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Master gardener Ferdinand Lienhart’s field of activity in public is as colorful as the flowers. However, some functions have very special touches of color.
When Ferdinand Lienhart was awarded the silver chamber medal during the farmers’ pilgrimage in Fernitz last Sunday, he saw it as more than just a public appreciation of his own work. “This is also an award for our entire profession, because we gardeners are the smallest sector in agriculture and forestry with just 150 companies in Styria,” emphasized the honoree in an interview with NEUES LAND. For the tall master gardener, born in 1965, this was the next major recognition of his agricultural and forestry work – after his appointment to the economic council in 2017.
From the cradle to the grave
After his father’s sudden death, as the youngest of five children and the only son, he had to work hard in his parents’ gardening business at the age of 15. At the beginning of the 1990s, he and his wife Elisabeth made a far-reaching decision. The focus of production was on potted plants. Since then, cut flowers have only been produced for seasonal needs. The nursery, which is located right on the municipal border between Premstätten and Seiersberg-Pirka, always employs between 15 and 20 people.
Ferdinand Lienhart expresses the range of flowers with his typical humor: “From the cradle to the grave, Lienhart flowers are the real deal.” The two hectares of space, 1.5 hectares of which are under glass, contain various spring bloomers, bedding and balcony plants , cyclamen and poinsettias, lilies, cut chrysanthemums and many other seasonal plants are among the main crops.
“We and our entire industry have to constantly adapt to new circumstances and customer requests,” says Lienhart from the daily multiplication table. The best example is All Saints Day. “To date, All Saints’ Day has been a big sales generator alongside Mother’s Day. When I was in the cemeteries this year, I saw a lot of unkempt graves.” The pendulum is swinging towards Advent instead. “People want to have the magic of Christmas in their own four walls,” says Lienhart.
The Lienhart family’s adaptation to these new trends looks like this: “We also run a 24-hour shop. Everyone has access. Payment is made by card. We are also increasingly specializing in herbs, spices, young vegetable plants and perennials.”
Lienhart is known nationwide for his work as state chairman of Styrian gardeners and tree nurseries. The state flower decoration competition is closely linked to this. “Flower decorations are very, very important for Styria.”
Famous fire department ball
He also gained fame as the commander of the Seiersberg volunteer fire department. This fire department held its ball 15 times in the Shopping City Seiersberg. “On Saturday at 6 p.m. the shutters came down and I opened the ball at 8:30 p.m. In addition to the 3,000 seats offered by the local restaurant, we also set up up to 5,000 armchairs. We advertised that you could quickly get from the underground car park to the ballroom and once had 8,000 visitors,” says the former chief fire inspector.
Clubs play a big role in his life. Ferdinand Lienhart was, among other things, an LJ official, federal chairman of the young gardeners, state chamber councilor and is a BB state board member. His great passion is hunting. He is not only chairman of the Seiersberg hunting company, but also owns his own hunt in the former community of Gschnaidt. “In 2010 we bought the vulgo Reicherhof with 20 hectares of meadows and 100 hectares of forest.” And his humor shines through again when he talks about two foresters he employed there: “One is called Sturm, the other is called Beetle. Last year we had 2,000 cubic meters of damaged wood, this year there were another 1,000 cubic meters.”
When it comes to public relations, the six children are increasingly taking after their parents. Son Ferdinand is the regional chairman of the young gardeners, son Klemens is the district chairman of the rural youth in Graz.
To person
Economist Ferdinand Lienhart (58) lives at Hauptstraße 2, 8054 Premstätten. The company’s mainstays are gardening and forestry. Ferdinand Lienhart is a skilled agricultural and forestry worker, master gardener and sworn forest protection officer. He is married and has six children. He is the state chairman of the Styrian gardeners and tree nurseries, chairman of the Seiersberg hunting society and a member of the farmers’ association state board. www.blumen-lienhart.at
Foto: Brodschneider
2023-11-07 17:37:21
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