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Rose Season
in the Gardens at Michaelshof
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At last, it has arrived: rose season.
Wherever you look in the gardens, roses are showing themselves in all their splendour. New blossoms appear every day. Their colours spread across paths, walls and through the gardens, while their fragrance drifts gently through the air.
Anyone walking through Sammatz these days will quickly feel it: the roses give the whole place a very special atmosphere. Every year, we are amazed all over again. Perhaps because, over the winter, the memory of their beauty fades a little. And then suddenly they are there again – abundant, fragrant and full of life. Yet rose season begins long before the first flowers open. In spring, young shoots emerge from old, gnarled rose bushes.
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Behind this abundance of blossoms lies a great deal of care and devotion. For the roses to unfold their full beauty, they are tended carefully throughout the year. They are pruned, nourished with our own farm compost and strengthened with natural plant care. In this way, they develop the vitality and health that make their rich flowering possible. Our rose expert Claudia Brady and her team lovingly take care of this work.
Today, several thousand roses grow in the gardens of Michaelshof, in a wide variety of forms and colours.
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You will meet them almost everywhere: in the Rose Garden, by the Forest Lake, in the Cherry Garden, among perennials, along walls and hedges, or high up in old trees. Each corner of the garden has its own character and its very own rose mood. Sometimes bright and open, sometimes almost enchanted. If you walk through the gardens attentively, you will discover a different side of the rose wherever you go.
The large rambling roses are especially impressive. The white Lykkefund seems to swing effortlessly up into the treetops. Ayrshire Queen unfolds her blossoms in old fruit trees, and Bobby James transforms whole garden spaces into a sea of white. In the Rose Garden, the rose circles and rose embankment invite you to wander from blossom to blossom and discover their many different scents.
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Because roses speak not only to the eye. If you take your time and step a little closer, you will discover an astonishing variety of fragrances – sometimes sweet and heavy, sometimes fresh and light. At times, they awaken memories that seemed long forgotten. It almost seems as if the roses want to tell stories – if only we take the time to listen.
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During rose season, one can sense how deeply the gardens have been shaped by Malte Diekmann’s enthusiasm for these plants. Over many years, varieties were chosen and planted in just the right places. And so today, roses can be found almost everywhere – between perennials, along walls, in hedges and high up in old trees.
Perhaps the rose fascinates us so much because it unites opposites within itself.
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It appears delicate and vulnerable, yet at the same time holds remarkable strength. Its blossoms are among the most beautiful in the plant world, while its thorny growth speaks of resilience. Beauty and strength meet in the rose in a truly special way.
If you would like to experience rose season for yourself, you are warmly invited to wander through the gardens of Michaelshof. Discover the many different rose varieties, their colours and fragrances – and perhaps you will find your very own favourite rose along the way.
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People & Nature
Thoughts along the way
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The way we human beings relate to the natural world is of great importance for our planet. Children, therefore, should learn early on to meet animals, plants and the earth itself with respect and care. When a child experiences that a cow is happy to go out to pasture, that a little lamb enjoys being stroked, or that even a dog may react grumpily when something does not suit him, a relationship with nature begins to grow. And when children learn to look closely at plants – at their details, their abundance of beauty, their diversity – they become more attentive to the world around them.
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Walking through a garden and noticing that one rose has five petals while the next has countless petals – such small experiences and impressions form the foundation for a respectful relationship with nature. At the same time, nature can also be brutal in many ways.In the spirit of “eat or be eaten”, even a flower lover may wonder what the little dandelion experiences when it is eaten by a cow in the meadow. A predator can only survive by eating another animal; a herbivore only by eating plants. In this, human beings are naturally part of nature too. Violence has always belonged to nature.
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But the decisive question is whether this violence expands beyond its natural measure because humans interfere with natural cycles in ways they often do not truly understand. Do vast, deliberately started rainforest fires still belong to this measure? And what about industrial mass fishing on the open seas, where in the end hardly anything living remains? The list could go on and on.
What helps here is to develop a soulful relationship with nature. This would mean seeing the earth in all its forms as a living being – one before whose appearance, if we are honest, we can only stand in wonder and reverence. Nature teaches this in all her forms, whether small or great: the daisy as much as the oak, the flea as much as the elephant, the Hohe Mechtin as much as Mount Everest. Science rejoices today when it can give rye a little more stability through genetic manipulation. But to create even one plant or anything like it from scratch – fortunately, we are still far from that.
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This is exactly why it matters so much to us that people at Michaelshof can truly experience the world of gardens and animals. Even seeing and smelling the difference between a pig and a sheep awakens sensitivity. Comparing the appearance of a calf with that of a grown bull; noticing how different a donkey is from a horse. Have you ever smelled hay and straw and noticed the difference? How different jasmine smells from a rose. How differently shaped the leaves of an oak and a birch are. These small moments are often underestimated.
