Schleswig-Holstein

On 15 September, the bdla regional association was ‘on tour’ once again and visited Peter Schwermer’s perennial nursery in Flemhude, near Kiel, a member of the Stauden Ring.

© König

The bdla was welcomed to a laid table in the greenhouse, where the perennials are ultimately packed and prepared for loading. There is no retail sales service; all plants are either collected by the landscaping firms themselves or delivered by the nursery. “This way, I can ensure the best possible transport of the plants to the building sites,” says Peter Schwermer. Each plant is carefully cleaned before loading.

Peter Schwermer Staudenkulturen is a family business founded in 1978 on the family’s own farm – today, 1.5 hectares of owned land and a further 1–2 hectares of leased land are ‘tilled’. The business, which employs five people, is a member of the Association of German Perennial Growers and is therefore able to offer a wide range of perennials. The nursery specialises in the cultivation of cranesbill and epimedium varieties. During a tour of the grounds, the truly healthy and vigorous appearance of the perennials caught the eye.

The nursery propagates many of the species in its range of perennials itself, as a walk through the mother plant section and the associated vegetative propagation methods demonstrated. The plants are still potted in a growing medium containing (albeit reduced) peat, which, according to Peter Schwermer, cannot yet be completely replaced.

Another niche has opened up for Peter Schwermer through his collaboration with Rieger-Hofmann Saatgut, which is seeking seed producers across Germany for native wildflowers and wild grasses. In Flemhude, therefore, plants such as campion (Silene and Lychnis), scabious (Knautia), meadowsweet (Filipendula), soapwort (Saponaria) are cultivated and sold to Rieger-Hofmann with a guaranteed provenance.

The session concluded with a cosy, informal get-together over coffee, tea and biscuits, providing an opportunity for further questions, discussion and exchange. Overall, the group agreed that perennials are experiencing a renaissance in public spaces, which is also reflected in the growing demand for recognised planting experts, whether self-employed or employed. In this context, the young students and graduates from various universities who were present were asked what importance the use of woody plants and perennials currently holds in their respective curricula – “Far too little!” was the general verdict, although everyone involved is also aware of how difficult it is to provide good, practical and sustainably effective (in the sense that the knowledge sticks!) teaching on the use of plants.

 

Many thanks to Peter Schwermer and his team for a wonderful afternoon!

 

Kerstin König, 30 September 2025

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