"Introducing Green Innovation Targeted for 2025"
In the picturesque city of Neuss, a unique garden competition named Neues Gruen is making waves, promoting climate-friendly and biodiverse gardening practices. The competition, organised by the city of Neuss in cooperation with Landesgartenschau Neuss 2026 GmbH, focuses on climate-friendliness, regional relevance, ecological diversity, and the avoidance of concrete.
This year, the "General Gardens" category saw a number of standout entries, with Mrs. Freytag, Mrs. Lerch, and Mrs. Behre taking the top three spots.
Mrs. Freytag's garden took third place due to its park-like character, featuring majestic trees that provide shade, cool the surrounding temperature, and offer a valuable habitat for numerous animal species. The jury was particularly impressed by its spacious area and the valuable role its trees play in reducing heat stress and providing habitats for animals.
The first place went to Mrs. Lerch's garden, which exemplifies how climate adaptation, biodiversity, and natural design can work together effectively. Her extensive and thoughtful redesign minimized sealing to allow rainwater infiltration and storage, and included extensive planting, a pond, and climate-friendly irrigation.
Mrs. Behre's garden, in second place, was recognized for its diverse greenery, high plant diversity, and natural materials, which reduced heat and created habitats for birds and insects. Her garden stands out with almost complete infiltration and a diverse variety of greenery.
Gardens that contributed to reducing heat stress through extensive planting or created larger areas for rainwater infiltration were particularly positively evaluated. The use of natural materials was also recognised in the competition.
Unfortunately, no prizes were awarded in the special category "Front Gardens" due to insufficient entries. The submitted contributions were instead included in the "Gardens in general" category.
Looking ahead, the state garden show in 2026 will feature an area of 700 square meters that will be greened using various innovative regreening measures with native, foreign, and regional future plants. The Neues Gruen competition will also return next year in the city of Neuss.
Joana Gasper's research project "ReGreen - Regreening Gravel Gardens" will also be featured at the state garden show in Neuss in 2026. This project aims to research and raise awareness about the climate-resilient and biodiverse design of urban (micro)spaces.
High biodiversity strengthens the stability and resilience of ecosystems, even in your own garden. Plants, trees, and unsealed surfaces contribute to cooling the surroundings, improve water absorption, and create habitats for native animals and plants. Gardens designed in a climate-friendly way and adapted to changing conditions can help mitigate the effects of climate change.
These principles align with broader trends in low-pollution, ecological construction and design, which emphasize material choices and implementation strategies that improve environmental quality. If you want the exact practices highlighted in Neuss’s competition, specialized local sources or official competition material would be the best reference, as the general principles above reflect well-established best practices in this area.
- Mrs. Freytag's garden, placing third, showcases the value of environmental-science principles in gardening, with its park-like character providing shade, cooling the environment, and serving as a habitat for various animal species.
- The winner, Mrs. Lerch, exemplifies the combinations of climate-change resilience, biodiversity, and natural design in her garden through extensive redesign, reduced sealing for rainwater infiltration and storage, and the inclusion of plants, a pond, and climate-friendly irrigation.
- Sustainable-living practices were evident in Mrs. Behre's second-place garden, with diverse greenery, high plant diversity, and the use of natural materials that reduced heat and created habitats for birds and insects.
- The Neues Gruen garden competition, through its focus on climate-friendliness, regional relevance, ecological diversity, and the avoidance of concrete, promotes lifestyle choices that prioritize the environment, even within home-and-garden settings.
