Before the work in the house and garden really got underway, we really wanted to see the German National Garden Show („BUGA“) 2023 in Mannheim. We wanted to combine this with visits to the Ebertpark in Ludwigshafen am Rhein and the Hermannshof show and sighting garden in Weinheim.
From our campsite on the Rhine a little south of Mannheim, we cycled early in the morning on Tuesday to the grounds of the BUGA, the Luisenpark in Mannheim. Right after the entrance there were already some impressive bed designs by such great garden designers as Harald Sauer. Due to the very cool spring, even in Germany, the beds were less advanced in their development than hoped, but still offered an excellent impression. We took plenty of pictures to get ideas for our own designs.
The Luisenpark, a park rich in tradition with beautiful trees and shrubs, provided a wonderful setting for the perennial beds. We were particularly impressed by the great designs in the shade of the old trees. Once again proof that perennial beds in shady and semi-shady areas can be more than just nice, but highly interesting and varied.
The second venue of BUGA 2023, the Spinelli grounds, a former military site, was completely different from the Luisenpark. You gently float between the two sites at lofty heights in a cable car built by Doppelmayr. While much of the Luisenpark seemed as if it had always been there, everything on the Spinelli site still seemed very young and fresh and experimental. Old trees are almost completely missing, so the plantings – and the visitors – are also mercilessly exposed to the sun. Nevertheless, there were exciting and generously planted areas to discover alongside very ordinary beds. Some beds, however, impressed less by the idea than by the sheer abundance.
For us, it was the second German National Garden Show after the BUGA 2021 in Erfurt that we were able to visit. Even if you don’t like all the designs. A BUGA always tries to meet a lot of demands, and in some places it’s a lot of work. The aim is to create inspiring flowerbeds in a short space of time. Many designs are therefore not so feasible or affordable at home in a private garden. For those interested in gardening, this exhibition was definitely an asset.