GARDENING IN THE GERMAN SPEAKING WORLD
By Max Kanter
Test Plot board member and owner of Saturate
DATE: May 1st 2025
Aside from having my hands in the soil or on a pair of hand pruners, there’s nothing more satisfying than talking shop and exchanging with other gardeners. I take even more joy if they’re gardeners from another part of the world. I’m fascinated by the role of the gardener in every society. So fascinated that I’ve invested in 6 trips overseas since 2022 to explore what it’s like gardening in other parts of the world. There’s one area of the world I’m particularly fond of and that's the German speaking part of Europe. This may sound romanticized but I believe Germany, Switzerland and Austria resemble a sort of gardener/ horticultures’ paradise. Here are my joyful field notes of observations so far from my journeys.
In the German speaking world (I’m sure other places too) gardeners play a foundational role in society. In order to understand this I’ve had to learn German so I can speak to locals and go deep into what it means to be a gardener there. In my experience so far it appears nearly everyone has an interest in gardening and plants, it’s engrained in their culture. They did invent the garden gnome after all! This deep appreciation for all things green is evident everywhere in the landscape.
Perhaps the popularity of gardening in the German speaking world relates to the core value of trade-work or “Handwerk” in the foundations of the German, Austrian and Swiss societies and economies. Gardening is considered a trade and treated as a trained profession. To become a gardener one must finish 2 years of schooling and 2 years of an apprenticeship with a test at the end just to become employed as a gardener. A true commitment to the trade. As for gardening and landscape businesses, they tend not to be as segmented into design vs maintenance/care camps, but rather gardening businesses are more often expected to provide full garden services with the ongoing client//gardener relationship at the core of the value proposition. Taking it further, many “firms” here have their own nurseries, seed banks, maintenance crews and garden designers/builders.
As for design ethos, there tends to be a resistance to designing with too much control and an embrace and fascination for the “wild”. Wildness is more effortlessly displayed in the landscape here, with purity, control and uniformity not as common and resource intensive gardening efforts are almost illogical to the German gardener. Perhaps it’s the age of the societies and the generations of land practitioners passing on knowledge, but the goal of a perfect version of nature or 100% native plant garden isn’t really the goal there. The goal is more that the process of gardening produces a beneficial garden, with practical uses, enhanced biodiversity and less labor needed to sustain. As a gardener I find relief from the dogmatic thinking I encounter in the US (not everyone in the US but it’s more prevalent). It makes me feel less burnout and more longevity in what I do and allows for more enjoyment in the craft.
The German gardening cultural framework results in a different looking landscape too. The landscape appears to be a more woven patchwork of gardener infiltrations, a citizen stewardship approach vs an expectation that the land is highly segmented and compartmentalized and cared for by “others” and not by “us”. Locals there more often sweep their own sidewalks, tidy public plots under street trees, plant flowers on neglected strips of land überall (everywhere), with these small plots left untouched and respected. The quiet acts of stewardship and sense of shared space is a mindset there. Of course in LA the citizens are doing this as well, but quite literally every street in Berlin has examples of citizens taking the urban landscape into their own hands. The scale is just much more impressive and common.
Because of the “handwerk” culture, big difference is that the role of gardener in society is elevated and treated with respect along the lines of a doctor, lawyer or accountant.
In Germany, the role of the gardener is treated with a level of respect and professionalism that’s rare in the U.S. It’s considered a skilled, essential trade—often requiring a formal Ausbildung, or apprenticeship, that combines hands-on training with classroom education over several years. Gardeners are not just laborers; they’re specialists in plant knowledge, soil health, ecology, and design. Many belong to professional Vereine (associations), where gardeners exchange knowledge, set industry standards, and even lobby the government together for resources. This infrastructure reinforces the idea that caring for land, shaping green space, and supporting biodiversity are careers worthy of investment, education, and pride. Gardening isn’t a fallback job, rather a respected profession with roots in both tradition and innovation.
