimilis ‘Splendens’ in total in order to deliver the needed 1.177 pieces and any replacements in 2016.

Art unites
The province of Gelderland was intending to develop a new bypass road near Zutphen that would combine art with landscaping architecture. Atelier de Lyon | Rietveld Landscape was responsible for the the design of Het Witte Lint. Central in the design is a 6 kilometres long white strip of ‘diagonal’ white Hawthorn. Zutphen now has a long white strip with hawthorns that is entirely white 3 weeks per year. The diagonally planted Crataegus persimilis ‘Splendens’ offer a glimpse into the old woven hedges in the surrounding area, so the landscaping artists say. Het Witte Lint is also a statement to the endless fragmentation and meaninglessness of the provincial road network in the Netherlands.

Co-operation is required
The hawthorns were cultivated by Nursery Udenhout and Vaarkamp from Ede is responsible for the maintenance. They are being assisted by companies BSI from Baarn and Boomtotaalzorg from Schalkwijk. Co-operation was necessary because the parties involved were unable to meet the requirements in the project description on their own. The first 999 trees were planted in fall / winter 2016 and 142 pieces were planted in 2017. In 2018 the remaining 36 trees will be planted. Affer 2023 the obligation to deliver any replacements ends.