People at UniBE
The man behind the festive flower arrangements
Who is responsible for the beautiful flower arrangements at graduation ceremonies and other festive occasions at the University of Bern? Bruno Züger, landscape gardener at UniBE for 32 years now. uniAKTUELL accompanied him for a day.
The day starts early for Bruno Züger: Shortly before 7 a.m. he is ready to go, having already collected the van from the Facility Management Office. Three large flower arrangements must be ready by the evening for the bachelor’s graduation ceremony at the Faculty of Law.
Today, he is heading for the “Blumenbörse West” flower market in Kerzers; this is a wholesale market exclusively serving specialist retailers and offering plants, cut flowers and decorative items.
Bruno Züger examines the flower selection with purpose and concentration. He usually already has a specific idea in his mind about what he wants to do, but he is still open to suggestion on site.
He takes care of two things at the same time: The trunk is filled not only with the flowers needed for the arrangements, but also with geraniums to plant in front of the main building. For Bruno Züger, it is important that there is always something blossoming, particularly around the representative buildings.
Subscribe to the uniAKTUELL newsletter
Discover stories about the research at the University of Bern and the people behind it.
He arrives at Vereinsweg 23 in the Länggasse district at 9:30 a.m.: By the time evening comes, he has to have created three magnificent displays and he needs masses of flowers to do so.
Bruno Züger patiently fills the large water containers. “You can’t beat good preparation.”
Precision work is what is required: Bruno Züger cuts the floral foam, the material into which flowers are inserted for floral arrangements. This is a green-colored, water-absorbing foam that keeps the flowers moist and holds them in place.
Before he can get started, he has to cut all the thorns off the roses by hand so that nobody gets caught on one of them or scratched.
Finally, he can get started: He skillfully arranges the flowers, one after the other, in the three prepared containers.
Bruno Züger in his empire, “Brünu’s Corner”. This is where the three arrangements start taking shape. It’s now 3 o’clock.
Bruno Züger disappears behind his large and colorful works of art, which are carried to the transporter and taken to the Theater National in Bern.
Bruno Züger inspects the finished works of art again on site: “Everything has to be just right – it is a prestigious event.”
What a beautiful sight: Thanks to Bruno Züger’s work, the stage is festively decorated and provides a fitting backdrop for the bachelor’s degree graduates to enjoy their big moment.
About the person
Bruno Züger (61)
is a qualified landscape gardener (with an additional “tree nursery” qualification). He has been working for the University of Bern since 1993 and is taking early retirement in December 2025. He is not only a passionate rose lover but also a sought-after plant specialist who knows every plant and every bush by its Latin name. As a gardener, he likes picking up a shovel himself: he weeds, waters flower beds, and actively promotes biodiversity – among other things by creating what are called ruderal areas. These natural zones develop on nutrient-poor or disturbed soils and provide an important habitat particularly for pioneer plants and insects. In addition, Züger creates festive floral decorations for University events and advises the veterinary hospital if there is any suspicion of plant poisoning.
Facility Management Office
The Facility Management Office of the Administrative Director's Office at the University of Bern is responsible for the efficient and economical operation of all 130 properties and building sections used by the University of Bern. This includes the green spaces around buildings. Six landscape gardeners working part-time (480%) – including Bruno Züger –take care of around 1,000 trees, more than 100 fruit trees, six biotopes and ponds as well as numerous borders and green spaces.
