{"id":3593,"date":"2022-07-09T06:35:26","date_gmt":"2022-07-09T04:35:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.heroes-world.de\/?p=3593"},"modified":"2022-07-11T11:08:29","modified_gmt":"2022-07-11T09:08:29","slug":"plant-whisperers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.heroes-world.de\/en\/blog\/2022\/07\/09\/plant-whisperers\/","title":{"rendered":"Plant Whisperers"},"content":{"rendered":"

One is from Baden-W\u00fcrttemberg, the other from the Gambia. Landscape gardeners Klaus M\u00f6dinger and Alige Konateh met through their work. They have been close friends ever since. We spent a day looking over their shoulders.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

One slab, then another. Alige Konateh, also known as Aladdin, is carefully putting together a stone carpet. The challenge: creating a two-centimeter slope while his examiner watches him closely. Two centimeters exactly, no more, no less. Aladdin puts down the final slab, and the examiner scrutinizes the ground with a raised eyebrow. \u201cThat\u2019s not two centimeters.\u201d \u201cBoss\u201d, Aladdin argues, \u201cit\u2019s nothing but a muggaseggele!\u201d A West African speaking in the local dialect of Baden-W\u00fcrttemberg! The examiner\u2019s heart melts, making him forget about the minor deviation. Aladdin passes his exam and receives the certificate making him a professional landscape gardener. He\u2019s finally arrived \u2013 in his dream job and his new home.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

\"Aladdin<\/div><\/div>

The Plant Whisperers<\/h2>\n

That was one year ago. Aladdin has been working with Rigon & Lenk in Fellbach for four years now. This is where he met Klaus M\u00f6dinger, who offered him an apprenticeship in his company. The 58-year-old grins as he recounts the story of Aladdin\u2019s final examination. In a broad accent, he tells us of the examiner\u2019s delight over the trainee\u2019s mastery of the local dialect, which Klaus appears to have taught his prot\u00e9g\u00e9.<\/p>\n

But the sense of humor, he assures us, is entirely Aladdin\u2019s own. \u201cAs is this,\u201d he says, tapping on his heart. He believes that plants have a soul. You may not be able to talk to them, but they\u2019re just like all other living beings. Whenever a shoot needs trimming, he first inspects the plant carefully. \u201cWe always check in with the plant first,\u201d Aladdin explains. This involves asking the tree why it\u2019s growing the way it\u2019s growing. Every shoot has its place, and a wrong cut cannot be reversed.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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It\u2019s an overcast day, and drizzle dampens our faces. Aladdin gently clips the buds off a wilted hibiscus plant. In the background, Klaus is clambering up a ladder. He analyses the treetop, pulls a saw from his belt and fells the branches of this ginkgo tree. The pair will need an entire working day to drag this sloped garden in the Stuttgart suburb of Fellbach out of hibernation. Klaus has been looking after the splendid grounds for more than 20 years. During a quick chat on the owner\u2019s doorstep, we learn that she appreciates his landscaping work greatly, And she adores Aladdin. \u201cThese two together can brighten up the grayest day,\u201d she praises her hard-working gardeners.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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Transplanting seedlings, acquiring citizenship<\/h2>\n

Besides \u201cAladdin\u201d, Alige has another nickname: \u201cMister Sunshine\u201d. But where did \u201cAladdin\u201d come from? \u201cI\u2019ve always been called that. It\u2019s easier to pronounce, for Africans as well as Germans,\u201d he jokes. Having come to Germany as a refugee seven years ago, he initially trained as an ornamental horticulturist, spending day after day transplanting seedlings. The 26-year-old soon became frustrated with the repetitive work, but his situation kept him coming back to the greenhouse. \u201cIf I hadn\u2019t completed the training, I would have been deported right away,\u201d he explains. He finished his two-year course and applied for an apprenticeship with Rigon & Lenk. \u201cI was lucky, and now I\u2019m very happy,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Klaus\u2019s nickname is \u201cthe Plant Whisperer\u201d. He is like a search engine when it comes to gardening: ask him about any plant and he will tell you its correct Latin name. Even though he used to be quite a lazy trainee in his younger years \u2013 before he developed a strategy and began to memorize the Latin terms using mnemonic stories and similes. That is exactly how he teaches his trainees today. \u201cAt some point, they all started calling me the Plant Whisperer,\u201d he recalls. To show everyone that he and Aladdin belong together, both have a label saying \u201cPlant Whisperer\u201d on the breast pockets of their work jackets.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

\"\"<\/div><\/div>

Aladdin hopes to continue working with Klaus for a long time. After all, they\u2019ve become very close friends. He repeatedly emphasizes how grateful he is for everything he\u2019s learned from Klaus. When we ask him about Klaus\u2019s favorite plant, he takes a minute to think. \u201cIt\u2019s definitely not taxus,\u201d he exclaims and casts an expectant glance at Klaus. But his boss gives nothing away. Aladdin keeps guessing. Palm trees? Roses? It\u2019s got to be something that blooms. I can\u2019t be yew. \u201cOf course it\u2019s taxus,\u201d Klaus shouts. Both laugh. \u201cI\u2019ve got a good boss,\u201d Aladdin says. Sounds like a fairytale. And we all need a few of those nowadays.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One is from Baden-W\u00fcrttemberg, the other from the Gambia. Landscape gardeners Klaus M\u00f6dinger and Alige Konateh met through their work. They have been close friends ever since. 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