It makes sense that the German speaking world always tops the world rankings in urban green space access, local food production, biodiversity initiatives and an über robust gardening industry. This was super clear after attending the Perennial and Native Plant Festival at the Botanical Gardens in West Berlin, an extravaganza with 30,000 attentees and over 190 individual small scale, local plant sellers, seed specialists and of course several beer gardens. I was blown away that there are so many small scale plant growers which reflects a value in small and medium scale operations, vs. large scale production. Again, I’m so impressed at the scale and variety. During my next trip I plan to visit the “IPM-Essen”, the largest horticulture conference in Germany that brings together 40,000 people with thousands of vendors and booths from across the country. Who’s coming with me?!
I plan to go back to Germany very soon to continue my pursuit in understanding the German gardener mind. Next time it’s my hope to even do some gardening. These opportunities for exchange enrich and inspire me as a gardener, and while these trips are a privilege I highly encourage all gardeners to participate in an exchange of their own to gain universal perspective and awareness of the vast diversity of gardeners and garden culture that exists on our beautiful planet. More fieldnotes to come, but for now dankeschön (thank you) for your ear. Happy Gardening!
“HEAVY HITTERS” UNDER THE EUCALYPTUS (2 years in)
San Bruno Test Plot
By Jen Toy
Test Plot
DATE: March 31 2025
San Bruno Test Plot
By Jen Toy
Test Plot
DATE: March 31 2025
TIME: noon-1pm
TEMP: 53 degrees
︎WEATHER: Sunny
WIND (SPEED/DIRECTION): not noticeable
SOIL MOISTURE: Damp with lots of insects under the eucalyptus debirs
︎PLANTS SIGHTINGS: I didn’t have a lot of time so I just did a visual survey of the most noticeable plants. I did not go hunting under the rooreh and weeds to search for small plants.
︎WEED SIGHTINGS: The weeds have been left to grow since the December workday.
WILDFLIFE SIGHTINGS: When you pull out weeds, you’ll see a scattering of insects that are thriving in the leaf litter. I didn’t have time to ID.
︎HUMAN ACTIVITY: As usual, there were many walkers out on the path.
The plot is now two years old. It was first planted in March 2023. For the first year, we hosted monthly workdays (11 in total), weeding the oxalis, rattlesnake grass, ivies and himalayan blackberry. For the second year, we have intentionally done very little management. I’ve been interested to see which plants thrive and can hold their own despite the constant raining down of leaves, bark and branches in allelopathic conditions. Watching this happen, I’ve been contemplating how the test should evolve. Rather than trying to maximize species diveristy, perhaps we should document the species that can take up space and thrive... “the heavy hitters.” I’ve also been thinking about how to measure this. I was initially thinking of this as biomass, but I recently learned that biomass is usually measured by weight of plant material. I think the metric is actually “percent coverage,” though it doesn’t roll off the tongue quite as well. Basically we’re looking for the weedy natives that aren’t fussy or delicate and will take over and self seed with very little work.
︎A note on documentation: This is the first time I’ve been able to photograph the plot since I got a drone. The low canopy of eucalyptus directly above makes it impossible to get an orthographic view of the entire plot. I was able to capture a few oblique angles.
SCRUB MX: On this visit I noticed that the rooreh (miner’s lettuce) is completely dominant. The buckwheat and sagebrush are poking through the rooreh and monkeyflower is hanging on in the back. The self-sown red elderberry is doing great. That’s 4 species, compared to last year when I identified 15 species. At that time the dominant species included beach strawberry, CA fuschia, and miner's lettuce (rooreh). I estimated that 60% of the plot was composed of these 3 species.
PRAIRIE GRASSLAND: This plot is also dominated by the rooreh, though hummingbird sage and phacelia are still thriving. Last year I noticed 12 species, including clear winners CA phacelia, hummingbird sage, and woodland strawberry.
OAK WOODLAND: This visit I noticed the cow parsnip has remerged, and the snowberry, honeysuckle, buckeye, pearly everlasting and mugwort and strawberry are still present (7 species). The cinquefoil and heucheras have not made it thorugh, buried under the rooreh and weeds. Last year, I documented 19 species, including Symphoricarpos sp., Pink honeysuckle, buckeye, pearly everlasting and mugwort, woodland strawberry, sticky cinquefoil, and heucheras.
SEEP/FRESHWATER MARSH: Last year there were 16 species and the clear winner was Bee plant. This is still true, though the dogwood, fringecups, goldenrod and rush are still thriving (5 species).
