The production of these
boxes is a highlight for me and the whole team every year.Christoph Schoch, Head of Production at the Municipal Parks and Gardens Department
A year of preparation
As Head of Production at the Municipal Parks and Gardens Department, Christoph Schoch has influenced the Chapel Bridge’s floral appearance for decades. Despite all this experience, he never gets bored with the job. The passionate gardener composes and realizes a new flower arrangement for the 278 boxes every year. He begins to think about the color composition and the selection and care of the plants a year in advance. To spend a whole summer on display on the Chapel Bridge, a flower has to be easy to care for and robust. No pesticides are used.
Produced by the Municipal Parks and Gardens Department
Rather than mass-produced goods shipped in from far-away countries, only high-quality flowers from local greenhouses are used. The city of Lucerne’s Parks and Gardens Department produces all the flowers for the Chapel Bridge itself. “That way, we know what we are getting,” says Christoph Schoch. Everything from plant cultivation to mixing the special soil to planting the flower boxes to caring for the flowers is done by a single team. “Our goal is to produce healthy and robust plants that survive the summer in this location without any problems. It would be a disaster if we had to remove the boxes in the middle of summer because the plants were wilting in them,” Schoch says. “I’m always a bit worried about that, but luckily it has never happened.”
This soil feeds
the plants in the flower boxes for almost
half a year, so it really has to be capable of a lot.Christoph Schoch, Head of Production at the Municipal Parks and Gardens Department
Beneficial insects instead of pesticides
If the flowers are afflicted by pests, the city gardeners turn to beneficial insects for help. Since it is not permitted to spray pesticides so close to the water, it is a case of ladybirds and ichneumon wasps versus aphids, spider mites and whitefly. “It’s not about eliminating all the pests and bacteria, but simply preventing them from gaining the upper hand,” says Christoph Schoch. If the pests gain in strength, the beneficial insects have to be supported. The little helpers are therefore already used during the cultivation of the plants.