A new park maintenance manager arrived in Újpest last spring. Gabriella Majkút and her team’s work is already visible in the cityscape, with more creative and colorful flowerbeds and landscaping solutions than ever before. The landscape architect plans to continue incorporating many colors, dynamism, and 3D flowerbeds in the future.
– You joined the Újpesti Városgondnokság team as a landscape architect last spring. What is your new concept?
- As the park maintenance manager, my first plan after getting to know the areas was to fundamentally redesign the use of plants and the appearance of annual flowerbeds to bring color and dynamism to the otherwise well-placed, well-shaped one- and two-year flowerbeds, thereby stepping out of the monocultural concept. This can be perfectly executed by rethinking plant application, choosing the right heights and planting distances. The most important principle we had to adhere to was that the flowers in the beds adapt well to the site conditions, thus improving their tolerance and making them more resistant, and ensuring that the beds are easy to maintain.
– Plant lovers have already noticed that the flowerbeds and raised beds have been renewed and are much more colorful and spectacular. What are your further plans?
- A well-designed bed with well-growing plants forms a uniform cover. This is beneficial because the cultivated plants themselves prevent the spread of weeds. Thus, the time spent on maintenance and weeding is significantly reduced, making the bed easy to maintain. The foundation of the bed and flower growth is the nutrient-rich planting medium. Before planting, we replace or improve the growing medium in the area. We pay great attention to ensuring that nutrient replenishment is done using organic or natural substances. Any plant protection and nutrient replenishment tasks are carried out with the involvement and guidance of a plant protection specialist in our annual and perennial beds, as well as our lawn areas. In most of our annual areas, automated irrigation systems provide watering, which greatly aids the maintenance processes.
– What elements, whether plants or design solutions, have you brought to the appearance of the vegetation? Could you tell us about the concept of the 3D raised beds? How is all this implemented?
- During planning, besides site conditions, I have to consider the natural and built environment, the location of the bed, what I want to conceal or highlight. We have beds visible from both sides, which meander for a long stretch, called ribbon beds or RABATT beds. This bed is perfect for being admired both from inside and outside, for example in front of the Church of Our Lady Queen of Heaven. Here, a main plant is placed in the center, which is planned to be taller, with smaller, so-called companion plants on both sides. Walls and fences can be concealed with so-called BORDER beds, which are equivalent to a halved RABATT bed. The main plant is planned to be at the back, and the plant height decreases towards the observer. We use such beds, for example, at the flag holder on Váci Road. We can also use MILLEFLEUR or RHYTHMIC planting methods, where flower and leaf colors alternate periodically, but there can also be UNIFORM beds. Here, you have to imagine a uniform plant use of one species.
– You are bringing and planning more and more, initially somewhat unusual plants for Újpest. What are these, and what do you think they add to the appearance?
- I like to use taller plants and ornamental grasses because they are very spectacular, dynamic, and graceful on the surface. These plants can have larger flowers and fruits, like the Indian ornamental millet (Pennisetum glaucum Purple Majesty) currently appearing. The flowers are attractive to pollinators and can provide food or even resting places for birds. Thus, we favor not only the human eye but also the wildlife.
– From a landscape architecture perspective, how do you see the results of the past few months in Újpest?
- This year, the use of perennials is already appearing in the beds, which is beneficial in several ways. Similar coverage can be achieved with greater spacing, and the plant can stay in the area, as it does not need to be removed in the fall like annual plants. Annual plants lose their decorative value by the end of summer, are removed, then composted, and replaced by fall pansies and bulbous plants.
Perennials can be left in the ground, allowing them to be incorporated into fall planting, or with slight rearrangement, they can be moved to other perennial beds or biodiverse strips in our park areas, continuing to decorate. The use of annuals is increasingly being replaced in urban areas by biodiverse, self-sustaining systems, which are much easier to maintain and cost-effective. This is a general trend. In my opinion, beds can handle a lot, especially if they are prominent and large, allowing for confident use of colors. Color is also a very important design aspect. We are the city’s colored pencils, and the use of annual plants can create the most striking color displays, which, although requiring more investment, are necessary for a city.
– What are your plans, what can Újpest plant lovers expect?
- My future plans include even more play and dynamism with colors and heights. I would like this to be implemented in the fall period as well, with fall pansies, complemented by tulips appearing in the spring, and possibly other bulbous plants. I am delighted by the many positive feedbacks since we started the planting season (early May). I personally sensed the residents’ curiosity, joy, and openness towards innovation, as I also participated in the planting, outlined the beds, and prepared the plants for planting.
It is also evident that the residents take care of and appreciate it. This gives us a lot of inspiration. As a landscape architect and maintainer, as well as a personal opinion, I can say that this is a great success and pride at the same time. New perspective, new plant use, new producer, all of which were challenging factors during this period, but I think everything turned out well. I am grateful for the opportunity, the freedom to design, the trust that comes with it, and the many diligent gardener hands without whom this would have remained just a plan on paper. In the future, you can expect more colors, shapes, and momentum from me.