Karl Förster Garden

Can you sense it? The legacy of a man who stopped a train for a single plant. Here at the Karl Förster Garden, that passion continues to bloom. Karl Förster, a pioneer of perennial breeding, poured his heart into this very ground. The Karl Förster Garden isn’t just a collection of plants. It’s a testament to Förster’s vision, his “wilderness garden art.” He transformed this once ordinary plot of farmland into a world-renowned garden. Förster’s love for perennials began in the late 1800s. He established a nursery in Potsdam-Bornim, dedicating his life to experimenting with cross-breeding and hardiness trials. He even stopped a train to dig up a captivating grass, later named in his honor: ‘Karl Förster’ grass. The Karl Förster Garden showcases nearly 370 varieties of perennials and shrubs, all bred by Förster himself. He meticulously studied their habitat requirements, resilience, and frost sensitivity, even experimenting with the visual impact of pairings. The garden’s world-famous sunken garden, the Senkgarten, is a masterpiece of design. It’s a gradual slope, 45 meters long and 25 meters wide, allows visitors to admire plants at every level. Imagine vibrant delphiniums, phlox, asters, and a variety of shrubs cascading down to a pond surrounded by daylilies and irises. The Karl Förster Garden is a haven for those seeking beauty in every season. From the Spring Walk lined with flowering shrubs to the vibrant Herbstbeet perennial border, every corner tells a story. There’s a rock and nature garden, a ravine with a variety of ferns, and even a Steingarten or Stone Garden that showcases his talent for informal planting. This garden survived the Great Depression and World War II, a testament to Förster’s resilience. Today, the Karl Förster Garden stands as a living legacy. A reminder of a man who saw beauty in the wild and shared it with the world.