Green spaces and plants are now an integral part of the design of workspaces and commercial properties. To ensure that greenery achieves the desired effect, professional guidance is required. Oliever Meyer, Head of the Garden Competence Centre, fulfils this role in the North/South region. As an expert, he combines in-depth knowledge ranging from ornamental plants to natural meadows.
“Greenery always follows a trend,” says Oliever Meyer, head of the Garden Competence Center for the North/South region. “With gardens, you can tell from the plantings which decade they were created in - depending on what was trendy at the time.” In the wake of climate change, green spaces and plants have taken on new significance in commercial real estate. Whereas green spaces used to serve mainly to enhance a property’s appearance, companies today invest in nature-oriented green spaces with the aim of improving species diversity, biodiversity, and the indoor climate. This also presents ISS gardeners with new challenges: How do you design and maintain sustainable green spaces? Which plants can tolerate heat? Which fertilizers are more sustainable?
ISS Strengthens Regional Expertise in Landscaping Services
With Oliver Meyer, ISS has a gardening expert who is familiar with every aspect of managing green spaces and plants. After training as a florist and ornamental plant gardener, he transitioned to landscaping, earned his master’s diploma, and worked independently for twelve years. In 2012, he took over management of the landscaping services for a major corporation’s portfolio. This includes interior greening of office buildings, 18 hectares of green space, 5 hectares of green roofs, and over 20 hectares of paved and gravel areas. The green space was designed by renowned landscape architects and is still regularly audited today. For the past eleven years, Oliever Meyer has been successfully maintaining and developing the grounds in collaboration with the client and his team. “Over the years, we’ve transitioned the park toward greater biodiversity. Although we now also have natural meadows and regional plants, the park’s appearance must remain intact,” he notes. Oliever Meyer is now channeling his passion for greenery into the newly created Garden Competence Center in the North/South region. “I’m always open to new ideas in my field and enjoy sharing this knowledge.”
The Garden Competence Center serves as a cross-client ISS specialist unit. ISS managers responsible for outdoor and indoor landscaping can directly and easily obtain expert advice and assistance regarding plant diseases or necessary replacement plantings. This ensures that the expertise of the landscaping services is widely applied across client accounts, establishes a uniform standard, and simultaneously provides ongoing training for on-site staff. Our clients and our internal ISS managers appreciate the straightforward process and the quick response time with which questions are answered.
Comprehensive Service for Indoors and Outdoors
“The focus of our work is the professional care of plants and landscaping throughout the year,” says Oliever Meyer. Spring is a particularly busy time for the ISS teams. As nature bursts into life, lawns must be mowed, and flower beds and borders must be planted. In addition, ISS also takes care of outdoor furniture. “In one regional contract alone, we furnish various outdoor areas with a total of 2,000 pieces of outdoor furniture.” In the fall, the furniture is cleaned and stored, and the Mediterranean plants are moved to their winter quarters. The work has changed during the summer months. Due to longer heat waves, the irrigation systems sometimes reach their capacity limits, so ISS supplements them by watering manually with a hose or a water tanker truck.
In addition to the outdoor areas, ISS also handles all tasks related to indoor greenery. If a client wishes to add greenery to a room or space, ISS assesses the space and lighting conditions, makes recommendations, procures plants, containers, and growing media, and takes care of placement and maintenance. In large office buildings, indoor landscaping can involve several hundred different plant containers, all of which must be registered, labeled, and maintained. “This variety of tasks requires both precise planning and skilled professionals,” says Oliever Meyer. “ISS has both and can cover the entire range of services, from consulting, planning, and design all the way through to maintenance.”
Nature is setting a new pace
The effects of climate change are immediately felt by ISS’s landscaping services. The seasons are changing; there’s more heat and less rainfall. Conventional greenery no longer thrives without proper irrigation. This means that plants must be watered manually about two to three times a week. Despite this, the greenery is suffering considerably compared to ten or twenty years ago. All the additional work required also costs money. Oliever Meyer: “Customers are increasingly seeking species diversity and biodiversity, as well as sustainable green spaces. At the same time, there is a certain pressure to cut costs. Where possible, we rely on natural, native plants for outdoor areas. In addition, we leverage interdisciplinary synergies within the facility management contract. For example, the building superintendent or cleaning staff on site help out by removing leaves from entryways during strong winds.”
The issue of pests also requires more attention. “Some time ago, there was an infestation across the border. A wood-boring pest had taken up residence in wooden pallets from Asia and became a threat to the tree population,” recalls Oliever Meyer. “Although the facility managed by ISS was outside the danger zone, I arranged for sniffer dogs to periodically inspect all the trees.” The infestation in the region has been eradicated for about a year now, and the inspections are no longer necessary. “Thanks to our close collaboration with the regional plant protection service, we’re up to date on the latest information regarding pests and diseases and can plan preventive measures early on,” says Meyer.
Every Green Space Needs Management
The green spaces managed by ISS are as diverse as the properties themselves. For the most part, these are designed by architects during the construction phase to create a uniform appearance. “A green space thrives because of the gardener who tends to it. The gardener sets the direction,” Oliever Meyer is convinced. These are sometimes subtle interventions, but they must be made. A garden needs guidance. Even a wildflower meadow needs guidance. This means mowing and removing the clippings twice a year at the right time. You can’t just leave the meadow to its own devices; otherwise, the more competitive grasses will take over and alter the overall look. Every green space needs guidance. “That’s why we’re here - to intervene and make corrections, and with a certain degree of foresight, to initiate measures that will then produce the desired effect in the future.”
Working in an Environmentally Friendly Manner
ISS places great emphasis on sustainability. When it comes to equipment, ISS invests in electric vehicles and electrically powered tools that emit fewer pollutants into the environment and operate more quietly, such as robotic mowers, leaf blowers, and hedge trimmers. ISS also promotes nature-friendly gardening - among other things, by not using machines to clear away leaves in the fall, but instead leaving them in the flower beds as “permanent humus,” which then breaks down into garden soil. Green waste is sent to green composting facilities for disposal. In addition, ISS avoids using peat products, opting instead for local, sustainable substrates. Plastic-coated slow-release fertilizers are also replaced with sustainable alternatives.
Oliever Meyer, Head ofthe Garden Competence Center
Oliever Meyer began his career at ISS in 2013. For more than ten years, he has managed landscaping services for a major ISS client. A native of Germany, he is a trained florist and ornamental plant gardener, holds a master craftsman’s certificate, and recently completed additional training as a tree inspector. He brings more than 40 years of practical experience in various roles in the fields of indoor and outdoor greenery as well as landscaping.
Three Questions for Oliever Meyer
Is gardening also your hobby?
I also pursue my passion in my personal life. Gardening is always about experimentation. When I was younger, I worked as a gardener for an Englishwoman. She said that when something doesn’t work out, you Germans give up right away. An Englishman will try at least three times with the same plant in the same spot; if it still doesn’t work, then even he has to admit that a different plant would probably be more suitable.
What about digitalization in the landscaping sector?
A few years ago, robotic lawn mowers were considered a digital innovation. The idea was to use them on large areas and relieve employees of the burden of mowing the lawn. In practice, however, it turned out that the robots would get stuck on garden furniture or, for example, due to falling fruit from apple trees. Employees had to search for the robot, free it, and restart it. This partially negates the time savings.
What style of garden do you prefer?
I’m familiar with both neatly manicured gardens and natural gardens. Personally, I prefer natural gardens where the gardener makes corrective adjustments but also lets the garden develop on its own. I can work with a neatly manicured garden as well, but it’s not my personal style. I prefer nature with a little guidance.