The capital’s National Garden is blooming again after its first substantial makeover since 1854
We met him at the entrance to the National Garden, looking at the sundial. «Every time I come I here I look at it. It never ceases to amaze me,» said Mr Nikos. A pensioner, he is one of a diverse group of people who frequent the National Garden. «I live in Koukaki and this is my daily walk. Especially now with summer coming, it’s the best refuge in Athens.» His favorite activity is trying to identify all the birds and their calls. The short melodic song of the blackbird is the most recognizable. «But what I like most is seeing the gardeners at work here; it’s been years since I saw that,» he comments. For the past 170 years, the National Garden has survived storms, drought, frost and windstorms. What it almost didn’t survive was the neglect of the state. For many years, the garden looked neglected. Trees and shrubs were untended and dried out. A large part of the garden was paved over for parking, yet it remained the largest open space in Athens, with plants up to 150 years old hidden away within it. Over the past two years, the garden has begun to bloom again, as it gets its first major makeover since 1854. The key to the change was that responsibility for the garden went from the regional authority to the municipality and a public administration company. Athens Municipality – National Garden was formed, headed by Alpha Bank President Yiannis Costopoulos. «The garden was really at risk,» Costopoulos told Kathimerini. «The maintenance was poor. Instead of gardeners, they brought in woodcutters. The pruning they did was savage. But the biggest problem was the water supply which, luckily, has been restored, and our concern now is for it not to be cut off again. The aqueduct of Peisistratus, which had always irrigated the garden, suffered serious damage from the construction of a car park in Goudi and the supply was cut off for a year. It has been repaired, and now feeds the garden and its six ponds, which act as reservoirs. At the same time, gardening work is going on to restore the original plantings. Last year 1,043 decorative trees, shrubs and climbers were planted, and 550 new bitter orange trees were put in to replenish the decimated grove. Another 98 trees, including oak, cedar, plane and carob trees, were planted in gaps in the garden. Six trees were added to the row of 20-meter tall, 164-year-old Washingtonia. Climbing plants will adorn three pergolas, and 320 new rose plants have been added. «Apart from the large trees, which are obvious, it will take time for all this work to become apparent. For example, as soon as the climbers cover the pergolas, they will be an exceptional sight,» Costopoulos explained. «We are continuing planting so as to fill large gaps in the greenery. There are several thousand trees and bushes still to be planted.» But, he said, the garden still faces problems, mainly due to staff shortages. There are only four guards, supplemented by the Municipal Police, and the municipality does the cleaning. «Another problem is getting the lake cleaned and repairing static damage to the Botanical Museum. All that costs money which a 360,000-euro budget can’t cover.» One thing is certain. Athenians have taken the National Garden into their hearts again, Youngsters read on the grass, children play in the alleyways, and older people enjoy the shade of the trees. As Giorgos, a law student said, «The heart of Athens is hidden in here; if only our other parks were like this.»
