After the Ebertpark in Ludwigshafen, we went straight on to the picturesque Weinheim an der Weinstraße. We had already heard a lot of great things about the Hermannshof Show and Sighting Garden, the destination of our trip. And one thing in advance: we were not disappointed. With free admission, you can visit one of the most beautiful gardens in Germany and beyond. This garden is not only simply beautiful but also immensely informative and pioneering in its use of perennials. I would even call it a teaching garden.
The Hermannshof owes this above all to the work of the landscape architect and master perennial gardener Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Cassian Schmidt, who was the overall director of the show and sighting garden from 1998 to 2023.
The arrangement of the garden according to life areas
In the Hermannshof Show and Sighting Garden, plants are used according to “areas of life”, based on Richard Hansen’s teachings on the perennials and their spheres of life in gardens and green spaces. This has resulted in plantings with a natural character that are partly modelled on the plant communities that occur in nature.
A plant develops its typical character most beautifully where its natural needs for light, soil and water are met. Also, species with similar site requirements and comparable geographical origins usually come together to form attractive combinations. However, plants can originate from different geographical regions of the world, as long as they fit together in terms of design.
The most common habitat situations of perennials in gardens and green spaces are presented in the Hermannshof Viewing Garden in different habitats. The perennial beds are embedded in beautiful grounds with old woody plants, some of which are rarely found in Germany. More on the use of perennials and the aims of the garden at https://sichtungsgarten-hermannshof.de/konzept/pflanzenverwendung/ (in German only).
One could spend endless time in this garden and look in again and again at different times of the year. Let us hope that after the separation from Prof. Cassian Schmidt, the Hermannshof will continue in this great form.
A look at the informative website is highly recommended, if only for the great pictures, but also for the numerous tips: https://sichtungsgarten-hermannshof.de (in German only).