How over 40 years of breeding with passion led to one of the best known brands in horticulture – the Gardengirls®.
After successfully completing the one-year Horticulture Technical School in 1970 I produced up to 350.000 heather plants annually in my Calluna – Specialty nursery. At that time my passion for breeding grew. Exactly on November 17, 1974, I created my first cross with Calluna. The goal was to find a later flowering cultivar than the existing varieties happened by chance.
Pictures show step by step under the microscope: 1. Pollen; 2. Germinated pollen; fertilized ovule
The process of finding a better Calluna variety was long and included several set-backs. ‘Arabella’ and ‘Stefanie’ were the first, open-pollinated successful varieties. It was much faster breeding Erica: After hybridization in 1980 I was able to find and select a showy hybrid within Erica x darleyensis.
I named this seedling ‘Kramers Rote’ (4), which soon was produced worldwide. This success encouraged me to continue breeding with other heather species like Erica carnea (5) and Daboecia cantabrica (6).
Beginning in 1981, I focused again on Calluna. I succeeded breeding work with natural occurring “bud-bloomers”. After 21 years, Calluna is the most important bedding plant in Germany, even displacing Pelargonium (Geranium) to second place. In autumn sales no one can do without Calluna.
Pictures 7-9 show the seed, the sowing and the first cloning as well as the propagation of cuttings.
The comparison of the new test varieties or clones are still taking place under normal growing conditions in pots and in the following year planted out in the open field for several years (pictures 10., 11. and 12).
Horticultural trade fairs in Germany back in 1993 were kept more informative and simple than now. We could show the then new plants of Gardengirls® winter-hardy bud-bloomers to a wider group of horticulturists. A licensee of Kramer and member of the Flower Wholesale Market in Frankfurt/ Main produced and provided the plants. Important for these early times was the information about Plant Breeder’s Rights by Ciopora.
The new varieties of the bud-bloomers received all girl’s names. In 1997 I decided to create the brand name Gardengirls®, which is easy to understand even internationally. In the meantime, over 60 varieties are marketed. For two varieties in one pot, the sub-brand name Twingirls® is used. In the same manner, Trio-Girls®, Quattro-Girls® and Quinto-Girls® are used. All varieties possess Plant Breeder’s Rights Protection.
In the year 2004, the first variety with pendulous stems was introduced, called ‘Nelly’.
A breeding programme was started and continues until now with 6 varieties in various colours and growth habits.
It is the world’s leading Agricultural Exhibition for consumers in Berlin. Heidezüchtung Kurt Kramer planted in cooperation with the ADJ (Association of Young German Horticulturists) a heather garden at the renowned agricultural consumer fair taking place annually each January in Berlin. The main focus was to show the winter flowering Erica x darleyensis ‘Kramers Rote’. This special event was supported by then German Federal President Horst Köhler, the Federal Minister of Consumer Protection, Food and Agriculture, Renate Künast and the president of the German Central Growers Association, Mr. Karl Zwermann.
Since 2006 I am working together with my breeder colleagues Helmut Hiedl (pictured left), Johannes van Leuven (pictured in the centre) and Horst Marohn (not pictured) to breed and select the best varieties. Their varieties are also produced and sold under the Gardengirls® brand.
This cooperation creates a lot of diverse varieties, inspiration and information from other production areas.
The variety ‘Athene’ received 2008 the renowned TASPO Award as the best market-oriented variety. It was baptized by the pop star Vicki Leandros at the Lower Saxony Garden Exhibition in Winsen/ Luhe in 2006.
Due to her Greek ancestry and the importance of the two new varieties, she baptized two cultivars in honour of Greek goddesses, the red as ‘Athene’ and the white as ‘Helena’.
Heidezüchtung Kramer created the new position of a Sales- and Marketing Advisor in 2009. Since August 1, 2009, Rudolf Sterkel works in this position. He started as an apprentice in a tree nursery and worked at the time of employment already 28 years as Horticultural Engineer in various positions in sales and marketing. The marketing activities were extended. Mr. Sterkel also visits the purchase managers of the most important retailers and journalists regularly and organises our trade show presences.
In 2012 I personally was awarded the prestigious TASPO Gold Award as “Entrepreneur of the Year” for my life’s work. The jury honoured the business-friendly, market-oriented and up to now unique Gardengirls® license system. The quality controls of the licensees and retailers, the marketing throughout Europe and the market adapted reasonable quantity control make the Gardengirls® to a reliable and sustainable partner in the market. With this system we secure yield, profit and value appreciation for all members of the supply chain.
The group of varieties with colourful foliage and no or only insignificant buds is called Sunset Line® . This group gains more popularity. The name reminds of the warm colours of the sunset at the horizon. In addition to the bright colour contrast in the varieties bring structure to the autumn decoration. The spectrum ranks from a bright shining smaragd-green over golden yellow and fiery red to silver and an almost Blackish Green. Those varieties extend the season well into spring and can be combined with Erica carnea. With ‘Zulu’ and ‘Zalina’ in combination with ‘Zoe’ and ‘Zeta’ you can create the national colours of Belgium or Germany, better known as Sunset Trio.
In 2017, Kurt Kramer introduced his new variety ‘Zilly’. The plant was first shown at the Plantarium New Variety Contest in Boskoop/ Netherlands, then baptized at the SPOGA/ GAFA in Cologne and shown at the IPM in Essen. This cultivar has silvery foliage. The tiny purple buds appear only late and rather sparsely. This special foliage colour brings a lot of contrast to any heather planting.
One thing never changed in over 40 years: With plenty of patience and passion I still try to discover the unique, special one to introduce it to the plant lovers.
I wish you a lot of joy and success with my Gardengirls®!
