Garden of Heaven Medal. Like Edward Scissorhands, Jean Cowal carves figures from the jungle

The ruins turned into a beautiful little verse garden. It is thanks to Jan Kwal, a resident of the Mujahideen. Radosna, who has been taking care of the backyard next to his building for nearly 50 years. Both! His extraordinary arrangements were awarded with a silver medal.

Polina Casarnotta | May 15, 2021

Mr. Jan moved with his wife to Radosna Street in 1974. At that time, the adjacent gallery building was being constructed and the entire courtyard was covered in the building’s debris. – When I saw him, I knew I had to do something about it. I couldn’t imagine seeing piles of rubble from the window – says Jan Kwal. – My parents were farmers, so I knew a little about farming – he adds.

Sense of the artist

It took a lot of work to create such a work of art. First, the area is arranged, then with the help of neighbors and the housing cooperative, the effects are starting to emerge. Despite the fact that Mr. Jean is a teacher, not a gardener, he can undoubtedly accept gardening or landscape architecture students here.

The artist’s sense is what he has! He carves shapes from bush and cares for plants, just like Edward Scissorhands. The garden looks great especially in spring and summer. There are: cylindrical imperata, smoglica, sapphire, dwarf pine, special hedge and barberry.

Silver in Wroclaw

Wrocław Award for second place in the 9th Terra Flower Power Poll for the Most Beautiful Flowering City in Poland 2020 is attributed to Jan Kowal. At the same time, it ranked first in the individual category, garnering the most votes from Internet users. As our hero says, it was his granddaughter who convinced him to participate in the competition. Mr. Jean is a humble man and you can see that he enjoys the results of his work more than the awards. He just wants more help from his neighbors.

52 cities from all over Poland competed for the title in the competition, represented by works in the field of decorating public spaces – Wroclaw, among others by the works of Mr. Jan. Facebook users voted on the arrangements submitted to the contest. It was they who decided to give Wroclaw the second place, which was only slightly ahead of Bielsko Biaa. As for individual perception, Mr. Jan won the most recognition among internet users, with his works voted by 3,235 netizens. That’s why the prize was awarded at the headquarters of the Wroc Wraw-Południe Housing Co-op, with the hedge shapes he tidied – it’s a huge pot with a seat function and flowers.

Create your own backyard

Jan Kowal has created a space unique to the size of a city. It’s so much more than just a backyard garden – it’s also a form of artistic expression. Residents of other estates come here to see and be admired. Now they will be able to sit on the seat of destiny, because this award is intended for residents of Wroclaw. Mr. Jean has proven for years that you can be the creator of the space you live in, not just a passive observer. “I had a lot of neighbors to help,” she recalls. People today seem to be less responsible for their surroundings. Several students live here, who don’t care what grows next to the block, and throw cigarette butts into the garden – he complains Jan.

Anyone who wants to take care of the immediate vicinity of his property must remember formalities. First, you have to inform the manager of your wish.

– The beautiful green area created by Mr. Jean is like a sanatorium. I would like to motivate all residents of our residential area, Dorota Barbara, to follow in Mr. Jean’s footsteps and take up the challenge of “Adopt a Garden”. Gardens are located next door to each of our properties – we encourage you to grow them up and a little bit creative. For those residents who persevere in the challenge, we plan for prizes – says Agnieszka Radziewicz, Director of “Dorota-Barbara” II residential property.