Rewilding of our company outdoor area
bellissa Hortus
We support biodiversity, and would like to inspire people to create a sustainable space for nature!
The heartfelt idea of "Our bellissa Hortus for native animals and plants, and also relaxed employees" came into being when our bellissa sustainability strategy was launched in 2022.
In addition to the existing "Kofelder Wildpflanzenacker" (Kofeld wild plant field) project, which we have been sponsoring together with two other regional companies since 2021, we were looking to create a diverse and protected retreat for both people and nature. But where do you start? What do you need to think about when you are carrying out a fundamental rewilding? What are neophytes? This is exactly where specialised advisory centres can help. In our case, it was the Bodenseestiftung (Lake Constance Foundation) (https://www.bodensee-stiftung.org/), who we collaborated with to develop the concept for the conversion and started the ball rolling.
Within 2 years, thanks to many helping hands, sparkling creativity and a love of nature (mainly from our own employees) our outdoor area with almost 900 square meters of lifeless lawn was transformed into a rewilded, native 3-zone garden. With various insect-friendly retreats such as a sandarium, deadwood piles, dead wood hedges, wild bee hotels and a natural pond, plus an inviting recreation area with a snack garden for our employees, a favourite place with absolute added value has been created here within just a few months. We are proud and delighted to see and hear what a valuable little paradise has been created not only for us, but also for our new cohabitants such as newts, frogs, lizards and wild bees.
We would like our "bellissa Hortus" to raise the awareness of our employees and also our partners and customers of the subject of biodiversity and sustainability. A rewilded outdoor area provides sustainable added value for both nature and people.
By means of information walls within the company, posts on our website and posts our social media channels, we want to inspire and sustainably convince many more people to create more natural space for nature. It's worth it!
Awards
Our heartfelt "bellissa Hortus" project has also received "excellent attention" from the general public in recent weeks. We were very proud to receive the following awards:
First place in the flowering area competition from “District in Bloom”
In May 2024, we came first in the big flowering area competition of the "Ravensburg District in Bloom" participation campaign.
Under the motto of "Which workforce can create the biggest flowering area in local gardens in 2024?" we succeeded in creating the biggest flowering area in the "Companies with up to 50 employees" category thanks to the commitment of the entire bellissa workforce. The award ceremony took place at the State Horticultural Show in Wangen.
More information about the planting campaign can be found here:
https://bluehender-landkreis.org/firmenaktion/
Gold certificate from the Heinz Sielmann Foundation for the "Thousands of Gardens – Thousands of Species" initiative
Our rewilded outdoor area was officially presented with the Gold Standard by the Heinz Sielmann Foundation in September 2024 as part of the nationwide "Thousands of Gardens, Thousands of Species" campaign. Our Hortus was closely examined on site by two experts from the specialist jury, and classified as a natural paradise with a high degree of biodiversity for insects and wild bees. More information can be found at: https://www.tausende-gaerten.de/mitmachen/unternehmen/
Within the scope of this project, we now have a place on the "Green Map" as an award-winning natural garden: https://www.tausende-gaerten.de/gruene-landkarte/karte/ and would like to inspire many other institutions, companies and municipalities to take part.
First place from the Foundation for People & the Environment for the "Germany is buzzing" initiative!
This year we are taking “Golden Autumn” literally. A second award followed in September. The Foundation for People & the Environment invited us to Berlin for the award ceremony for the "Germany is buzzing!" initiative, where we succeeded in bagging another nationwide prize for our "bellissa Hortus". In this sustainable competition for ecological diversity, we also succeeded in impressing the jury with our almost 900 square meter rewilded outdoor area in the natural "Company Gardens" category, and were awarded 1st place by the jury.
Our submitted contribution with before and after pictures, our list of plants and various action pictures can be found here:
https://wettbewerb.wir-tun-was-fuer-bienen.de/eintrag/2024-bellissa-hortus-renaturierung-unseres-firmenaussengelaendes/
Follow us on Instagram
The latest campaigns, new snapshots from the bellissa Hortus and much more information about what we do and have been working on can be found on our Instagram channel.
Before & after pictures
Prepared flowering area
Irrigation of the flowering area
Ground clearing
Wild flower meadow
Creation of the sandarium
Sandarium
Creation of the biotope
Nature pond with walkway
Preparation of the
recreational area
Recreation area
construction phase
Recreation area
Recreation area
Garden structures
Nature pond
Wild bee hotel
Mini-hotels
Sandarium
Raised pond
Recreation area
Beetle hotel
Insect hotel
Dead wood pile for insects
Hortus plant list
Meadow seed
Wild carrot, cornflower, corn poppy, chicory, sweet clover, red clover, chamomile, common viper's bugloss, common mullein, great mullein, field marigold, prickly lettuce
Small wood
Pussy willow, plum, apple, walnut
Perennials
Catnip, tansy, meadow sage, common mallow, white clover, great burnet, common valerian, ox-eye daisy, dyer's chamomile, scabious varieties, garden burnet, orpine, alpine sea holly, noble yarrow, fine-leaved vetch, dusky cranesbill, bloody cranesbill, dyer's dog chamomile, sainfoin vetch, lemon catnip, common mallow, common bird's-foot trefoil, small-flowered willowherb, field horsetail
Native plants
Field marigold
Chicory
Common catsear
Wild carrot
Great mullein
