From road green to the world trees

At the beginning of my gardener apprenticeship I knew less than ten trees with their names, but I knew that I loved trees and that I wanted to plant more of them into bald roads. But first I had to learn hundreds botanical names, the structure of plant cells, and the kinds of cut by heart. At the university it became still worse with the scientification. Nobody spoke about love of nature, but about phytocenosis, bloom formulas, evaporation... and so on. Surely, this is no unimportant knowledge, completely in the opposite, in order to be able to protect nature successfully, one needs specialized knowledge. But it is nevertheless somewhat top-heavy and leads away from belly and intuitive sensitivity.

In 1995, with my first job after the study I had the luck to be allowed to plan the entire road planting of a large settlement. Later, when I had specialized in private gardens, it was all over with the large trees: except for smaller fruit and blooming trees there is mostly no place in the ever tinier gardens. In contrast to this in the last years the desire of the owners of gardens for a magnificent and also symbolic house-tree (either protective or representing a birth or death) tree became stronger and stronger! Through Feng Shui gardens I became to interested in plant symbolism.

My love for the trees found again new food, when I began in 1999 as a park guide in the landscape garden "Schönbusch" in Aschaffenburg. This park, that was designed by the famous German garden architect Sckell at the end of the 18th Century, is simply drop-dead gorgeous! There are standing beautiful and magnificent trees in this park, which are around 200 years old. While my guidance participants became enthusiastic for charisma and the fascinating details of the trees, which I showed them, also my passion for these gentle giants grew again. A listener gave me the valuable tip to buy myself the book "Mythos Baum" (myth tree) by Doris Laudert (see literature). This book made me finally an inspired fan of tree mythology.

Markus and I began in 2001 with the photo series of "tree pictures" while we were cycling through France. Finally I had again a reason to climb into trees. As an adult one does not climb simply in trees, this must always have a reason (to pick apples, to save kitten etc.)! What I felt there while I was sitting and climbing in the trees, and Markus looked for the correct view and exposure time, this made me hungry for more. Since then, I concerned myself more and more with tree meditations, myth trees and the characteristics of the different tree species.

On the voyage ‘round the world I would like to use the chance to visit the oldest and most impressive trees and climb everywhere there into a crown of a tree, where the opportunity exists.