English Version – Stiftung Internationaler Gärtneraustausch

The idea

The idea of the international foundation for gardener exchange is to promote horticultural knowledge and the international friendship of botanists. The foundation fulfils its aim mainly by donating financial help for travelling. The help is given to gardeners of Botanical Gardens wishing to meet other gardeners elsewhere in the world. One partner in this exhange needs to be from a German institution.

So professional knowledge will be strengthened and a cultural exchange is made possible.

Planning of the trip and details of the scholarship is to be done by the applicants themselves. The applicants wil write a report about their travel and gardening experiences so that others can benefit of it as well.

History

Over 20 years gardener exchange – from the idea to today
The gardeners exchange program was put to life by Loki Schmidt. More than 20 years ago a gardener of the Botanical Garden of Hamburg went to Jerusalem to help planting the tropical glasshouse there. It was the first of its kind in Israel and there was little experience with it.

Loki Schmidt was then financing it to get the gardener exchange on its way. Actually without Loki Schmidt no exchange would be possible since then. From Jerusalem to Hamburg, from and to St. Petersburg and Merida in Venezuela and many more trips have taken place. New friendships where born from continent to continent. Time after time formal structures and rules developed. In 2002 Brunhild Kühl donated a reasonable amount for the international foundation of gardeners to get Loki Schmidt’s idea on a financial basis to continue.

Loki Schmidt

The love of plants

With grief and in great reverence we bid farewell to the founder of the International gardener exchange between botanical gardens. Loki Schmidt has for decades been committed to young gardeners who can deepen their knowledge of plants in the countries of origin of the botanical gardens. As honorary chairman she has accompanied the activities of the Foundation of the International gardener exchange up to their end of life with expert advice and joy. More than 30 botanical gardens today are connected to each other thanks to their initiative in a global network .

We will do our utmost to fulfill the grand vision of Loki Schmidt in their favor on with life .

Loki Schmidt – your view of the individual for the whole
When Loki Schmidt took over as the honorary chairman of our Foundation , we told her she was our “ standard meter “ in which we would measure ourselves again and again – because the gardener exchange is unthinkable without her! We would like to thank you for the vigor with which they brought all gardeners exchange on the way. In the early days of the gardener exchange Loki took care of it by herself. She has made the contacts and earned the money or requested it for the exchange. She had gone to the different locations by herself and widened the contacts to botanical gardens in the world. She has repeatedly requested and also cooked pea soup for guests.

The idea is so well adopted that now many botanical gardens do exchange with their partners overseas and send their gardeners to Chile or to Lesotho . The gardener exchange is now a foundation for many almost granted. Therefore it is important to remember with what interest and sympathy and enthusiasm Loki called gardeners welcome. Because without all the individuals who are enthusiastic about the specifics of the plant world and protect them with best efforts and get projects, like the gardener exchange, it could not exist . Our Honorary Chairperson Knew that always very well and that’s what we appreciated so much to her.

Applications for the international gardeners exchange program

Please send your application for the following year until 15th September.

Any gardener of a Botanical Gardens in Germany can apply, of course with the allowance of the superior. A prerequisite for the gardener exchange is that the respective garden is willing to make the applicant available for the time of the trip, as a kind of further education.

For applicants from outside of Germany a German partner institution needs to be involved.

Please turn to:

Stiftung Internationaler Gärtneraustausch
c/o Loki Schmidt Stiftung
Steintorweg 8
D – 20099 Hamburg

hans-helmut.poppendieck@web.de

gisela_bertram@gmx.de

The application can be formless and should consist of following points:

Horticultural aim of the trip
for instance a gardener of bromeliads wants to study the growing conditions of his plants in the natural situation to optimise the cultivation in the garden. Or a special collection of plants (plants of the Pyrenees) shell be raised and therefore seeds and plant material from the natural habitat and knowledge of the landscape is needed. In all Botanical Gardens special collections are held, which will benefit and will be looked after better through the gardener exchange.
Information’s about the exchange
With which garden in which country are there any contacts yet? Can contacts of other gardens be used? Is it planed that the other garden is sending someone as well?
Information’s about the travelling gardeners in the exchange project
Information about the time schedule
Is there a certain time best to go? Is it effective to go to that garden at that time of the year?
Estimation of the travelling costs
(usually the foundation is covering the costs of travelling, as well as insurances and in special cases call money is provided).

Reports

Every participant has to prepare a report of his stay abroad latest 3 month after his return handed in to the foundation. These reports are important for us to be well informed about the trips and to inform others as well.

Please get in contact before your application in case the budget of the actual year is exhausted we can then maybe help you to find other donations.

You can support the work of the Foundation with donations

Hypo Vereinsbank

Konto: 428 888

Bankleitzahl: 200 300 00

IBAN: DE74200300000000428888

BIC: HYVEDEMM300

We also offer the opportunity to establish a personal fund. Please contact our board member:

Frank Schneider
c/o Bankenverband Hamburg e.V
Adolphsplatz 7
20457 Hamburg

Tel.: 040 – 37 17 79

Mail: Frank.Schneider@bankenverband-hamburg.de

Contact persons Adress Executive and advisory board

Dr. Hans-Helmut Poppendieck

E-Mail: hans-helmut.poppendieck@web.de

Tel: 040 – 5537634

Dr. Gisela Bertram

E-Mail: gisela_bertram@gmx.de

Tel: 040-227 38 771

Stiftung Internationaler Gärtneraustausch
c/o Loki Schmidt Stiftung
Steintorweg 8
D – 20099 Hamburg

Prof. Dr. h.c. Loki Schmidt, Ehrenvorsitzende †
Dr. Hans-Helmut Poppendieck, Vorstandsvorsitz
Dr. Gisela Bertram, stellvertretender Vorstandsvorsitz
Frank Schneider, Vorstandsmitglied

Beirat:

Brigitte Fiebig, Beiratsvorsitz, Nils Kleissenberg, stellvertretender Beiratsvorsitz
Matthias Bartusch, Prof. Dr. Dominik Begerow, Axel Jahn, Brunhild Kühl (Stifterin) Bernd Lohse