Can we really blame a young person who has grown up in a concrete jungle for throwing rubbish into the bushes? Would they do the same if, as a child, they had been in contact with nature and had seen respect for it lived out before them? If they had been allowed to marvel at the loud neighing of a horse and the wind moving across a field of grain?
But the other way around matters too: it is essential for nature how human beings look at her. She responds to how we treat her and how we think about her. We are convinced that a bird is glad when a child points to it and says, “Look, there’s a robin.” In the same way, it matters what kind of gaze first falls upon a colourful flower when it has opened – just as a child surely grows better into adulthood under a loving gaze.
At Michaelshof, we would like to be an exemplary place where people can truly experience respect and care – for one another and for nature. This is what we wish to share: wonder and reverence should accompany our relationship with nature, alongside all ecological measures. In this way, we will experience more of her true being, her God-given nature, than if we merely analyse her into countless individual parts. We will not find the essence of her appearances – whether in hard granite, an elegant rose or a nimble goat – by dissection alone.
Nature thanks us for a loving gaze, as we experience every day at Michaelshof: she can give us and our guests refreshing, vitalising strength, clear our minds again and let us look out into the world with renewed joy from within.
In our time, when we spend many hours each day in digital worlds, it is surely healing to spend a few hours now and then in the wonderful world of nature.
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Basic Village
A look behind the scenes
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Behind many things that feel quite natural in our community, there is a great deal of organisation and work – conversations, lists, toolboxes and sometimes a good dose of improvisation. Much of this happens in the “Basic” area. This is where people, houses, rooms, vehicles and all the background processes come together to help everyday community life run smoothly.
In the personnel area, for which Claudia and Janet are responsible, things begin in a fairly classic way: applications, conversations and contracts. But often it does not stop there. You get to know people, listen to what they bring with them and what they imagine for themselves – and sometimes you notice that a completely different area might suit them better than the one they originally applied for. Sometimes it only becomes clear during a conversation, or later while working, what someone truly loves or which abilities they have that had not been so obvious before. And so it can happen that someone begins in one area and gradually takes on fruitful tasks in another.
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The service area, in turn, has quite different tasks. One important part is housekeeping, taken care of by Nadja and Michaela. This includes everything connected with houses and guest rooms: cleaning, preparing, making sure everything works and that guests feel warmly welcomed. Together with our janitor team, it is also about noticing defects early and preventing damage – from the proper care of oak parquet flooring to small everyday habits that help avoid larger repairs.
Some things that are normal here are not at all common in other countries. Many volunteers also help take care of their temporary home, the Blue House. This gives rise to all kinds of small everyday stories: taking out the rubbish for the first time, figuring out how to load a dishwasher properly – or realising that certain items of clothing are better washed separately.
House management is also part of this area: clarifying rental agreements, organising keys, coordinating small repairs. Houses, after all, are rather individual creatures. No sooner has one thing been fixed than the next one calls for attention. Sometimes a tap is dripping somewhere, sometimes a door creaks so loudly at night that you think a ghost might be wandering the hall. And when things really become urgent – a power cut, water damage or some other sudden mystery – thankfully our janitors are there, often with tools already in hand before the problem has even been fully explained.
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Then there is CarSharing, for which Johanna and her team are responsible. On paper, it is a wonderfully orderly system: book a car, drive, return it to the parking area. In practice, it is sometimes more like a small social experiment. Cars are not always where the plan says they should be, fuel and battery levels are interpreted in different ways, and car keys occasionally develop an astonishing desire to travel. And still, it works: in the end, around 350 community members get from A to B through our CarSharing.
So the Basic area is ultimately a mixture of organisation, people, houses, cars and a good portion of humour. Much of it happens in the background – and precisely because of that, everyday life here becomes a little easier for everyone.
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Our Michaelshof magazine, Einblicke – Insights – is a new publication for people in our region. Unlike this newsletter, which is sent throughout Germany and, in its English edition, even around the world, this magazine is mainly intended for our neighbours and people from the surrounding area. Many people know Michaelshof primarily from a visit to our café or our gardens. With this magazine, we would like to offer a look behind the scenes:
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We introduce ourselves personally, tell stories from our everyday life and take up themes that are especially close to our hearts.
If you are curious, you can also find the magazine in digital form on our Website. We would also be happy to send you the current issue – simply write us an email with your adress.
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At the Café at Michaelshof, we were able to enjoy a wonderful May. During tulip season, we welcomed many visitors who delighted in the sea of colour after the long winter. And now, just as the tulips have faded, the next leading lady steps onto the natural stage of our gardens: the rose.
