ENGLISHISU means to me...
Anja Maubach, Wuppertal-Ronsdorf, Germany,
“I want to experience and enjoy the world of perennials with friends, and the International Hardy Plant Union provides the ideal venue for this. I took part in ISU excursions with my mother when I was 16 and got to know some interesting people. Now I am a member of the ISU myself and have been organizing and leading the ISU Winter Days in Grünberg since 2014. The international flair is inspiring and expands the perennial cosmos.”
Nik Spruyt, Guggenhout, Belgium,
“When I was a child, in 1986 my father used to take us along to ISU congresses, says Nik Spruyt from Belgium. I was always happy to be a part of the ISU community. When I was 24 I started working at my father's perennial nursery and after 15 years I took over the business last year, at the age of 39. The ISU is very valuable to us perennial gardeners, because through it we can protect and promote our wonderful profession, collect information and meet in person. Last year I became the delegate for Belgium, a small country where we can easily meet up. Most of the nurseries here are situated in the Dutch-speaking part of the country, called Flanders.
In the future, information will become increasingly important. I love the Winter Days, for example. They are short, intense, very interesting and you meet new and exciting people every time. Also, we perennial gardeners of Europe need to navigate our businesses through the bureaucratic jungle. The ISU is important – that should be clear to everyone!”
Rickard Nordström, Säve, Schweden,
“The most important part of the ISU is networking with many other perennial enthusiasts all over Europe. I visit international perennial nurseries and can learn a lot from them. Big and small ideas improve my everyday business and I can further my personal progress.
I also have an improved understanding of market mechanisms and have been able to gain a clearer overview. Through the ISU I can also have an impact on professional and legislative developments.
Without the ISU excursions I would never have discovered Europe’s enormous plant world. At the ISU trials I always discover interesting new perennials very quickly in the market and can assess their further development through the trials.”
Xavier Alleman, Cormerod, Schweiz,
“I founded the lautrejardin nursery for perennials just 10 years ago, so I haven’t been an ISU member for very long. I received a very friendly welcome there and felt immediately at home. But what I had heard beforehand is true: The ISU is one big family of gardeners with interested members from all over the world.
Together we can achieve more! We visit each other often, and each time I wander through a beautiful place and want to implement so much of what I see into my own nursery. Sometimes a visiting breeder approaches me and tells me how stunning my nursery is and I show him everything that interests him. Perennial gardeners who have a large selection have to be that open – their work also reflects in how they treat one another. During the ISU Winter Days the speakers also come from this large community. We all learn from each other.
Since 2010 I have represented Switzerland at the ISU. When the 2014 ISU congress took place in Horgen/Switzerland, I was voted president of the ISU trials. I had already helped during the trials in Wädenswil, planting and evaluating the 170 registered cultivars. Perennial nurseries of all sizes came together and brought innovative new cultivars with them. We are unified by the enthusiasm for our plants, no matter how large the business is.”