Did there used to be more flowers?

Peter Kießling: Yes. We had many more beds with changing planting in spring, summer and autumn in all city districts. The result of savings. Now only prominent, high publicity places are beautified. We have the most flowerbeds in Bonn. In Godesberg and Hardtberg we plant up two, three, in Beuel none.

How many spring flowers have you planted?

Alxander Ringhandt: Around 11,000 this year. The classics such as daisies, lavender, forget-me-nots, daffodils, primroses and pansies. However, there were delivery problems this year because of the frost so we were not ready with the planting as planned. We plant the beds each year in different colour combinations and patterns. After all, they should be showstoppers.

What do showstoppers cost?

Kießling: This spring we are spending 6100 Euros. We used to have double the amount of money available. Memorials were also planted. In the city centre there were large hanging baskets and in the pedestrian zone there were tubs. These have all been cut. There is 43,000 Euros available for summer planting.

Do you have enough people?

Ringhandt: I would say no. The consensus is we want quality, but it ranges from very good to satisfactory depending on the number of workers.

What sort of quality do the current number of employees provide?

Kießling: I would say satisfactory.

Ringhandt: In the end it’s a political decision how much money is available for green spaces. French cities are doubling their expenditure for green spaces. After the holidays, many travellers talk about the superb floral decorations and beautiful parks. But you have to want to finance that.

In view of the savings constraints, what about sponsored flowerbeds?

Kießling: We have sponsorships for trees. About 700 citizens look after tree beds in the city area.

Ringhandt: There are people who are interested in civic flowerbeds. But the problem is that the sponsors never last long. 80 per cent of the initiatives stop. This is probably because working people cannot continually give the time for the care. The workload is greater than many people imagine.

Maybe people don’t want flowerbeds but would rather have vegetable patches in urban areas?

Ringhandt: There is a trend for urban gardening. But we don’t have that much space for it in Bonn. No one wants to grow vegetables in roadside greenery, let’s say along Reuterstraße.

Is there a problem with vandalism?

Kießling: There will always be vandalism. We have got it under control in the Rheinaue through the Public Order Office and a regular patrol. The expenses to repair damage have therefore reduced. Before the patrol, we estimated 50,000 Euros per year for vandalism in the Rheinaue.

Ringhandt: In my view, vandalism is increasing. Green spaces are no longer respected. Benches are pulled up and thrown in the Rhine. Plants are stolen and new plantings torn out. It is difficult to say if the perpetrators are youths, adults or drunks.

Do you have a favourite flowerbed?

Kießling: Only one? Apart from the Beethoven memorial, for me it’s the beds on the Rhine bank and in the Rheinaue.

Ringhandt: I like the Lenné parterre underneath the Alter Zoll the best, because of its historical character. It is laid out in a classic form with box hedges, which luckily have so far survived the box tree moth.

(Originaltext: Jutta Specht. Translation: kc)