Quite unlike the tulip, the rose reveals an enormous range of forms. In size alone, some dwarf roses reach barely 40 cm, while climbing roses or ramblers can grow to 12 metres and more.
Over the coming four weeks, during our Rose Weeks, you can get to know this flower more closely along our rose trail through the gardens. The explanations at the stations, together with an accompanying flyer, offer fascinating insights into the world of this special flower. In addition, we offer rose tours at 3:30 pm on the weekends, and on the terrace in front of the perennial plateau you can visit a small rose exhibition.
If you would like to take a bit of rose magic home with you, you will find roses for sale at our organic market or in our Pavone shop on the farm. In this way, you can bring a piece of this rose splendour into your own garden.
We wish everyone much joy in discovering the roses – and in stopping by our café!
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Strawberry Season + Sunshine = Summer
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After refreshing rain and many full hours of sunshine, strawberry season is now beginning! The Café, organic market, market wagon, pastry kitchen, gelateria and preserving kitchen are all happy about full little bowls of strawberries with the taste of summer.
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As always, our small harvest rule applies: ten strawberries into the bowl, one straight into the mouth.
Especially recommended from the Café: our strawberry sundae or spaghetti ice cream with fresh Sammatz strawberries – absolutely delicious! 🍓
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Michaelshof Up-to-date – all opening hours at a glance!
Arche-Farm:
Mon-Sun 09.00 – 19.00
Café:
Mon-Fri 08.00 – 18.00
Sat 08.00 – 19.00
Son & holidays 09.30 – 19.00
Biomarket:
Täglich 10.00 – 19.00
Pavone – Plants & More:
Mon. Closed
Thu-Fri 14.00 – 18.00
Sat, Sun & holidays 11.00 – 18.00
Der WAGEN in Lüneburg:
Wed & Sat 07.00 – 13.00
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Our next events at Michaelshof
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Guided Tour through the Sammatz Gardens
Every Saturday at 3:30 pm – meeting point at the Café
During our garden tours, you will learn everything about our gardens that you have always wanted to know. How did we create the eight different garden areas? What is blooming especially beautifully right now? We will take you to the loveliest spots in our garden and park landscapes and share tips and ideas for your own garden at home.
60 minutes, €10 per person, from 5 registrations.
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Rose Weeks at Michaelshof, 6 – 28 June
As a symbol of love, passion and beauty, countless myths have grown around the rose. She connected Aphrodite with Adonis, Romeo with Juliet, and reflected with Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s Little Prince on becoming and passing away.
In June, the rose holds court in our gardens and enchants us with her sensual beauty. We would like to celebrate this queen of flowers properly and warmly invite you to our Rose Weeks.
Every weekend you can look forward to:
- More than 3,500 flowering and fragrant rose bushes
- Inspiring rose tours through our gardens
- Tips from our rose experts, roses for sale and products all about the rose
- Organic delicacies from the farm
Free entry! Donations welcome.
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Gardeners’ Gathering – Wednesday, 10 June, 17:00 – 19:00
At our Gardeners’ Gathering, we exchange ideas about gardens, planting concepts and soil conditions. Experienced Michaelshof gardeners will share tips on choosing the right location, light and shade conditions, and healthy soils.
Whether you are looking for new ideas or simply love gardening, this is a chance to learn from professionals and fellow garden enthusiasts. We will meet in the Café at Michaelshof.
Free entry, donations welcome. Registration requested.
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Demeter Vegetable Growing, Saturday, 13 June, 15:00 – 18:00
Would you like to learn more about vegetable growing, gather practical tips for your own garden and enjoy some fresh country air? Then join our vegetable seminar for hobby gardeners and vegetable lovers!
- Refreshing welcome drink
- Walk across our 5-hectare vegetable field with information about crop rotation, the vegetables we grow and answers to all your questions
- To take home: a small souvenir for your evening salad – straight from the field
Participation: €40. Registration requested.
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Wild Bee Seminar, Sunday, 21 June, 12:00 – 15:00
Join Sara, a biologist and passionate wild bee researcher, for a walk full of fascinating discoveries and get to know the world of wild bees:
- Walk through the Sammatz gardens and pastures, including a refreshing drink
- Specialist information about wild bees and how they live
- Sara introduces you to our wild bee exhibition
- Practical tips on how to encourage wild bees in your own garden
Participation: €40. Registration requested.