WEEDS: The oxalis is largely gone (more present in the oak woodland and scrub plots). No cape or english ivy and very little himalayan blackberry. Pretty impressive for only 2 seasons of hand weeding. These species are still hugely dominant outside the plot fence. Other species that I noticed include bur chevril, common sow thistle, hordeum, cut leaf geranium, sheep sorrel and galium.
A NEW YEAR AT STARR KING
Starr King Test Plot
By Théa Ryan
DATE: March 30 2025
The past few months have been an evolving dance of observing, tweaking, and nudging. The Purple needlegrass (Stipa pulchra) plugs were planted in the fall, and we’ve learned to distinguish it from the many other grasses on site - it’s blueish green, it can withstand a strong tug, the blades are stiffer than others. It was also planted in groups of three in the poppy plot which helps us to know which were transplants and which were pre-existing (this technique is borrowed from the Skyline Gardens playbook). We continue to apply the Bradley Method, clearing as many non-native species directly embedded in and around the native species we are trying to support. In the poppy plot, the main native plants we’re seeing are Naked buckwheat (Eriogonum nudum), Arroyo lupine (Lupinus succulentus), California poppy (Eschscholzia californica), Soap plant (Chlorogalum pomeridiamun) and purple needlegrass.
Starr King Test Plot
By Théa Ryan
DATE: March 30 2025
The past few months have been an evolving dance of observing, tweaking, and nudging. The Purple needlegrass (Stipa pulchra) plugs were planted in the fall, and we’ve learned to distinguish it from the many other grasses on site - it’s blueish green, it can withstand a strong tug, the blades are stiffer than others. It was also planted in groups of three in the poppy plot which helps us to know which were transplants and which were pre-existing (this technique is borrowed from the Skyline Gardens playbook). We continue to apply the Bradley Method, clearing as many non-native species directly embedded in and around the native species we are trying to support. In the poppy plot, the main native plants we’re seeing are Naked buckwheat (Eriogonum nudum), Arroyo lupine (Lupinus succulentus), California poppy (Eschscholzia californica), Soap plant (Chlorogalum pomeridiamun) and purple needlegrass.
The poppy plot now has minimal weeds, which will ideally give the native plants more space to grow - however, it is also wide open for more non-natives to move in. The ground is hot, crumbly and dry. The poppies started blooming in mid-February - we noticed one plant growing directly on serpentinite that has brown and red-tinged leaves. I asked a CA native Facebook group for their take and learned that environmental stress can cause the plant to produce more anthocyanins (creating the reddish color). This tracks with the harsh chemical makeup of serpentine soils. Other poppies on the same plot don’t exhibit the same colors - does it have to do with proximity to the actual serpentinite? Just a guess. The lupines followed in late February after a very hot (70°F) day. The heat also welcomed more birds and butterflies. On February 26th, we spotted a pair of Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) butterflies and a flock of 16 western meadowlarks flying through the site.
Over at the pine plot, we’re seeing a high concentration of naturally-occuring purple needlegrass fighting for its place among the encroaching oxalis and non-native grasses. We heard mention that there may have been a fire on the site at some point - possible connection? Sarah Burton helped track down some local history and we discovered there had indeed been a fire in 2015 at this exact site. It was about 2-4 square meters, and locals observed a higher occurence of purple needlegrass and Dotseed plantain (Plantago erecta) the following spring, which is exactly what we’re seeing! While this may have been a case of arson, it’s very exciting to have living proof of the benefits of fire. Another serpentine grassland in San Francisco’s Presidio was the site of a controlled burn in 2007. We’re asking ourselves about the logistics of requesting a controlled burn, and residents’ perceptions of fire.
The tiniest plant observed on the pine plot, dotseed plantain, is generating a lot of excitement for us. In its early stages, we were often stumped as to what was and wasn’t dotseed plantain. With time, it formed its signature cottony head and became much easier to identify. Dotseed plantain is an unassuming but very important plant for our native pollinators - it’s the primary host plant for the Bay checkerspot butterfly (Euphydryas editha bayensis), a federally threatened species endemic to the area.
