Hinter den Hecken

Collecting, testing, discovering new species, redesigning and adapting, gardening has become an all-consuming passion for Herbert Frei, retired teacher.

Yvonne and Thomas Schindler are relatively new gardeners. It was when they moved into a watermill, nestling in a garden with all the romance of a fairy tale, that they discovered a real enthusiasm for gardening. In five years, they've created an idyllic garden filled with authenticity and originality.

It was a trip to England that sealed Sämi and Liselotte Buess's love for plants and gardening. On their 2,100-m² plot they have now created a veritable paradise, combining kitchen garden, rose walk, flowering meadows, stone walls and English-style borders.

At the age of 39, Claudia Sifrig decided to drop everything and study nursery-growing. In her town-centre garden, she does everything necessary to ensure both wildlife and flowers flourish.

For Stefan Bernhard it's a dream come true: today he is the gardener at the Château de Wartenfels where he maintains the borders in classic French style, turning the art of gardening into excellence at the highest level.

On her 1.5-hectare plot, Katharina Haller has created an impressively varied garden that blends perfectly into the far horizon with neither fence nor wall to separate it from the surrounding countryside.

In this garden managed by Pastor Gabrielle Hochuli, refugees look after the kitchen garden beds, getting to know new fruit and vegetables. Beyond the plants themselves, it's a place to meet people and create bonds in what is still a foreign land, a fertile place to put down roots.

The garden of 83-year-old Mark Kamber is a veritable firework display exploding with a thousand and one colours. The house, buried beneath ivy and wisteria, is almost indistinguishable from the garden.

Can a landscape gardener be happy with a plot measuring just 200 square metres? Simon Rüegg says yes. For his family he has organised each corner of his garden such that everyone enjoys it, making the most of it and feeling at home. And all that with style and elegance.

Katharina Shepherd spent ten years living in Japan, which was where she developed her passion for peonies. In her magnificent garden with a view of Lake Thun, she grows a range of rare species.

For this final programme, Katharina Locher catches up with the gardeners in an exceptional spot: the MFO Park in Zurich. Between walls and columns of greenery, they look back at the best moments of the season.