Garden caretaker Mary Roufs points out some of the more colorful plants in German Park.

For many, the German Park Garden is a crown jewel in New Ulm’s park system but few people know of the work that goes into maintaining it.

Earlier this month New Ulm Gardening Club received a peek behind the scenes. During a special meeting in German Park, the garden caretaker Mary Roufs gave a tour and answered all questions.

Roufs is one of the great unsung heroes of New Ulm’s Park system. For the last 14 years, she has served and has worked seasonally for Park and Recreation as the caretaker for German and Schonlau Park.

It was a rare treat as Roufs does not often do formal interviews, but with the Gardening Club she said “I feel I am in good company.”

Before becoming the caretaker, Roufs said she worked for a Garden Service company in the metro area and had helped design big estate gardens. She had also gone through Master Gardner training, but said “you learn most by doing.” Much of her work in the German Park Garden is experimenting and seeing what works each year.

Zinnias are among the variety of plants that keeps German Park colorful.

After working in the garden for a decade and a half, Roufs has learned a lot, saying “I know basically every square inch of this garden.”

The German Park Garden was first turned into a formal garden in 1995, after the removal of the former municipal pool. In 1999, the famous angel fountain was installed. To this day, much of the garden is planned based on the fountain.

Roufs said originally the garden resembled the English style and featured more traditional flowers like roses. This proved too hard to maintain and it was decided to switch to more native planting that were less fussy.

When Roufs took over caretaking the garden, she continued the philosophy of using native plants.

“I try to buy locally,” she said. “This can limit plant selection, but I want to support local nurseries.”

The German Park angel fountain was installed in 1999. It has served as the center focal point for the garden ever since.

The garden changes a little every year. A few new garden pieces or plants can be added. This year, several of the plants included identifying

tags. One of the most asked questions is, what plant is this?

“I try to keep it simple, mixing textures and reputation,” Roufs said. “Sometime I’ll bring out the color wheel and search for complimentary colors. The problem is not every plant will grow in the time you want it to.”

Maintaining German Park Garden is no small task. Roufs estimated that she spends 25 to 30 hours a week in the garden during the typical season. In a typical season work begins in April, but with the long winter this year, she started in May.

The drought conditions have also created problems. Roufs acknowledged that the last few years have been the most difficult because of limited rain. Many of the plants have required daily watering to ensure survival. Fortunately, because the plants are native to the region, most are hardy enough to thrive in the climate.

Though autumn is fast approaching, most of German Park’s garden continues to look fresh and alive. This was one of Roufs’s yearly goals.

“It is important to have something in bloom at all times from April to October,” Roufs said. “That’s the key.”

As of early September, the early blooming plants are on the way out but some of the late blooming items will remain until October.

This year saw an increase in potted plants in the garden. This addition was added for aesthetic and practical reasons. The pots protect the plants against rabbits. German Park has long had a problem with rabbits eating the vegetation. Each year Roufs works to ward off the rabbits, including catching them in live traps. The garden even includes multiple fake snakes hidden in the brush to spook the rabbits.

Many of the Garden Club members were surprised the maintenance of the German Parks Garden came down to a single person.

“I was shocked that Mary was doing this by herself,” said Club member Naoko Meyer. I know much it takes to maintain a garden.” Meyer praised the garden for its amazing variety.

Garden Club member Joe Gartner said the German Parks garden is one of the most fabulous community gardens he’s seen in the state. This is in part because of its location to other features in the community; like the amphitheater, bandstand, shelter and playground.

“You can really relax here,” Gartner said.

Roufs is humble about her contribution to the garden. She credited New Ulm’s founders for ensuring there would be beautiful greenspaces like German Park.

“I am so privileged to work in this garden,” she said. “The best part of the garden is the heritage and tradition.”