With the arrival of autumn, the colorful blooms of summer flowers in Vienna’s parks lose their intensity. The city gardeners therefore begin to remove the spent summer flowers from the flower beds. These plants are not simply thrown away, but rather professionally composted to be reused later as natural fertilizer. The flowerbeds are then carefully prepared for the coming spring by stocking them with flower bulbs that will provide fresh colors next year.
Over 650,000 flower bulbs are waiting to be used
In the first weeks of autumn, over 650,000 flower bulbs are planted in more than 500 flower beds in the city. Tulip bulbs in particular are used extensively. To protect the sensitive bulbs from the winter cold, they are covered with around 90 tons of brushwood after planting.
Flower beds that already contain tulip and daffodil bulbs are marked by small signs. These say: “Be careful – there are flower bulbs sleeping here“. This kind request is addressed to visitors who are asked to be careful while walking so as not to accidentally step on the flower beds. However, the colorful floral display that will adorn Vienna remains a surprise – the end result will make the city shine in full bloom next spring.
Foliage work – care of urban trees
A key part of the autumn work is the removal of foliage from over 500,000 trees in the city. Street trees in particular shed large amounts of leaves – the approximately 100,000 street trees alone produce around 1,000 tons of dry leaves annually, and the trees in parks and green areas even produce around 3,500 tons. The 48er takes care of the disposal of the leaves from the streets, and the MA 42 takes care of the disposal of the leaves from the streets. A large part of this leave is carefully collected and taken to the municipal Lobau composting plant, where it is further processed into high-quality compost.
In the large parks, such as the Green Prater, the Kurpark Oberlaa or the Donaupark, the city gardeners take a different approach: Here the leaves are sometimes incorporated directly into the shrub areas. In this way, it not only serves as a natural fertilizer, but also promotes soil development and the supply of nutrients to the plants.
Create habitat for animals and insects
However, leaves are not only useful for the soil – they also provide valuable retreats for numerous animals. Small piles of leaves that are deliberately placed in protected places in the parks create important habitats for hedgehogs and other small animals. Hedgehogs in particular use these piles of leaves to hibernate for up to five months. Insects and other useful animals find shelter and hibernation opportunities in these piles.
The Vienna City Gardens appeal to private garden owners not to completely remove the leaves from their own gardens. By leaving leaves in selected places in the garden, habitats for animals can be preserved and biodiversity can be promoted. Handling leaves in a natural way not only contributes to the care of plants, but also to the protection of urban wildlife.
The 48er offers the practical leaf bag for the unneeded quantities of leaves from private gardens and of course also for garden waste that no longer fits into the organic waste bin. It holds 100 l, is made from renewable raw materials, is therefore climate neutral and is available at Vienna manure sites for just Euro 1. If the leaf bag is full, it can either be handed in at the manure site or added to the organic waste bin on the day it is emptied.
With these comprehensive autumn works, the Vienna City Gardens not only ensure a blooming spring, but also make an important contribution to preserving the urban ecosystem and promoting biodiversity.
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