Neuss, North Rhine-Westphalia: Anke Kloecker loves walking through the botanical garden on Bergheimer Straße. "It's a very beautifully maintained place," she says. But last week, she ventured a look into the tropical greenhouse - and spotted withered plants.
"Care has obviously been discontinued here," the resident of Neuss says in wonder. And that is exactly the case. In addition, the city has turned off the heating system. For cost reasons: Thus, circa 25,000 to 30,000 kWh per year are to be saved in the future. Among other things, the approximately ten-year-old banana tree did not survive this. "Exotic plants were potted and moved to warm rooms. Plants that could no longer be transplanted due to their size froze to death in the frost despite protective measures," explains city press spokesman Marc Bohn. And what will happen now with the greenhouse, which was built in the 1960s? "In the future, only non-tropical plants will be housed in the greenhouse, so heating is no longer necessary," Bohn knows. An understandable measure in times of pressure to save money. It's just a pity that plants like the banana plant could not be saved.
Source: https://www.stadt-kurier.de/