Ottensen resident maintains urban garden for 12 years

Ute von der Horst, nearly 80 years old, has spent the last 12 years maintaining a community garden in the Ottensen district of Hamburg. What began as a neglected, trash-filled wasteland at the intersection of Ehrenbergstraße and Altonaer Poststraße has been transformed into a lush flowerbed filled with perennials, grasses, shrubs, and a fruit-bearing plum tree.

Initially, von der Horst and her neighbor gardened only at night due to fears of being evicted. The land is owned by a real estate company that originally sought to prevent their engagement. Despite these challenges, the duo has successfully turned the urban space into a blooming garden that serves as a local landmark.