The constitutive meeting of the German „Free Gardeners‘ Association“ took place on March 17, 2020. The first Mother Lodge event happend on the weekend of 9th – 11th, July 2021 in an wine cellar in an ancient mountain tunnel in Traben-Trarbach. A representative of the Welsh lodge „The Cenhinen Lodge of Free Gardeners No. 15“ transfered the Scottish Grand Lodge’s patent from 1849 and handed over their ceremonies to the German Mother Lodge called „Carl Theodor zum goldenen Garten“.
From the very beginning the German Free Gardeners welcomes women and men equally. It is split into four grades and is recognized by the german state as a non-profit organization with donation-permission. From 2021, British Free Gardeners followed the German Model and also allow women to be admitted. However, the „International Order of Free Gardeners“ (IOFG) stipulates that lodges may continue to be single-sex as they were it by foundation.
On November 20, 2021, two delegates from the German Mother Lodge participated admissions into the lodge „Fleur de vie No. 28“ in Dour in Belgium. Contemporaneous they receive the patent for the already issued matriculation number 30 of IOFG, as well as the original ceremonies of the modern English Free Gardeners. On these admission it is the first time that women have been included in Free Gardening in Belgium. It is a historical turning point for the craft. A version of the French ceremonies, which appear to have evolved from the original Scottish ceremonies, is presented as a gift to the two German delegates. The fourth degree is also mentioned in this. A copy of fragments of the fourth degree was donated to the German Mother Lodge via an Australian Free Gardener living in Germany. Meanwhile, the German Mother Lodge installed Free Gardeners‘ Lodges in Switzerland, Canada and Italy.
The basis of the German Ceremonies is a translation of the original Scottish Ceremonies. The Grand Lodge implemented a commission to compare the Scottish, Welsh and English ceremonis including old fragmentals remnants. The same commission developed today’s ceremonies, including through the research work of the Free Gardener and researcher Robert L. P. Cooper. This is also necessary because there are now over 20 different versions of ceremonies, including several variations of the original Scottish Ceremonies.
Finally, from the Schwetzingen Mother Lodge and the already founded German, Swiss, Italian and Canadian Free Gardeners‘ lodges and front-yards, the „Grand Lodge of Free Gardeners“ (GLFG) was founded on May 14, 2023, thereby established the German ceremonies in the international community of worldwide Free Gardeners. This is the fourth, the German traditional strand.
