Garden Creators Meeting

The garden as a space of coexistence
Less control, greater understanding of nature

Does a beautiful garden have to be perfectly tidy? How can we design and maintain spaces that support people, promote biodiversity and better respond to the challenges of a changing climate? These issues will be discussed at the Garden Creators Meeting, which will take place on 5 September as part of the 33rd International GREEN IS LIFE Fair.

The talks will offer an opportunity to view the garden from a new perspective — as a space of coexistence, where humans do not stand apart from nature but are part of it. The event programme will demonstrate that there is no need to choose between what is good for people and what benefits nature. On the contrary – caring for natural processes, biodiversity and a healthy ecosystem simultaneously translates into quality of life, health and comfort for garden users. This event is for those who wish to create beautiful gardens not because they are perfectly controlled, but because they understand the rhythm of nature and are able to work in harmony with it.

Programme

10:00-10:20 Opening

10:20-10:40  Green prescriptions. How does gardening affect mental health, concentration and development? – Marta Znajmiecka, PhD, Uniwersytet Łódzki, Ogólnopolskie Stowarzyszenie Twórców Ogrodów

10:40-11:10  Can a natural garden be luxurious? Jakub Gardner

11:10-11:30  Living soil – the key to a beautiful garden. How soil microorganisms help plants to grow – Klaudia Sidorowicz, Probiotics Polska

11:30-12:00  A garden for years to come. Long-lived shrubs and plants resilient to changing conditions – Michalina Trempała, Katarzyna Borakiewicz, Zielone Pogotowie

12:00-12:30 Are roses really that difficult? A new perspective on growing roses – Ewelina Golba-Sajak, Zakazany Ogród

12:30-13:00 What do clever gardeners invest in? Save the water before it runs out – Magdalena Wolska, Krzysztof Mielicki

13:00-13:30 The decaying garden. Life hidden in decay – Dorota Zengteler

13:30-14:00  Launch of the book ‘Domowe królestwo roślin’. A meeting with Katarzyna Bellingham and Paweł Sztarbowski

Honorary patron: 

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Speakers

Marta Znajmiecka, PhD

Psychologist and Assistant Professor at the Institute of Psychology, University of Łódź. She is also the founder of Calmnest Poradnia Diagnostyczno-Terapeutyczna, and a researcher specialising in the relationship between people and their environment, as well as the psychological aspects of wellbeing.

She is the author of more than 80 scientific publications and co-author of nearly ten academic monographs, including Shaping Safe Employee Behaviour. Theory and Practice of Behaviour-Based Safety and Safety Management. Psychological Aspects of Implementing Organisational Change.

In recent years, she has focused on the emerging field of horticultural psychology. She served as a consultant for the Polish edition of Professor Harriet Gross’s book The Psychology of Gardening, combining a scientific understanding of human wellbeing with her long-standing practical passion for gardening.

As a member of the Polskie Stowarzyszenie Twórców Ogrodów (OSTO), she highlights the fact that greenery is far more than an aesthetic addition to our surroundings. It provides genuine support for mental health by reducing stress, improving concentration, and fostering psychological restoration and recovery.

In her private life, she finds her greatest sense of relaxation in her own garden. It is there, through close contact with nature, that she continues to explore what truly benefits the human mind. She is the mother of two sons and a passionate plant enthusiast who firmly believes that green spaces make our lives not only more beautiful, but also healthier.

Jakub ‘Gardner’ Myśliwiec

A garden designer and gardener from Kraków. Founder of his own school of garden design and advocate of a garden design method known as the modern minimalist garden, in which human presence is limited to luxurious garden interiors, whilst the rest of the plot is left to nature.

Klaudia Sidorowicz

A landscape designer by profession, a lecturer on postgraduate courses, and the author of the books: ‘Ogród probiotyczny. Jak uprawiać warzywa i owoce i nie zwariować’ and ‘Ogród probiotyczny – nowy sezon’.

A farmer and gardener by vocation, she has been a long-standing advocate of probiotic farming and regenerative methods. You can follow her daily work in the garden on Facebook and Instagram. 

Michalina and Kasia from Zielone Pogotowie

A duo with gardening in their blood. For years, they have not only been running the Zielone Pogotowie brand, but above all a vegetable garden in the city and a huge garden in the countryside.

Ewelina Golba-Sajak

A graduate in political science and social communication, she is an entrepreneur with many years’ experience of running her own businesses. In her private life, she is a happy wife and mother.

In the world of gardening, she is known as Ewelina Zakazany Ogród – a woman who, with passion, humour and a touch of madness, talks about flowers and living in tune with nature. On her YouTube channel, ‘Zakazany Ogród’, she inspires thousands of people to create beautiful, vibrant gardens by sharing practical knowledge on growing roses, dahlias and other plants.

Together with her husband, she runs a magical place near Kraków – Różowe Pole, a dahlia field and vineyard where over 5,000 varieties of dahlias grow. It is a space where passion meets nature, and every flower has its own story.

She is the author of the bestselling, fragrant books ‘Czas na DALIE’ (2025) and ‘Czas na RÓŻE’ (2026), which have won the hearts of readers.

Today, Ewelina is also developing the Zakazany Ogród brand, offering exclusive seeds and varietal flowers that allow you to bring a touch of her garden’s magic into your own world.

Dorota Zengteler

A gardener and naturalist by profession and passion, she has been working in the green sector for 12 years. She completed a postgraduate course in garden design (Warsaw University of Life Sciences) and workshops on biocenotic design, combining the expertise of landscape architects and biologists. She holds a certificate as a ‘Specialist in pollinating insects in urban environments’ and is a PTTK-accredited field guide for Kampinos National Park.
For over 8 years, she worked at a plant nursery, where she got to know plants and people who dream of beautiful and healthy gardens – gardens that bring joy and respite, rather than just another list of chores for their owners.
She is currently developing the ‘Ogrody Doroty’ brand, through which she aims to spread knowledge about healthy gardens and healthy relationships between people and their gardens. She is a volunteer with the Fundacja Ochrony Trzmieli. In her private life, she is the owner of her own natural garden and a lover of long walks through woods and meadows.