Guten Tag!Well, I have just gotten back from my two week holiday in Germany and wow, what a beautiful place! It is currently autumn over there, and the weather was perfect. Cool mornings and beautiful sunny days. Walking along the streets there and looking at the gardens and homes has really inspired me to get stuck into my own home garden and make that homely feel that is very apparent here.
I couldn’t resist but to go and look in the nurseries while I was there.
Wow - colour, colour and more colour!
They have the perfect climate there for the commercial growers to produce the most magnificent plants, and it was all about living gifts! People everywhere had a plant in their hand, all done up to go take to someone as a gift, or to maybe take home themselves.
Every window, house or garden has a plant in it. Every verandah or entrance area has plants in pots. Europeans use plants in their every day lives to add colour and vibrancy. Succulents and cacti are included; particularly on window sills.
It is the perfect location for them. When the seasons change and it gets too cold outside the plants are warm inside and can successfully photosynthesis through the window.
Succulents are also used in containers on front and back porches, as well as in cottage gardens – Sedums in particular - they were all out in flower, as were several varieties of Kalanchoe. It was just beautiful. An explosion of colour, and all in funky, unique containers! Below is a picture of a Sedum spectabile 'Autumn Joy':
I would love to see more of this in our Australian homes…Europeans definitely have this idea down to a fine art!
Great post and super pictures! I lived in Germany for 4 years when I was little. We moved there when I was 5. I don't really remember much. I wish I did. It sounds really pretty with all the gardens and plants. Right now it is fairly cold here (as cold as it can get in Sacramento valley, CA. Most of my succulents are in the garage all stacked up. Except for the ones outside in the ground though.
ReplyDeleteWhat are your minimum temperatures there in Sacramento during the winter? I find the cold nights are really a problem with things like sanseveria and echeverias.
ReplyDeleteHere in Perth today it was 37C!!! I have the reverse problem.Burnt leaves.
Sorry it took me so long to respond. I did not click on the email button. Well winter can be a problem. We definitely have a few days of 32 F and below. The problem comes when we have more than 1 in a row. I do put most of my succulents in the garage in the winter. I would like to have a greenhouse. Still working on that. Yes burnt leaves are a big problem with the cold. Wow I wish we had temperatures like that in the winter!
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