Germans and their gardens

I was probably spoilt when I was growing up, my parents put a lot of effort in to their garden and received a lot of praise from friends, neighbours and strangers alike. (Me and my friends spent many warm summer evenings sitting on the lawn smoking doobies and admiring the Narcisse des près), but when ever I see the garden of the average German I am amazed by how visually handicapped they are, their creative limits generally seem limited to putting a garden gnome next to a muddy puddle and/or planting a random geranium.
The prevailing attitude here towards flora is just to let it grow, and grow, and grow. (I am basing this rant on my life in northern Germany. I suppose it might be different in the south), but now that summer is upon us Berlin is starting to look like the jungles of the Mekong Delta.

Do you have balls?

You should have come on the walk with me last Sunday. We went through an area near D'dorf that had some very impressive gardens.

I think it may have something to do with Berlin. I have family in Steglitz and often go for walks in Dahlem. Over there... it's more... Green party style. You know... the natural look. Nature as nature intended.

You'll have to try other towns.

@ chocky - awww, I LOVE the nice wild way Berliners plant their gardens! OK, I mean, untended is just untended and there's nothing attractive about that, but when they're sort of slapped together any which way, without paying attention to lawn edges and levels and blah blah blah and pruned only for the sake of the health of the plant, I think it looks quite nice. With all this concrete around, I find a bit of a jungle atmosphere quite refreshing

Oh yes, the famous graffiti gardens of Berlin ...
Several prospective tenants who viewed my townhouse last year wrinkled their noses at the garden as *gasp* you could see it from the footpath due to the fact that I refused to grow a hedge two meters high and half a meter thick. Instead I had sunflowers alongside of sweetpeas climbing a trellis. I miss my garden.

Watch out, or GerryM will swoop in and tell you you're full of "pish".

Seriously, we just made that observation last evening. The town I live in just redid an old english garden across the fields from our place, and they did such a crappy job on the topiary and formal beds that the original planner's probably spinning in his grave. It looks like a bad experiment with whisky and gorillas ... no color anywhere; as if they just shredded up astroturf and scattered it around.

Home gardeners appear to install so many trellises, gazebos, gazing balls, rock paths, tiles, doric columns, cherubs, birdbaths, granite balls that rotate on a column of water, park benches, recreations of the Battle of the Bulge using garden gnomes, etc. that there's no time, money or space left for any living plants. Lots of people in the neighborhood I live in have garden firms come in every year and just re-sod everything and stick in a few plants ... all of which unsurprisingly die because these "trusted experts" engineer in plenty of planned obsolescence to ring the cash register every year. Our theory: Lots of lifelong apartment dwellers whose only experience was as serial killers of Ikea ficus trees.

My wife's garden is off the charts this year ... and has steadily improved since we installed a UK satellite dish and she can watch all the excellent gardening shows for even more tips and tricks.

My neighbors have very nice gardens...wait most of them are either italian, russian or turkish..

My husband is a fan of lawn gnomes..lawd ha'mercy..

aw, expaticus' wife's garden is lovely. very pretty, relaxing to the eye, i like it.

I find it depressing, it's a constant reminder of how nobody gives a shit about anything in this city.
(I was sitting outside a cafe on Wiener Strasse yesterday and a whole branch fell off a tree a few yards in front of me, there wasn't a breath of wind in the air. Quite lucky no-one was hit by it really, it would have easily been big enough to knock me out, and I ain't exactly small.

As is quite often the case on here you folks make massive generalisations. You start a thread about Germans and their gardens but what you're really talking about is Berlin. Berlin isn't a template for Germany. I live in a small village in Bavaria and most people keep their gardens looking nice. But of course you don't want to hear that, you prefer just to slag people off.

I go walking around my neighbourhood alot, and I do see alot of boring or extremely plain gardens,
I live in a highrise, and this year planted pink and purple flowers nice a bright and sunny for me, it was mentioned to me in the laundry room, oh, you are the one with the colourful balcony... I am thinking, EH?
sorry its not a dead pine/coniferious or red geraniums!

But I do think people in smaller towns do have nice gardens, I was recently out for a run in Ismaning and there were some really really nice gardens, and some were very fragnant with roses.

Then he is clearly a top bloke. Gnomes are bloody great. I once saw a news report about some person or other who had a gnome nicked from their garden, They started getting photos of it in the mail, from different locations round the globe; somebody had stolen it, and taken it on a world tour and was sending photos back to the owner. Brilliant stuff. I might nick a local gnome next weekend, and take it out on the piss in Munich, and see how many photos I can get of him posing with tasty ladies, then return the gnome the next day with a little photo album.

My in-laws are responsible for the garden, which is a BIG relief to me - they are such perfectionists that if a plant doesn´t grow straight, they just pull it up and replace it (poor thing!)

