A hanging delight

It is not clear who first had the idea of hanging flower boxes from the balustrades of the Chapel Bridge. Initially, only the two bridgeheads were adorned with flowers. In 1978, the city of Lucerne received flower boxes from the Master Gardeners’ Association (Gärtnermeisterverband) in order to decorate the bridge on the side facing the lake for the city’s 800-year anniversary celebrations. Only planned as a one-off, this action went down so well that the bridge was decorated every summer from then on. Soon there were calls (from nearby hotels, among others) to fit the other side of the bridge with flower boxes as well, but the city always rejected the idea as being too expensive and complicated. It was only in 2006 that Thomas Schmid, the former head of the city of Lucerne’s Parks and Gardens Department, took the initiative and – as “Rüüdiger Lozärner (an annual award bestowed by Lucerne radio station Radio Pilatus on someone who achieved something special in the previous year) – adorned the entire Chapel Bridge with flowers.

From the City Run to the Swiss City Marathon

Employees of the Municipal Parks and Gardens Department hang the flower boxes on the balustrades of the Chapel Bridge at the start of May each year. Depending on the weather, this is usually timed to coincide with the Lucerne City Run (Stadtlauf). Finding the perfect date is not easy. There are market days, events and internal processes to consider. Once they have been placed on the bridge, the flowers are still relatively small and grow from day to day. They come into full, magnificent bloom in the months from July to September, and stay in place until the end of October. After the Swiss City Marathon, the boxes are taken down and their contents disposed of in the Municipal Parks and Gardens Department’s compost, forming the basis for next year’s flower decorations. The circle is complete.

Not just any old soil

An important foundation for the summer-long flower display is the soil. The special mixture is specially adapted to the needs of the plants in the Chapel Bridge’s flower boxes and is freshly mixed by the staff of the Municipal Parks and Gardens Department every spring. From coconut coir to sheep’s wool: the innovative gardeners are constantly tinkering and experimenting with their recipe. The composition needs to be as environmentally friendly as possible. The goal is to achieve a high basic level of nutrient supply solely with organic constituents. The primary material used is the city’s compost – an ideal “super-fertilizer” except for the lack of nitrogen. For that reason, the city gardeners also supplement the mixture with horn meal, horn shavings and sheep’s wool, which break down at different speeds.

The list of ingredients in the soil mixture

• Field soil forms the basis
• Compost is the main supplier of nutrients
• Sand improves drainage
• Pumice stores air, water and nutrients
• Coconut coir and wood fibers increase the rewettability
• Horn meal, horn shavings and sheep’s wool stimulate growth