International Inspiration

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The Dutch have their tulips; the English their roses. Southern Spain brings thoughts of floral-filled courtyards and splashing fountains.

Lavender foxglove, referred to in German as Fingerhut, and Gelbe Margarite add a graceful presence to the garden.

Not to be left out, Italian gardeners – on big plots or small – display hydrangea-filled urns, grape-covered arbors and shrub-like mounds of lavender and rosemary.  In any corner of their landscape that can claim six hours of sun, an Italian will likely tuck in a tomato plant and count on it to thrive amidst whatever flowers and woody plants surround it.

While most of us might not automatically associate Germans with gardening, you need to reset your mental picture. The Germans are great perennial hybridizers. Many of the plants that are an integral part of gardens throughout the world were developed in German greenhouses. If you feature the bright blue-purple spikes of salvia ‘May Night,’ the 1997 American Perennial Plant of the Year, in your landscape, you should know that it came to the American gardening world via Germany as Salvia nemerosa ‘Mainacht’; Likewise such popular perennials as Dianthus (‘Feuerhexe’) ‘Firewitch’ and Geranium (‘Gertwat’) ‘Rozanne.’

Locally, the Missouri Botanical Garden pays a combined homage to St. Louis’ German heritage and gardening in the Strassenfest German Garden, located at the south end of the Garden near the Lehmann Building. The area includes many of the plants hybridized and discovered by native Germans, and incorporates a bust of Dr. George Engelmann. An outstanding botanist and physician, Dr. Engelmann immigrated to St. Louis from Germany in the 1830s and was a trusted advisor to Garden founder Henry Shaw.

Last summer, St. Louis-based freelance photographer Michael Jacob, his wife Teri, and son Peter, made a trip to Koblenz, Germany to visit his parents, Lydia and Klaus. Michael, having spent his youth in Germany, has fond memories of nature's scenery that dotted the countryside, and he could not resist photographing the glorious landscape. Recently, I talked with him about his parents' passion for gardening and learned that the European gardening philosophy and practices they have advocated for years are beginning to be firmly rooted in St. Louis and elsewhere in the United States.

“German (and European) cities are densely populated and therefore have a very urban feel,” Michael explains. “People try to create a green oasis to bring nature closer to their homes. Gardens are also a means to maintain privacy. European homes are often close together.”

American gardeners, who have historically had large enough plots to separate flowers from vegetables, recently have begun to combine both floral elements and edible produce in landscaping and containers. Mixing these elements has long been a practice in Europe. Because they have only a small space to work with, the gardens “combine decorative elements such as flowers and shrubs with fruits and vegetables,” Michael notes.

Like most Europeans, Germans shop for fresh produce more often than Americans. Growing their own not only helps families save money; Michael points out that it ensures they have fresh fruits and vegetables available immediately and that they are free of pesticides. In addition, they dry pears, apples and plums for later consumption, make jam and jellies (a very big aspect of a German breakfast), and freeze vegetables for side dishes, soups and casseroles.

Not only do Michael's parents compost all year round, they collect rainwater from the roofs of their garden sheds, home and huts and store it in containers and cisterns in the ground.

In a system that makes the American trend toward gutter-spout rain barrels seem like a baby step, the senior Jacobs “have 7,000 liters of storage capacity to provide water for the plants,” Michael notes. “They do not have to use tap water, which is very expensive and in short supply in Europe.”

Michael's parents start many of their plants from seed and collect plants when they travel: a blue bellflower (glockenblumen) from the Alps; a lily of the Nile (agapanthus) from Madiera; and a cactus from the Canary Islands. The Koblenz growing season is not that different from the growing season of St. Louis. “They begin planting vegetables in March, which is called ‘Fruehbeet' (early planting season). The growing season lasts until the first frost in late fall,” Michael notes.

“My parents combine the beauty of a yard with the benefits of a garden,” Michael summarizes. “The yard is an extension of their home. They love to be in nature and spend most of their free time in their garden.