With the sponsorship you take over the care of a public flower bed. This involves a few tasks:

• If the soil in the bed has visibly sunk, you can apply soil or topsoil up to the level of the adjacent road surface to level it out. A heavier application of soil is not permitted, as this restricts root respiration and encourages rotting at the root collar .
• Loosen the top layer of soil gently using a hoe, for example . This preserves water and air permeability. In the area of tree roots, loosening should only be carried out shallowly in the upper area. Tree roots must not be damaged in the process.
• If desired, supplement existing planting with perennials, grasses and flower bulbs, roses or low deciduous shrubs.
• Seasonal planting with spring, summer and fall bloomers is of course possible. The establishment of bee/insect nourishing plants is desirable.
• Watering during drought and heat: For the first eight years or so after planting, trees need 100 to 150 liters of clean, clear water every six days during dry periods and in hot weather, depending on the age of the tree; ground cover plants, perennials, grasses and shrubs need around 10 to 20 liters per square meter. After this period, watering is no longer effective as the fine roots, which are responsible for absorbing water, are no longer reached by watering.
• Remove weed growth, tree seedlings and withered and dead plant parts by hand.
• Pruning shrubs in the fall or spring before they sprout and possibly in the summer (depending on the species)
• Mowing lawns, if present
• Removal of leaves
• Removal of rubbish/waste
• Reporting damage, pests or diseases of any kind: Please also inform the Office for the Environment and Urban Greenery if cars are parked in the green space or if building materials or similar are stored there.
• Maintaining road safety: The following section explains what needs to be observed.

Many green spaces are located on public roads. As the Office for the Environment and Urban Greenery is still responsible for maintaining road safety, please note the following:

• The use of chemical pesticides or depot fertilizers is not permitted!
• When planting, please note that the height of mature shrubs mustnot exceed 80 cm so that roads, squares and sidewalks can be clearly seen from all sides and people on the road can be noticed in good time. Trees may not be planted in the green beds.
• Do not allow vegetation to protrude into the road space and onto the footpaths and cycle paths. The view of moving traffic must be kept clear at all times!
• The placement of loose stones or other objects on the beds is not permitted. These could be used as projectiles and endanger other people.
• No structural objects such as benches, gabions, large planters or similar may be installed on or next to the green or tree beds.
• Poisonous plants are not permitted.
• Fairy lights, trunk wrappings or other objects may not be hung in the trees or attached to the trunks. The sponsorship sign may not be attached to the tree either.
• Tree beds and green areas may not be fenced or otherwise enclosed by fences, chains, tension wires or similar. This poses a long-term threat to road safety and poses a risk of tripping and injury to passers-by and cyclists . However, the Office for the Environment and Urban Greenery allows a 15 cm high wooden edging with the following criteria:
  
  • A distance of 65 cm must be maintained from the edge of the road.
  • Wooden square pegs 5/5/30 cm high are hammered into the root-free subsoil for fastening.
  • Solid wooden boards 10 cm high and 25 mm thick are screwed to these with a distance of approx. 5 cm to the ground.
  • All parts, including screw connections, must be installed flush so that there are no catch points, for example for items of clothing.
  • Road safety must be checked regularly.
  • The construction can be individually designed in a striking color.
• If the ground in the bed has visibly subsided, you can apply soil or topsoil up to the level of the adjacent road surface to level it out. A heavier application of soil is not permitted, as this restricts root respiration and encourages rotting at the root collar.
• In the area of tree roots, loosening may only be carried out shallowly in the upper area. Tree roots must not be damaged in the process. In young trees, the fine roots that supply the tree with water and nutrients are located in the upper root area, so any intervention there will impair the growth and vitality of the tree. In the case of old trees, statically effective roots are located in the upper root area, meaning that interventions here can ultimately jeopardize the stability of the tree.

There are many ways to prepare a planting area. The one described here is particularly suitable for tree grates with older trees, which were increasingly overrun before the sponsorship and therefore the soil was partially trampled away.

It is important that all work is carried out in such a way that no roots are damaged!

