Take a deep breath and relax. Where better to do this than in your own garden? The green of the trees and shrubs, a naturally shady place to sit and a nice glass of red wine might perhaps be the best possible way to relax at the end of the day. There are countless ways to create that kind of oasis, but those who want something truly exceptional for their garden will soon find that conventional options only go so far. It is so easy to use high-quality stand-alone items, striking topiaries or sweeping canopy and crown forms to bring your individual furnishing style outdoors. See for yourself.
In Hombrechtikon on the Lützelsee in the Canton of Zurich, not far from Rapperswil, you will find the Pflanzenschau AG show garden. If this makes you think of rows of small flowering plants and raised seedlings in containers, you could not be further from the truth. As a tree nursery, Pflanzenschau specialises in growing and selling large evergreen trees, shrubs and bushes. Walking through the 8,500 square metres of show garden – which is always open – is an impressive and inspiring experience. Not only will you discover just how many shades and facets the colour green can have, but you will also witness awe-inspiringly perfect arrangements and a wide diversity of plant varieties and forms. Familiar varieties like the yew, mountain pine and cypress make their big appearance here – and not just because of their height, which can be between 100 and 300 cm. Their unusual pruning makes them garden bonsais, and therefore the main focus of the patio or garden. Take another few steps and you will see new interpretations of the Japanese maple, a speciality of Pflanzenschau’s tree nursery specialists. Beautiful species, like the paperbark maple with its red-brown peeling bark, the decorative Japanese full moon maple with its intense red tones, or the light green smooth Japanese maple, make for unique highlights. The sight of this diversity brings with it not only a feeling for what it is possible to achieve, but also unexpected ideas: wouldn’t those avenue-lining trees with their small crowns be ideal for planting in an elegant driveway? Wouldn’t the multi-stemmed osmanthus make a perfect stand-alone plant at the entrance gate? The garden specialists at Pflanzenschau, with all their in-depth professional knowledge, are happy to answer all these questions. Both private customers and professional horticultural companies will find the right contact here to successfully plan a garden that captivates with its aesthetics and its uniqueness.
Raising plants takes years of dedication to the principle of the best quality. Around 8 ha of open land in Hombrechtikon, Uerikon and Feldbach is cultivated for this purpose. Growing plants with a high growth capability requires not only a good knowledge of soil composition and climatic demands, but also regular replanting and root pruning to ensure good development for the plant in its final position – and that is Pflanzenschau’s guarantee. As well as this, sustainable production is highly valued. This means using biological pesticides and organic fertilisers as much as possible. The high-quality products offered by Pflanzenschau naturally come with a high price tag: as a unique piece, a garden bonsai grown over 60 or 70 years and requiring intensive care and shaping can cost some tens of thousands of Swiss francs. The current trends in garden planning are familiar to Mr Stirnimann, a qualified master gardener and – for the past 18 years – managing director of the business, which was founded in 1953. At the moment, deliberately placed garden bonsais or plants with several high-growing stems dominate the garden scene. Needless to say, soil, fertiliser and fine plant pots are also part of the product range. Those who have more unusual requests will find help on the global network – quite a show!
