Technology in the Garden: future, here we come!
As everyday life speeds up and becomes ever more intense, fewer and fewer hours are left to spend on tending the garden. At the same time, the climate is becoming more demanding and resources more precious. Giardina 2019 devotes itself to the new technical options for uncomplicated, energy-efficient and resource-friendly garden maintenance. These include smart gardening systems, battery-powered devices and solar lighting. However, the use of technology does not start with garden maintenance, but with the planning and construction of a home or garden. Two show gardens demonstrate to visitors the possibilities already offered by digitisation when developing a connected garden and home.
Technology and connectivity automate irrigation, lawn care and pool cleaning. Plants in pots or beds are watered reliably. Various sensors measure rain and soil moisture and adjust the water supply for the plants accordingly. The lawn robot mows the lawn regularly; the grass clippings, which are so minimal that they don’t have to be gathered up, fertilise the lawn at the same time. Today’s pool also cleans itself and covers itself automatically depending on the weather. The individual systems usually come with apps that let you control the installations and robots from wherever you are and see how the garden is doing at any given time.
If you still want to cut your hedges, trim your lawn and saw off branches yourself, you will be delighted at the wide range of battery-powered gardening tools available. And being battery-powered, the hedge trimmers, saws and leaf blowers are emission-free, quiet and easy to handle.
The big advantage of new technology is that it not only enables ideal garden care and time savings, but is also kind to nature. This makes the issue of solar power all the more relevant for today’s garden. As garden designer Rolf von Burg puts it: “The future demands that we become self-sufficient.” In his show garden, he demonstrates how solar and electrical technology can be elegantly combined. In fact, solar cells in various shapes and sizes can supply any gadget that runs on electricity. Garden lighting, for example, that showcases the garden in artistic fashion. From individual lamps with integrated solar cells to comprehensive lighting concepts, there are numerous ways in which the garden can be bathed in atmospheric light. In addition, lighting can help to deter burglars, especially in combination with motion detectors.
A group of companies from the construction, horticulture and technology sectors demonstrate how the processes of garden design and landscaping are being revolutionised in the age of digitisation. Their “Digital Garden” project looks at the theme of digital planning and design of the outdoor space, taking visitors on an interactive journey through the creation of a front garden – from planning to construction to implementation. Techniques such as virtual display forms and 3D printing will be demonstrated. Equally exciting for garden professionals and garden owners.