Karl Foerster: Lecture on the 150th birthday of the garden visionary!

Karl Foerster: Lecture on the 150th birthday of the garden visionary!

Bernhardstraße 4, 98617 Meiningen, Deutschland - This year we celebrate a very special birthday: Karl Foerster, the influential perennial gardener and garden poet, would have celebrated his 150th birthday on June 24, 2025. Foerster was a real pioneer of a new garden culture, whose ideas still inspire many gardeners and garden lovers. This significant honor is recognized by various events and lectures.

The local curatorium of the German Foundation for Monument Protection (DSD) invites you to a lecture that will take place on Wednesday, July 9, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. on the ground floor of the Strupp’s Villa in Meiningen. The speaker for this evening is the Dipl.-Ing. Hermann Oehring from Suhl, who welcomes visitors. Admission is free, with donations for the foundation being requested. Over the years, Foerster has exerted enormous influence on the garden movement at the beginning of the 20th century.

Karl Foerster's legacy

in Potsdam-Bornim, Karl Foerster wanted to create a garden idyll. He built a perennial nursery that is a must for many garden enthusiasts. His famous culinary garden was artistically designed and is very popular. The motto of his garden, "it is blossomed", summarizes its philosophy: hardy perennials, grasses, ferns and dwarf trees shape this living space. Today this garden is one of the most visited private gardens in Germany.

his life's work is continued by the family to this day. After Foerster's death in 1970, his wife Eva and daughter Marianne took over the care of the property. They made sure that their father's ideas are preserved in public. In 1981 the house and the garden were finally made up for monument protection. In 2018, the expansion to the memorial followed, which now bears the official name "Stauden Gardenership Karl Foerster (now Foerster-Stauden GmbH) including the residential building and associated house gardens, forest garden and other buildings".

a life for beauty

Karl Foerster was not only gardener, but also a talented breeder and writer. He encouraged gardeners to place plants according to their own will and criticized the ugliness in gardens. His views of beauty in nature were revolutionary and contributed to promoting human well -being. Although he was politically unrestricted during the Nazi era and the NSDAP, it should be mentioned that he and his family helped Jewish citizens during the war.

foerster's artistic approach to garden culture is a topic that is also in connection with the French action artist Yves Klein. The latter was convinced of the healing power of the color blue - a conviction that also represented Foerster. In his garden books and various publications, Foerster promoted the idea that beauty in the garden also has a healing influence on humans.

his remarkable journey only ended at the age of 96, characterized by an optimistic spirit of life that held on to his passion until the end. The German Foundation for Monument Protection is tirelessly working to preserve Karl Foerster's cultural heritage and to ensure that future generations can benefit from its knowledge and attitude.

For all those who are interested in garden art and life of Karl Foerster, the upcoming lecture in Meiningen is a welcome opportunity to learn more about this extraordinary man. Gotha Aktuell reports during this event, while Monument Protection provides detailed information about Foerster's memorial. For deeper insights into his life and work, we recommend a look at Deutschlandfunk Kultur.