The Hachmann Nursery

By Ingeborg Woodsworth February 2005

Ingeborg is a professional landscape designer, nurserywoman, and educator. Her studies in botany, mycology and commerce were undertaken at various universities in Germany, England and Oregon. She teaches at Malaspina college in Nanaimo and opens her Mayo Creek Gardens to the public during the summer season.

The talk given by Ingeborg Day Woodsworth gave us a fascinating glimpse into the leading German rhododendron hybridizing Hachmann Nursery. Founded in 1929, three generations of the Hachmann family, Johannes, Hans and Holger Hachmann, have developed many of the world's leading rhododendron hybrids. The nursery was badly damaged during the Second World War but they managed to reestablish at Barmstedt, near Bremen in the North of Germany. As well, it was interesting to see Washington State's hybridizer and friend to many in BC, Frank Fujioka, whose beautiful hybrids featured in their retail outlet. Ingeborg's sense of the dramatic gave the talk a delicious sense of fun. At the entrance to Hachmann's - 'Pfauenauge' ('Peacock's Eye') and in the raised-bed sales area (outside) was a white with beautiful dark marking called 'Baerbel', that she had not seen before. She spoke of the immense nursery as a set with a floriferous rhododendron display backdrop, a German film crew, a lurking Scot snapping photographs and a determined ex patriate looking for spent blue petals of 'Blaufeder' (blue feather) to see if the liners were worth the 34 Euros, plus a harried Holger, mustache a-twitching!

Ingeborg's slides of the many beautiful hybrids were good and I found it interesting to see rhododendrons offered as standards. A good solution for any rhododendrons hit by falling trees this winter! If you visit the following site: http://s8860133.shoplite.de/sess/utn;jsessionid=154203a299c1da5/shopdata/index.shopscript
and click on the categories (albeit in German) which are in alphabetical order, you will see close-ups of their six hundred plus Hachmann hydrids, quite a number of them featured in Ingeborg's slides.