Yes, my comments are based partly on Berlin, but I have traveled quite a lot around Germany, quite likely more than most of the expats here, and based on what I have seen in different parts, generally, Germans do not bother much with looking after their gardens.
Do you require empirical evidence to tell you that generally shit stinks?

I really don't get people who get so worked up about observations about this country that we live in - I don't think this thread was to mock or put down Germans for being cave men with no sophistication, just a comment about some of the gardens which happened to catch their eye.

I suppose if one passes a normal, well kept garden one doesn't notice it and then post about it on TT.

I haven't seen anything bad yet, in fact the gardens I saw in a suburb of Hamburg were quite lovely.

Don't the British have a kind of garden that is grown to look wild? A meadow garden or something? Maybe that's the look they're going for?

And agreed, Expaticus, you're lucky to have such a beautiful garden to gaze over

Just you wait, spend another 2 years here, you'll be one of us...mwahahaha etc..

I had a lovely garden in London that I lavished attention on. I put in a border of black bamboo all round sealing it in a lined trench. This was then bordered with old brick to separate it from the weed-free lawn. I planted a white magnolia in the centre of the lawn which seemed to flower three times each year. There was a brick raised border in the back right corner that I filled with mainly folliage plants nterspersed with foxgloves. Finally I built a brick terrace and brick barbecue beside the house. My attention to my garden was certainly not unusual in the area.

I an't remember the last time I saw anything comparable over here. The building we live in is an immaculately painted, pointed and very well presented Altbau apartment block witha garden out front full of rubble, weeds and a frankly embarrassing assortment of ill-matched bushes and shrubs. In fact we have even thought of contacting the landlord and offering to take over the gardening.

I have to agree with Allershausen. I live in Neufahrn and have been impressed with the little gardens you see in front of the houses. I love stopping and taking pictures of them because in my experience, many of them are a lot better looking than American gardens, IF the Americans have gardens. I dare you to tell me that these Germans have no green thumb.



I've seen gardens like this in the inner city of Munich, in Dachau, and Garching recently, and remember them from many cities all over southern Germany from my last trip here. In fact I've always held the generalization that Germans tend to have better gardens and take more pride in them because they don't have very much green space. As an American I know we are used to freaking huge lawns and lots of space with which to do pretty things to our properties, but many people are content to have a well-mown green lawn and nothing else. Germans make good use of their tiny little plots and have them overflowing with ornamental bushes or roses or snapdragons, etc... I absolutely love it.

Chocky but I was on your side! I mean worked up in as in those posters who love to say 'Well if you hate it go home' bla bla bla. Why are they so touchy? Not liking a garden here or a funny quirk there doesn't mean that on the whole it's not a great place!

I'd love to live here for 2 years but am going back to London next month, noooo not the tube!

kakatekoala, you do see gardens where a bit of an effort is sometimes made. But I have yet to see weedfree and properly landscaped gardens of the kind you can see in any town in the UK.

Well that's just it isn't it? The best gardens are in the U.K, so unless you're British or you've spent a decent amount of time there, then any patch of grass with a clump of garish roses sticking out the middle is going to impress you..


See my comment above.


You are lucky to be living there, just stay off the Carling Black Label. (Yes the Tube is hell in summertime).

Oh controversial, bringing in the US vs. UK element there.

I don't drink beer (well, wasted my time here then!) so no danger of that. Loving the Schäfferhoffer alcopops here though.

Now that I think about it, the best garden I've seen here so far was the one behind Schloss Benrath, and that was created as an 'English' garden.

Then forgive me for not being British and utterly stuck up about how "ouuuuuur gardens are soooooooooooo much better".

And the last time I checked, wasn't this a discussion forum? Not an "anyone who posts a nicely presented opinion that happens not to agree with Chocky gets chewed out in an alarmingly abusive fashion" forum?

Relax katekatekoala. Where is this alarming abuse? The harsh reaction to Allerhausen was probably because he stormed in going 'Oh here you all go at it again, trust you to piss all over the Germans, (why don't you go back home)'.

Secondly, I don't think it's so much of a British arrogance thing, surely you know that English gardens are sort of their thing, it's one of their stereotypes? Like the Italians make good food, and the Kenyans can run fast?

You are forgiven my poor colonial cousin.


You've been a member of TT for little over a month. Wait for a while and you'll understand the forum dynamics a bit better.

Where did I say that? I disagree with the OP and do get a little tired of people slagging Germany and the Germans off, especially when there is loads of evidence to the contrary. Whenever my mother comes over from England she always remarks how lovely the people here keep their gardens and she is a very keen gardener.

Gardens??? I thought Yanks had 'yards'.

You didn't, sorry the brackets didn't make it clear. It was just that that comment made me think of all the other 'go home' posters. Probably a bad idea to do that in a quote huh, apologies.

I understand forum dynamics quite well. You can be an snarky, condescending shithead if you're an "old timer", but god forbid the newbies get in on it. But then again, you're TOTALLY right. I've only been on here a month. I mean, gosh, i shuld b typin leik this, rite? hay guyz can u tell me how2 use the forum an stuf? i prolly wont lrn 2 typ rite for anoter month or sumthing.

