Lemons, Oranges and a Palm plant

Okay, Okay, I was wrong, I was wrong… Ms. Doubtful that’s me… The Mundenhof Nursery has a very wide selection of every kind of fruit tree imaginable and I don’t know how many hectares of greenhouses and plants. Who knew it was such a large place?! Not I. Here’s the url to the show and nursery www.stadtgaertnerei-freiburg.de no English but gives you an idea of the size of the place.

Yes! The blossoms smell wonderful.

 Bruce had written out in German what he wanted, an orange or lemon tree with a graft of the other fruit. Now it just took finding the right person to get it for us and we did. Steven is a true and knowledgeable gardener. He spoke English which was a bonus for us. He explained that grafting often weakens the tree so we got one of each. 

To work at a nursery and become an expert as Steven is, you really have to love it, it is a vocation rather than just a job. My friend Jenn in Victoria knows this as a florist. Working with plants is a very large area of expertise, and then you’ve got the Latin names to remember along with the English ones. Pay is usually low and work is physically demanding in all seasons and associated weather. We liked Steven very much and hope to get to know him a little better.

Expected delivery of one lemon, one orange tree and a palm plant was to be next week. Expected by us, knowing they are very busy this weekend with the show and all three plants had to be re-potted.  He tracked us down and said delivery could be today! Now that’s good service. Steven explained that above a specific euro amount delivery would be free so he helped us select the palm to make up the amount, otherwise it would be 100 euro, a bit steep since we live on the edge of the Mundenhof. The whole while, which took about an hour, he guided us through the purchase, meticulously wrote up the bill and explained everything in detail. Many people waited in vain while he did so and he didn’t rush the process, we were the only customers he cared about at that time. Brought Bruce a chair to make him comfortable. He gave me a lemon that had fallen off the tree so, again, I had a fresh lemon in my purse.  His knowledge, his caring and his way of taking time with each customer made him, in our minds, a reason to re-visit. Trees delivered in the time-frame expected, a bit of dirt on the entry way, I got out the broom to deal with after they’d left and I find the one fellow sweeping it up for me. I certainly hadn’t meant for him to do that.

We have found service in Germany to be excellent, sometimes slow, because each customer is not rushed to get to the next one. Remember the Taco truck? Same went with our experience today. We haven’t even paid yet, they will send us a bill by Post so I can do a bank transfer. When I offered to pay Steven said “what’s not to trust”. Sorry to say but unfortunately we don’t seem to be “there” in Canada, either the service or the trust that payment will come forth for goods already received, perhaps I’m just being cynical.

The show in the nursery included about sixty vendors showcasing foods, gardening equipment, fake turf, greenhouses for the home, clothing, etc, etc. 

Multitude of flavoured olive oils

It was large and comprehensive. Reminded me of the Van Dusen Garden show in Vancouver and was probably as large and as varied. 

Hoist to provide a view, really included to show the horse chestnut tree blossoms

This was the first day for the three day show and it was busy! There was a muted sense of excitement in the air as gardeners found plants and products to brighten up their gardens and patios. People were filling carts and toting lovely plants.  I bought a great sun shade hat that can be folded up to put in my purse.  Storks were flying overhead – yes – storks, they have many nests on the posts around the Mundenhof. 

All in all a successful and very nice day, especially now Bruce and I, Ms. Doubtful, have a bit of “Sevilla” in Freiburg. Can we offer you a fresh lemonade?!

Our patio now

Cheers, the citrus people and a cat