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Italian Evening, Friday, 26 June, 19:00 – 21:30
A mild summer evening, sparkling lanterns above the outdoor table – and a menu full of Italian lightness that brings a touch of Bella Italia into the North German summer. Sounds good? Enjoy with us:
Starter:
Antipasti selection with oven-fresh mini pizzas
Main course:
Saltimbocca alla romana or grilled aubergine with tomato and mozzarella, served with spaghetti primavera à la gamberetti
Dessert:
Creamy tiramisu cake
Adults: €40
Adults vegetarian: €35
Children up to and including 11 years: €20
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Getting to know the Community at Michaelshof, Saturday, 27 June, 11:00 – 17:00
The world needs more communities! In this seminar, we show what community can look like in everyday life and what really matters. During a large guided walk through the village, we will tell you everything you have always wanted to know about Michaelshof.
- Insights into the community and our working areas
- Inspiration for everyone who would like to learn more about community life
- Coffee and cake together
Participation: €50
Lunch: €10
Registration requested.
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João grew up in Novo Hamburgo in southern Brazil. After school, he spent three years at a sports academy before discovering his love for theatre. During his five years of theatre training, he learned a great deal, volunteered in theatre work with children and wrote his own play as his final project. It was so well received that he and his ensemble toured through Brazil with it, performing in different places.
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The plan was to travel through Europe from 2020 onwards with the money he had saved. But the pandemic thwarted those plans and forced him and his then girlfriend Camila to come up with a plan B – after all, no one was going to the theatre at that time.
Because João had always enjoyed cooking, he began working in a pizzeria in Brazil and took cooking courses alongside the job. In this way, his hobby suddenly became his profession – one he still loves today.
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When the pandemic was over and the two had saved enough money to make a second attempt at travelling to Europe, it was 2023. The flights were booked, the bags were packed – and then, two weeks before the trip, the volunteering place in Portugal cancelled on them. A quick solution was needed. While searching for available volunteering options, they came across Michaelshof, which seemed ideal: neither German nor English – neither of which they spoke at the time – was required, and help was needed in the kitchen.
And so João came to Michaelshof almost by chance. When he arrived, he found everything he had hoped for from travelling and from the next chapter of his life: working in the kitchen, trying out new dishes, learning English, discovering different cultures and making friends. He thought: “Oh wow, this place is perfect for me!”
Very quickly, the originally planned one and a half months became three months – and eventually, a place to live. When he realised that he wanted to stay and contribute to Michaelshof, it was important to him that his daughter Sofie could have the same opportunity. Sofie has now been attending our Selma Lagerlöf School for a year as the first international child there, and she feels completely at home among her friends in the community.
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What moved you to stay? “I simply know that I am exactly where I am meant to be. The whole journey to Sammatz came together so naturally – the exact right moment in life; the cancelled volunteering place in Portugal; the luck that I was able to have my Italian citizenship recognised; and that my daughter was welcomed so warmly into the community from the very first day.
Sammatz has changed the way I look at life. It has shown me what community means, and also that this is exactly what I had actually been searching for. That you are not a lone fighter in the world, but that in a place where many people work toward a shared goal to which they feel connected, you can achieve a lot together.”
And so our Brazilian cook, with a big heart for people of all ages, came to Sammatz. We are very happy that he is here and that he brings himself and his talents – including making balloon animals and so much more – into life here.
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Perhaps you will meet him on your next visit to the Café, when he looks out from the kitchen, or now also in service with surprisingly good German. Or you may meet him playing football at SV Elbufer, where he finds balance from everyday kitchen life.
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Thank you for your love of cooking, your Brazilian joy of life, your good jokes and the newly introduced caipirinhas in the Café!
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For our team, we are looking for committed and dynamic people who enjoy taking responsibility and are drawn to life in the countryside.
Is meaningful work more important to you than a “9 to 5 job”? Then you are in the right place with us.
We are looking for trained specialists – or talented people – in the following areas:
Hands-On:
- Educator for our child and youth welfare facility “Peronnik”
- Teacher for our Selma Lagerlöf School in Wietzetze
- Garden instructor
- Landscape gardener
- Ornamental plant gardener
- Gardener for trees, shrubs and lawn care
- Construction worker
- Pharmacist
- Printer and laminator
- Baker
Is your qualification not listed, but you are still interested? Just give it a try!
Please send your application with a photo to: claudia.brady@sammatz.de – we’ll get back to you!
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+++ NEWSTICKER +++
Impressions from everyday community life…
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…with tulip-filled May perspectives from the perennial plateau and the arena…
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…farewell greetings from our Czech interns…
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…our cows making their way from the green pasture back to the barn…
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…and current garden discoveries!
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“There aren’t that many good excuses NOT to play volleyball in the evening – let’s go!”
Bruce, Taiwan
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Warm wishes and see you next time – Anna & the Newsletter Team ❤️
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