Good job stereotyping Germans, might as well stereotype people on the forums as well.

As for what Allershausen said:


Which you did.


Which you did.


A little overreactive for someone just trying to state their opinion, don't you think?

@TaniMew.

Fair enough.

Yeah, where's it gone?

Yes? Ah, sorry, I thought someone had called me.

Keydeck is that like your Bat symbol in the sky call? Haha.

What happened to kkkoala's (I was just about to shorten that to something else... herrem!) with the lovely picture? Wait... is this a huff out?

Edit: oh found it. Okay something else was deleted

A garden in Reinickendorf yesterday

steady on, I was just explaining why British people are maybe unimpressed with German attempts at formal gardening. In the same way as Italians might wrinkle their noses at German food or the French at German cheese. It doesn't mean Germans are bad atr gardening just that they approach it in a different maybe more relaxed way than most Brits do. My father spends hours each day on his garden and finds it therapeutic for his Parkisnon's disease. And it is a VERY beautiful garden. I have seen charming gardens here but they are mainly designed to require a minimum of effort.

Rather than call us stuck up about our gardens, maybe you should visit the UK and see why we have the fully deserved reputation of the being the gardeners of Europe.

I have to admit that when I first moved here I had high expectations about "gardens" until I learned that it is just another term for yard or any outside square meterage that goes with the house/flat.

Still and all, I have seen many lovely gardens here and I particularly like strolling through the Hobby Gardens or whateveryoucallthem. There are some beautiful ones on Ackermanstr. that border on Olympiapark. I like to walk through at all seasons.

I've also seen many beautiful English Gardens in the U.S. Colony. They are easy to miss since most houses aren't built 5 meters from the streets.

So I hear. And I think that its great. I just think that maybe some of you should be a little more open to how people garden in other countries. My parents garden as much as they possibly can in their free time, which is mostly only the weekends, and sometimes only every other weekend. they are very busy people, but they keep up with it as much as they can. They will probably never win a Home and Garden award or something, but it does look nice, and they take pride in it. They don't care that its not magazine calibur or some shit.

Yes, Germans DO seem to be more relaxed about their gardens. Everyone has different aesthetics and time constraints and etc... I just think Chocky should be a little more accepting a) of other peoples responses to his opinion and b) different types of gardening. Rubbing people's noses in "how much better our ___________ is than yours" is something very much American, god bless my poor misguided countryfolk. I think for once I think I may know how other people feel when I see pompous Americans pulling that shit. Even if it is about something as lame as "our gardens are better than yours".

My best friend in the US "gardened" by sowing pot seed wholesale on the front lawn after the house purchaser screwed her with the purchase price. She got the seed from a midwife.

What kind of 'seed' are you talking about exactly? Fnaar fnaar chortle..

If anyone feels the urge to do some gardening, you're very welcome to call out to our place. There's plenty of weeding, pruning, cutting, digging and planting for everyone. Hours of fun and you can demonstrate your skills - we'll happily admire and agree to how much better you can do it.

You even get to play with Emily the cat, who honoured us by deciding to live with us last year. She'll follow you all around the garden, and happily sprawl exactly where you want to dig.

would love to dreamer, except the real joy in spending a long time on your garden is that you get to enjoy it yourself. In London I spent 1-2hrs per day on my garden despite having a highly stressful and demanding job - I found it a profound de-stresser. At the weekend I would often spend more time. The resulting garden was like an extra room in my house which I used often for parties with friends.

Thanks Bell the Cat, you're right about it being the perfect destresser. It's just hard to juggle with everything else in life. So, what you doing this weekend?!

I don't know about pruning, weeding, etc... but I will happily come sprawl with your kitty! I miss my fluffy, purry kitties back home :-(

The tart!

You can just barely see her white chest under the basil plants there.

I would haven been like 'meh' if someone had suggested going to the Chelsea Flower Show before, but after living in merry old Deutschland for 4 years, i'd jump at the chance. Wish i'd gone this year, if only to see the garden made entirely out of Plasticene

So is that 'because of' the stressful job or 'in spite of'?

I've lived in apartments all my life. My dad had a green thumb and turned our balcony into leafy flowery havens though. I should buy some plants when I move to my new flat.

both

Plasticene is now made in Thailand?!

LOL, I got 3 balls while in Germany.

I actually thought that the average German gardener was better than the average American one, but probably not as good as the average Brit (in my limited experience). Part of the problem may be the limited stuff that will grow there (due to climate), but I do agree that they lack creativity. Everybody has the same plants... Is it that the nurseries don't stock "exotics"? That's what the internet is for. I have placed several orders for plants already, and I'm still unpacking! My garden is phenomenal... my pride and joy. I missed it dearly while in HH!