One theme that keeps coming up for us is having a reference site. We’re thinking about reaching out to the folks at the Presidio to learn about the methods they’ve used on their serpentinite grasslands. Another much more proximate site is the open space just across the street. Some of the current natives in bloom in the open space are Blue dicks (Dipterostemon capitatus), Blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium bellum), Harvest brodiaea (Brodiaea elegans), California goldfields (Lasthenia californica), Miniature lupine (Lupinus bicolor), Checkerbloom (Sidalcea malviflora), Shining pepperweed (Lepidium nitidum) and Purplespot gilia (Gilia clivorum). Having a sister site to compare techniques, disturbances, and species distribution is a wonderfully collaborative way for us to learn from one another.
Speaking of techniques, we’ve been experimenting with the scythe with mixed results (we think it needs more/better sharpening), and using a hyper-localized vinegar spray on the weeds in the poppy plot. We’re avoiding any weeds that are very close to the native plants so as not to risk spraying the natives. It’s unclear whether hand-weeding or vinegar spraying is the more effective technique.
On our most recent visit, the purple needlegrass was blooming. We’re hoping to see some Yellow mariposa lily (Calochortus luteus), blue dicks, and maybe even some butterflies like the Acmon blue (Icaricia acmon) or Bay checkerspot if we’re lucky!
FERRY BOATS, VANS & A BIT OF MAINTENANCE
Catalina Test Plot
By Scott Applebaum and Berit Cummings
USC Environmental Studies
DATE: February 27, 2025
Catalina Test Plot
By Scott Applebaum and Berit Cummings
USC Environmental Studies
DATE: February 27, 2025
︎WEATHER NOTES: 58℉, overcast/mostly cloudy, with light winds up to 10 mph in the afternoon
︎PLANTS SIGHTINGS: Records of introduced and native species presence are drawn from observations during site maintenance and from records submitted to iNaturalist by students within our group.
Among the invasive species we worked to remove (and could identify) were:
| Atriplex semibaccata | Australian saltbush |
| Brachypodium sylvaticum | False brome |
| Foeniculum vulgare | Fennel |
| Salsola australis | Russian thistle |
Australian saltbush was thick in higher elevations above the ravine bed in well-lit and drier areas less subject to shading from structures or ravine banks. The false brome (or other introduced grasses) was prevalent in more shaded areas including in the ravine bed, in between building structures and on north facing slopes. Substantial stands of Russian thistle occurred especially in the sunny, open area east of the bridge leading to the cafeteria. A fully grown Russian thistle that had begun to die was also removed, hopefully mitigating the threat of the invasive tumbleweed spreading its seeds.
Berit identified eight different native species using the Seek extension of iNaturalist and additional observations from other students were drawn from records in iNaturalist. Some common plants in the area included California Sagebrush, Lemonade Berry, and Narrowleaf Milkweed. Lauren Czarnecki-Oudin told us that she had recently planted small specimens of common yarrow and verbena.
| Artemisia californica | California sagebrush |
| Asclepias fascicularis | Narrow-leaf milkweed |
| Comarostaphylis diversifolia ssp. planifolia | Summer holly |
| Baccharis pilularis | Coyote brush |
| Encelia californica | Bush sunflower |
| Artemisia douglasiana | California mugwort |
| Rhus integrifolia | Lemonade berry |
| Heteromeles arbutifolia | Toyon |
| Salvia apiana | White sage |
| Nassella pulchra | Purple needlegrass |
| Erythranthe cardinalis | Scarlet monkeyflower |
︎WILDLIFE SIGHTINGS: Wildlife sightings were limited. One student identified a Western Small Milkweed Bug (Lygaeus kalmii kalmii) in a grassy area and numerous California ground squirrels were heard and seen nearby (Otospermophilus beecheyi). While we were working within, birds moved in and out of the ravine. Ravens watched us from the eaves of the dormitory roof while smaller birds circulated through the larger trees lining the ravine margin.
︎HUMAN ACTIVITY: This visit was relatively short, and our time was primarily devoted to maintenance efforts in the of the plot including removal of invasives/weeds and watering of native plant specimens.
GENERAL NOTES: This visit brought students from the USC Environmental Studies Program to Wrigley Marine Science Center as part of the course, ENST 495 Senior Seminar (Urban Ecology). Our group (15 people total) of graduating seniors visited the site to engage activities related to course themes.
