Refuges – The Garden as a Quiet Oasis in Turbulent Times

There are times when the world seems to be falling apart. Political tensions, economic uncertainties, a constant barrage of news—and eventually, you reach a point where you just tune out. Not out of indifference, but as a form of self-protection. Checking the news or your stock portfolio suddenly feels more stressful than informative. Too much is beyond our control.

And this is exactly where the importance of a retreat begins.

For me, it’s the garden. Not a spectacular park, not a staged landscape—but a piece of nature that I design, tend, and let grow myself. A small, personal oasis. While the world outside grows more complex and noisy, here a space of calm, stability, and grounding takes shape.

A garden follows different rules. It knows no headlines, no short-term trends, no digital overload. Instead, what matters here is time—real, slow time. Plants don’t grow any faster just because you want them to. The seasons can’t be sped up. Everything unfolds at its own pace. And that, in particular, has a calming effect.

It is a quiet alternative to a world that is often characterized by speed and uncertainty. In the garden, I can make decisions whose results are immediately visible: Where should I plant something? What should I let grow, and what should I prune back? These are small, manageable actions—and that is precisely where their power lies.

Of course, nature cannot be completely controlled either. The weather, drought, animals—all of these factors come into play. But unlike global trends, here there remains a sense of influence, of being able to shape things. You don’t work against nature, but with it.

The garden thus becomes a place of focus. The scent of soil, the rustling of leaves, the buzzing of insects—all of this brings you back to the moment. Your thoughts fall into place, and your mind clears. What previously seemed overwhelming recedes into the background.

Perhaps it is precisely these little oases that we need today more than ever. Spaces that are not dictated from the outside, but emerge from within. Places where we can once again feel what is truly tangible.

The garden is not a retreat from the world—but a way to find a place in it.