Not that you would want to exchange your earthly life for the lower-lying existence of a mole or a vole – but if the smell of an imperial crown or a flowering fern called Incarvillea caught your nose down there, you would have no choice but to flee. And very quickly. In the spirit of charity, one can only hope that these underground creatures don’t have a particularly good nose, otherwise it will be bitter for them.
Because no matter how pretty the Kaiserkrone and Incarvillea may bloom above ground, they stink underground that – sorry – the sow is horrified, as bad as fox urine, they say. None of the small animals, which are moderately popular with gardeners, will be visible within a radius of ten to 20 square meters. What not to do to avoid stumbling over molehills.
There is more to discover in Hall C3 than just interesting facts about plants and their effects above and below ground. The approximately 80 exhibitors at “Garten München” have a lot on offer until Sunday to inspire you when designing your own piece of green space. Roughly speaking, the offering ranges from garden furniture, plants and accessories to robotic lawnmowers, raised beds, pools and barbecue equipment.
By far the most space is taken up by the whirlpool landscapes – not exactly what you expect at a garden trade fair, but if there are so many suppliers here, there will probably be a market for them. For example, there is this dream from the manufacturer Swimspas, in which an entire football team could fit: four meters long, 2.28 meters wide, chlorine-free, can be heated up to 40 degrees, if you want to sit in the bubbling water even when it’s snowing. The highlight of the giant tub: It has a counter-current system, so it is also a swimming pool. Available for 38,000 euros, trade fair price: 24,900 euros – a real bargain.
Right next door there is something for those who don’t have such a big budget. Although: If you want to afford a grill kota, you have to pay 14,000 euros, a hobbit-sized garden house made of polar pine with an included grill fireplace. Inside you sit on furs, right next to glowing coals. Looks cozy, especially when the snow is gently falling outside.
A wooden hut with an integrated fire pit – so that barbecue fans can indulge in their hobby at any time of the year.
(Photo: Robert Haas)
The grilling in general! It’s clear that it’s no longer just about frying steaks and sausages. But the prices that are charged for some fire starters are crazy. The one from Designfire, which is primarily about socializing, costs 3,000 euros: wooden shelves all around turn the chic grill into a communicative stand-up snack bar, including a beer bottle holder. In contrast, sauna barrels and outdoor infrared cabins seem almost boring.
In addition to all the luxury stuff for the upper ten thousand, there is something pleasantly down-to-earth about John William’s flower stand from Amsterdam. Here you can buy 20 wild tulips for ten euros, two pieces each of delphiniums or torch lilies for ten euros – and visitors line up and happily take out their wallets. Equally popular: the comparatively tiny stand with organic seeds. It just doesn’t need as much space as the pool landscapes at the trade fair colleagues.
Speaking of saving space: The Swiss company FrugalTec promises a special kind of home gardening experience with the Farmii, a vertical garden in the shape of a tower. The idea: grow fresh and nutrient-rich salads, herbs and vegetables yourself, in summer and winter, free of pesticides and other pollutants. Snails, grubs and other crawling nuisances are also not an issue here. The concept is hydroponic, meaning: the plants grow thanks to a mineral liquid fertilizer, without soil, just with water. The seed is placed in a biopolymer and grown in a mini greenhouse for two weeks until the roots begin to germinate. Then the move takes place into the 1.65 meter high tower, which holds 24 plants, where the roots grow into the slowly rotating structure, which is automatically watered every ten minutes using a 35 liter tank. It is a system that the hobby gardener can leave alone on a 14-day vacation without having to hand the watering can to the neighbor. Only the pH value needs to be checked every now and then.
The plants grow almost by themselves in the tower.
(Photo: Robert Haas)
There are two lamps for the indoor winter version, because of course nothing works without photosynthesis. Electricity consumption according to the manufacturer: 52 kilowatt hours per month, which corresponds to around twelve euros – petty cash compared to what you spend on herbs and vegetables at the weekly market. And what grows in the tower? “Basically everything,” says FrugalTec co-founder Brigitte Bäuerle: strawberries, tomatoes, kohlrabi, lettuce and herbs of all kinds. However, you have to separate fruit-bearing plants from green plants, as the former need more nutrients and would overeat on fertilizer, so to speak, to the detriment of the green plants . Cost of the all-season version with lamps: 1,300 Swiss francs.
And otherwise? Mobile stainless steel garden fireplaces, covered porch swings, stone art: a waist-high Buddha for 342 euros or a 200 kilo, 471 euro structure called the Matterhorn, which does not correspond to the shape of this striking mountain in Switzerland. Or for chronically forgetful waterers: smart irrigation for balcony plants. Anyone looking for something natural for privacy, wind or noise protection will learn: an ivy hedge measuring three meters by 1.20 meters costs 450 euros.
On the show stage, master students show how to create works of art from flowers.
(Photo: Robert Haas)
The meeting point “My Beautiful Garden” is creative and informative, where lectures and shows are offered, for example: alternative plugging techniques and the fine art of filling containers. Four young women demonstrate what they learn in the “Two in one” training at the master school in Weihenstephan. Someone who can call herself a floral art designer sums up her motivation in two words: give the gift of emotion! This is indeed an art.