The Ms. Christie (the university-owned boat that typically transports us to and from WMSC was undergoing repairs and out of service. This necessitated that we travel on the commercial ferry boat which lands in Two Harbors (about 2 miles from the research center) and travel by van to WMSC. We are lucky to have the university boat which travels directly to and from WMSC as it dramatically expedites our travel and allows us more time on site at WMSC. The extra travel time for this trip pushed the start time of our work to the afternoon and limited our efforts to maintenance (and not allowing for additional assays of soil and biodiversity).
Nonetheless this visit was valuable for the student group both in term of hands-on experience in the restoration effort but also in providing insight and perspective that are instrumental in a project effort by these students to develop activities guides that will be helpful for engaging more WMSC visitor groups in Green Ravine activities including care and maintenance as well as assessing biodiversity over time.
SOIL and GROUND COVER: Much of the soil was also covered by grasses, with some sections living and other sections appearing dry or dead. The coir mats were generally intact and appeared to be functioning well — the plants that were surrounded by these had few or no invasives nearby, preventing the threat of crowding out the native species. However, one coir mat was stuck on a check dam, so this was perhaps washed away during a recent storm event.
SOIL MOISTURE: The soil was moderately dry as we worked during our visit which occurred approximately two weeks after the first rain event of the season. There was not significant evidence of erosion, though sediment, leaves, and other organic material could be seen accumulated on the upstream side of the check dams.
Since summer of 2024, we have been experimenting with automated soil sensors that can log soil moisture and temperature over time. These not only give us a high-resolution time series of soil moisture daily to seasonally but also may be useful in assessing the soil moisture retention properties as the restoration and enhancement of the ravine continues (Figure 1).
SUMMARY: The two components of the Green Ravine that stood out to me (Berit) were 1) the difficulty of native plant restoration and 2) the link between runoff water quality and terrestrial ecosystem health. I was surprised to see that despite all the efforts that have been put into this test plot, there were still a ton of invasives for us to remove. I had not previously considered how native plant restoration goes well beyond the initial planting — these plants also need to be protected and kept up, as the invasives will inevitably emerge again. Another part of the Green Ravine restoration effort that stood out to me was the linkage with water quality management. It was interesting to see how water quality Best Management Practices (BMPs) have been integrated into the Green Ravine and how water quality and native plant restoration go hand in hand. These two areas of ecological improvement are so complimentary, and I hope that water-stressed places like Los Angeles will take advantage of how we can fix these two issues side by side.
POST-JANUARY LA FIRES CHECK IN
Burn Scar Test Plot
By Hannah Pae
Terremoto
DATE: February 27, 2025
Burn Scar Test Plot
By Hannah Pae
Terremoto
DATE: February 27, 2025
It’s been about two months since the wildfires started in Los Angeles at the start of the year, and life before the fires seems like a distant past that we will never be able to go back to. Amidst the immediate fear, destabilization, and heart-wrenching grief over our city and our collective unknown future, I’ve experienced glimmers of hope while observing the resilience of the native flora and fauna during the times I’ve come back to Burn Scar post- LA fires to check in on how everything has been holding up after the extreme, drying Santa Ana winds, the LA fires, and late winter rain storms the past couple of weeks.
Soon after the brush fire in Elysian Park in fall 2023 that burned through the Burn Scar Test Plot, we noticed toyon sprouting back from charred stumps. A year and four months later today, the toyon sprouting back from the base of a charred branching arch has grown to be almost 5’ tall, with toyon seedlings coming up nearby – a true testament to the resilient nature of our fire adapted ecology.
Charred logs that we’d sawed and laid on the ground have inadvertently taken on the critical role of nurse logs for wildflower seedlings from last year’s seed bank – baby lupine, clarkia, and lacy phacelia – that are taking advantage of the sheltered microclimate created by the logs. A few months before the LA fires, we’d also spread native seeds we’d collected from nearby intact chaparral ecosystems in Elysian Park, and I expect we’ll finally see these seedlings pop up in the next few weeks, now that we’ve finally had a couple long-awaited, bittersweet, winter storm events in LA post-fire.
We’ve had to postpone our volunteer work day in January because of the LA fires, but we are looking forward to having our first volunteer work day of the year in a few weeks – Fri, March 14th – and working in community to care for this land together.
