ABSTRACT
This chapter explores three different facets of Retiro that constitute and continue to shape the place, namely fungi, invasive organisms, and “feral” artifacts. These examples were chosen because they are rather unconventional in the traditional frame of cultural heritage but no less importantly because they quite literally brought attention to themselves during several seasons of field survey in the garden. The nature of Retiro, thus, raises awareness of a world that extends beyond the usual conceptual frames of cultural heritage use or statutory duties of the municipality. Retiro has an overabundance of cellulose in form of living and dead wood but also in form of anthropogenic structures such as the villa and the gardeners’ residence. One of the most notorious inhabitants found in the garden is the Japanese knotweed: a hardy perennial that annually grows smooth stems that form near-impenetrable thickets.
