- Gardener & Director | Artist Sculptor: Marcin Łuczkowski
Dwarfs in the Garden
The Botanical Garden in Wrocław began as the local University project in 1811. Today it cultivates thousands of regional and foreign plants from mountains, rocks, water, marsh, local, tropical, and subtropical areas.
Located near Ostrów Tumski, the oldest, historic part of the city, it offers magnificent views of medieval churches as a background for its blooming beauty. The Botanical Garden is a popular place for leisure, a nature sanctuary, and a venue for many events and occasional open-air concerts.
Enchanted by hundreds of blooming roses, magnolias, hydrangeas, and scenic trails, newlywed couples often choose the Garden for their wedding photo shoots.
And, since we are in Wrocław – there must be Dwarfs around!
The Gardener (Ogrodnik)
Once upon a spring, he stopped here charmed by the sweet smell of magnolias. He noticed that some work needs to be done around them, so he rolled up his sleeves … and never rolled them down.
Although he works in silence, often hidden in the shadow of shrubs and bushes, the human gardeners noticed him and his efforts immediately. Soon he became a discreet but irreplaceable member of the gardening crew. His skills in cultivating local herbs and trees were matchless – and he gladly shared them.
Delighted by the beauty of exotic plants, Gardener began to learn from people the ways to cultivate them too. He never traveled much, so when he discovered that the nearby University Faculty of Biological Sciences offers lectures about the environment and biology of faraway places, sometimes he likes to take a break from work to sneak into a lecture hall and listen.
He was not the only Dwarf who liked to learn from people. Unfortunately, some of the skills we share with them are not very admirable. One day, a new dwarf moved into the Garden and proudly announced:
“Hey, Gardener – I am the Director! I came to tell you what to do! I have plans, improvement ideas – and if you work hard for me, we will make this place super successful! It’s for the best for all of us!”
Well-mannered and eager to learn new things, the Gardener agreed.
Very soon, orders were barked around the garden. But often, they made no sense. The human gardeners were, by nature, “above” this noise, so the Director always bullied our little Gardener with his demands. To make things worse, plants started to disappear from the garden. Flowers, herbs, even veggies – often the best from the plot… Our Gardener tried to protest. To no effect…
Finally, one of the older human gardeners shared a story.
“You know,” he said, “years ago, workers in our human factories also had self-proclaimed leaders who tried to rule with outlandish plans and deceit. They claimed the workers were the owners of the shops, but if there was any profit, the ‘directors’ kept it. Until one day, the workers declared a strike and took over the factories. And you know what happened to the directors? They placed them in wheelbarrows, rolled them out of the grounds, and closed the gate.”
Still listening, the Gardener began to carefully examine his wheelbarrow. He said nothing, as usual, but a few days later, the garden grew quiet. No barking orders, just the birds singing.
Someone was saying that one of the big onion bulbs disappeared. But since that was the last thing that went missing from the garden, no one was worried. They all agreed that it was a smelly one anyway.
Somebody asked where the Director was – but no one bothered to wait for the answer. Just like the smelly onion – no one was missing him after all.
And then, there was a new sound vibrating throughout the garden that caught everyone’s attention. The smooth sound of soft jazz. First they thought that some artist from the nearby Jazz nad Odrą Festival went lost and wandered here.
But soon a new Dwarf was discovered.
Botanik
Botanik, unlike the Gardener who always likes to keep a low profile, chose for his spot a big sunny rock in the center of all walkways – and keeps on playing with joy and buoyancy. He has a fancy saxophone made from a nasturtium flower. Usually, he plays his own music, easy to listen to, perfectly harmonizing with his surroundings. But sometimes, he plays well-known jazz tunes, new and old. Someone asked him why he would not join the artists at the JnO Festival and perform with them.
“Sometimes I do,” he said, “but I’d rather be back in the Garden before the Gardener goes to sleep. You know, he always closes the gate and never parts with the key.
DISCLAIMER:
I mentioned the Botanical Garden in Wrocław and the Jazz nad Odrą Festival without their knowledge or any incentives from them. They were a precious part of my growing up and I would be glad to visit them any time.