Apprentice day at Fehrle Stauden: understanding perennials

Once a year, a whole day belongs to our apprentices. In 2026 they visited Fehrle Stauden in Schwäbisch Gmünd, a perennial nursery with over 1,200 perennials, grasses, ferns and herbs. The theme of the day: understanding and using perennials – from choosing the right site to a finished planted bed.

Self-organised, learning together

They travelled the day before, and without a supervisor: the apprentices organised the journey, the arrival at the hotel and the shared dinner themselves. That is part of their apprenticeship with us too – taking responsibility, being punctual, looking after things as a team.

On Thursday, 16 July 2026, they then spent the day at the nursery from 8.30 am to 4.30 pm. The day was especially valuable for those about to take their exams: it is rare to get so much first-hand perennial knowledge in one go.

Through the growing areas

On a tour of the growing areas and greenhouses, the apprentices saw how perennials are raised in large numbers. Fehrle specialises in, among other things, large perennials and mixed perennial plantings – ready-made, well-matched combinations that work across large areas.

Five steps to a perennial bed

The focus was on a process that every good perennial planting needs. The nursery explained it in five steps:

1. Site analysis: What is the site like – sunny or shady, dry or damp, what kind of soil? And what should the bed achieve?
2. Plant selection: Only perennials that suit the site will thrive in the long term.
3. Soil preparation: Remove weeds, loosen the soil and improve it as needed.
4. Laying out and planting: First lay out all the pots and check how it looks, then plant.
5. Ongoing care: In its first few years, a perennial bed needs attention until it has filled in.

Then it was time to do it themselves: in practice beds, the apprentices planted their own schemes – exactly the knowledge they need every day in perennial planting with us.

Apprenticeships at Fuchs baut Gärten

Days like this are a fixed part of apprenticeships with us. If you would like to become a landscape gardener, you will find everything you need on our apprenticeship and careers page.

Thank you to the team at Fehrle Stauden for an instructive day.