Gartenbauverein

The village’s „Garden-build-society“ bench erected on the edge of a forest with a handy fold-up table propped against the tree if one has a picnic along.

Village Garden clubs are generally members of the County society, in turn, the Bavarian and no doubt German society. I have no knowledge of a European society but doubt the RHS would want to be members of no doubt a pretty motley outfit.

We don’t have an annual village Garden Fete or competitions for Best Jam etc. In the weekly village newsletter there are, several times a year, calls for the members to come and help with the various tasks at the county Lehrgarten or “Teaching Garden” at nearby Bad Grönenbach. Lovely setting up in the grounds of the castle overlooking the town.
The garden is supported by the county but run and maintained by volunteers. This one specialises in having a farmyard garden with old flowers and of course lots of vegetables, a herb garden, a vineyard with lots of different varieties and a large bee house. Teaching rooms are available for school parties etc.  One of the things they are very strong at promoting is fruit trees and trying to bring back the once common “Streuobstwiese “ literally “Scatter Fruit Meadow” or Meadow Orchard, a meadow often in a community setting with somewhat ramshackle placed, but old sorts of fruit trees and in long gone times, often grazed by sheep.
 
Bavaria has around 3,300 garden clubs and over half a million members. However, the society is not responsible for the every other year Bavarian Garden Show which takes place in a selected town from spring to autumn. This is done by the state and sponsored by the EU! Generally, it is accompanied by a project to rejuvenate a run down area. There is also a much bigger German garden show every other year, again in different cities. And every 10 years an International show.
 
Despite all this, the average German garden doesn’t seem to match up to the average English garden and certainly not the grass areas. Partly climatic no doubt but Germans rejoice in seeing things like dandelions in their grass, a treasonable offense in England.
 
Weather indifferent on both morning and evening walks. Certainly not bad for the time of year but be sure winter will return and it will be about two months before we see the crocus, daffodils and dandelions here. Spring takes forever.