1. Loosenthe tree disc manually
2. Apply compost and grit or lava (e.g. 4/8 grain size). This serves to supply the soil with organic material and thus nutrients and water storage, as well as to increase the water absorption capacity and prevent renewed compaction. Organic fertilizer can also be applied (not mineral fertilizer, which can cause the soil to become salty). Important: The additional material must not extend beyond the adjacent path surface.
3. Work into the existing soil.
4. The area can now be planted.

Have fun planting!

The following list is intended to provide guidance for anyone who is unsure about plant selection, especially in the extreme location of tree grates and traffic greenery, as well as for anyone looking for a little inspiration.

Plants have been selected that - with a few exceptions that do not obstruct visibility in the traffic area due to their growth - do not grow higher than 80 cm. The list does not claim to be exhaustive. You are therefore welcome to continue experimenting, which makes the hobby even more exciting.

Work on trees is excluded from sponsorship. Arboricultural measures, such as crown pruning or the removal of trunk shoots or tree roots, as well as the professional treatment of damage, diseases and pests on trees are still left to the arborists of the City of Bonn.

A radius of around 25 to 30 cm from the outer edge of the trunk must be kept permanently free of planting. Every tree in the urban area is inspected every 15 months by certified municipal tree inspectors. These tree inspections include, in particular, an assessment of the root collar for pest or fungal infestation as well as for trunk scabbing, which often occurs in this area as an entry point for wood-destroying fungi.

Please do not plant any climbing plants or ivy on the trees so that the roots and trunks of the trees can be checked regularly and trunk damage can be detected in good time.

Do not fill the bases of tree trunks with soil. A heavier application of soil is not permitted, as this restricts root respiration and promotes rotting at the root collar.

Do not remove trunk protection made of reed mats and tree anchors, as well as watering rings - especially on young trees.

The city would like to point out that in green beds that are not planted with a tree at the time of sponsorship,replacement planting can be carried out at any time by the Office for the Environment and Urban Greenery . You will then be informed of the planned measure in good time, giving you the opportunity to remove your plants from the bed and secure them. After the measure has been completed, you will of course have the opportunity to continue the sponsorship.

The preparation of a tree site/green bed for the planting of a new tree is very extensive. It usually involves enlarging the planting pit, replacing the soil/substrate accordingly, installing root protection devices to protect neighboring lines, working on the paved surface of adjacent sidewalks, securing the tree bed with collision protection, planting underneath the bed to suit the location and, of course, the tree planting itself. In the aftercare phase - also for warranty reasons - a two-year development and maintenance care, a four-year watering and, if necessary, an annual nutrient supply of the trees until they are taken over by the city.

At the time of planting, the young trees are already around 10 years old, are usually between 4 and 5 meters high and are planted with a trunk circumference of 20 to 25 cm.

• Due to this extensive work, your plants must be removed from the bed beforehand. You will be given the opportunity to do this in good time before the work begins.
• If you would like to continue the sponsorship after the tree planting, you can replant the plants in the renovated green bed by arrangement and continue the sponsorship. Please let us know in good time so that the planned underplanting by a subcontractor of the city can be omitted at this point. The planting of the bed may only begin after the tree planting work has been completed. Even if the tree has already been planted, further work may still follow, such as the installation of tree anchoring, trunk coating and watering edge. Please wait for the corresponding approval from the city.
• The replacement planting of trees will be commissioned to a subcontractor of the City of Bonn, which will then continue to care for the commissioned replacement planting for a period of 2 years as part of its completion and development care and will water it for a period of 4 years and supply it with nutrients as required. Even if the water supply is ensured by the subcontractor, the tree will be happy to receive a little extra water from you during dry periods!
• A watering ring is installed over the root ball of the young tree to supply it with water. This area must be kept free of any planting/seeding and must not be filled in. An application of soil would restrict root respiration, promote rotting and severely impair the vitality of the tree in the long term.
• As part of the site restoration, the tree pit was backfilled over a large area with a special tree substrate. This substrate looks a little "stony", but has been specially developed to meet the needs of trees and also offers your underplanting very good growing conditions. No compost or topsoil should be added to the substrate.
• Please avoid planting water- and nutrient-demanding seedlings, perennials and shrubs, as these will compete with the young tree for scarce resources.