"Forward-looking initiative: Aiming for Green by 2025"
Neuss Garden Competition Highlights Climate-Friendly and Biodiverse Gardening Practices
The city of Neuss recently hosted a garden competition, showcasing a variety of green spaces that embody climate-friendly and biodiverse gardening principles. The State Garden Show 2026 in Neuss will feature one of these winning gardens.
Frau Lerch's garden, a climate-adapted space with extensive planting, a pond, and a focus on drought resistance and insect friendliness, secured the first place in the "General Gardens" category. The garden reduces heat stress and uses excess water from the pond for climate-friendly watering, making it a shining example of sustainable gardening.
In the "Front Gardens" category, no prizes were awarded due to insufficient entries. However, Frau Behre's garden, featuring a small pond and a birdbath for animal drinking opportunities, secured second place. With diverse greenery, high plant diversity, and natural materials, her garden demonstrates the potential of front gardens to contribute to a more sustainable urban landscape.
The competition, organised by the city of Neuss in cooperation with the Neuss State Garden Show 2026 GmbH, emphasised climate-friendliness, regional relevance, ecological diversity, and the avoidance of concrete. The upcoming State Garden Show will feature an area of 700 sqm, greened using various innovative regreening measures with native, foreign, and regional plants.
Joana Gasper presented her research project "ReGreen - Regreening Gravel Gardens" at the award ceremony. The project aims to research and raise awareness about the climate-resilient and biodiverse design of urban (micro)spaces, including gravel-covered areas like front gardens and business gardens.
Best practices for climate-friendly and biodiverse gardens generally include using native plants, enhancing biodiversity, avoiding chemical pesticides and fertilizers, water efficiency, soil health, creating structural diversity, incorporating habitat features, reducing lawn areas, and using sustainable materials. These principles align with sustainability goals often emphasised in garden competitions promoting ecology and climate responsiveness.
The city of Neuss will host a garden competition again next year, offering another opportunity for green-minded individuals to showcase their sustainable gardening skills. For those interested in learning more about the Neuss Garden Competition or similar events, additional information will be announced in due course.
- The winning garden in the "General Gardens" category, Frau Lerch's climate-adapted space, embodies principles of environmental-science, focusing on drought resistance and insect friendliness, demonstrating the importance of sustainable-living in home-and-garden practices.
- The competition, focusing on climate-friendliness and ecological diversity, also highlights the potential of front gardens, like Frau Behre's second-place garden, to enrich urban environments and promote biodiversity, a vital aspect of science and the environment.
- Joana Gasper's research project, "ReGreen - Regreening Gravel Gardens", seeks to investigate and advocate for the climate-resilient and biodiverse design of urban (micro)spaces, such as home-and-garden areas like front gardens and business gardens, bridging the gap between lifestyle and science.
- Best practices for climate-friendly and biodiverse gardening, such as using native plants, reducing lawn areas, and incorporating habitat features, align with the sustainability goals often emphasised in garden competitions, fostering a connection between ecology, climate responsiveness, and gardening.
