Poisonous plants and mountain flowers: special gardens in Saxony

Erzgebirgsgarten - a listed private garden for everyone

While Leipzig and other larger institutions have fixed structures to ensure their operation, the Erzgebirgsgarten in Großrückerswalde is primarily run on personal initiative. The listed private garden with an area of around 4,000 square meters is currently being expanded into a show garden. Oliver Richter is responsible for this and largely looks after the garden himself. "Work is currently underway on paths and plant signage," says Richter. There was EU funding of 15,000 euros for this.

The garden, which is more than 100 years old, is certified by the European nature garden initiative "Nature in the Garden". Synthetic chemical pesticides and artificial fertilizers are avoided. Instead of strictly designed plants, Richter focuses on biodiversity and closeness to nature. In addition to plants, the concept also includes wild bee hotels and bats. The season starts at the beginning of March with tens of thousands of early bloomers. According to Richter, more than 100,000 flower bulbs have been planted over the past 20 years.

"This is followed later by the native cowslips, which used to be abundant in the adjacent meadows but have been displaced by intensive farming," explains Oliver Richter. He also lists many violets and wild tulips. New fragrant roses and drought-resistant plants will be added in the summer. The garden is mainly open on Saturdays and admission is on a donation basis. The Erzgebirgsgarten is part of a listed manufacturer's villa from the interwar period and has been open to the public for years.

Bible plants and communal beds in the district of Bautzen

Plants mentioned in the Bible grow in Bibelland Oberlichtenau (district of Bautzen), including figs, pomegranates and various herbs. Susanne Förster from the Oberlichtenau-Pulsnitz Christian Association explains that the site is an open-air museum that combines plant life and scenes from everyday biblical life. "You can see a Roman rock tomb or a Bedouin tent, for example."

The site is usually accessible on weekdays and admission is via a trust-based ticket office. The site was opened in 2005 and is run by the association on a voluntary basis. According to figures, around 3,000 people visit the site every year. Bibelland is currently preparing for the "Day of Parks and Gardens" on May 31. Numerous visitors are expected to attend.

A hands-on garden in Chemnitz

The "Gartenutopie" hands-on garden in Chemnitz has a completely different concept. Around ten years ago, initiator Rajko Nestler created an open community garden on a former wasteland of around 2,500 square meters. "It was a littered area, today it's a little garden idyll," he says. Since 2015, vegetables have been grown there together - from tomatoes and beans to herbs.

Around 20 people now regularly cultivate the area. New interested parties join every year. Fruit trees and blackberry hedges are used communally. Wednesdays from 4 p.m. is "open garden" for visitors, reports Nestler. The project sees itself as a low-threshold meeting place for different people and has since inspired similar initiatives in Chemnitz.

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