Alexander Steffen
Alexander Steffen (born November 24, 1871 in Justemin , Pomerania province , † September 11, 1952 in Erfurt ) was a German horticultural director, plant breeder and author. Steffen was the first manager of the trial and sample nursery in Pillnitz .
Life
Alexander Steffen was born in Pomerania as the son of the manor owner Ernst Steffen. Together with Karl Foerster, he completed an apprenticeship as a gardener at the Schwerin court gardener, and from 1891 to 1893 he attended the royal gardening school at the wildlife park near Potsdam . After about seven years of wandering through Germany, he began to work alongside Johannes Böttner in Frankfurt (Oder) in the editorial team of the journal Praktischer Ratgeber in fruit growing and horticulture at the Trowitzsch publishing house, which he took over after Böttner's death in 1919. In addition to his journalistic work, he also worked intensively in the publisher's own experimental garden.
Horticultural work
In 1922, Steffen was appointed by the Saxon Ministry of Economics to head the state trial and sample nursery in Pillnitz. He succeeded in transforming the former court nursery into a trial operation without claiming state funds. In addition to managing the nursery, Steffen worked as a teacher at the Higher State School for Horticulture. In 1934 he also took over the management of the ornamental plants department of the experimentation and research department in Pillnitz. At that time, Pillnitz was considered an important scientific center for horticulture. Steffen was also on the board of the “Association of Azalea, Camelia and Erik Breeders in Germany”. He wrote several horticultural books, his most important work is the market gardening manual .
Steffen has been breeding his own azaleas since the 1920s . For these cultivars he temporarily operated up to 12 greenhouses in Pillnitz. Well-known Steffens varieties included the azaleas Herzlieb , Bastei , Elbe , Greetings from Dresden and Pillnitzer Coelestine .
Steffen retired in 1936. After a study trip through America, he settled in Erfurt, where he continued to work as an author and plant breeder. At the 12th International Horticultural Congress in Berlin in 1938, Steffen was awarded the honorary position of Section Chairman and General Reporter for the cultivation of flowers and ornamental plants .
The listed botanical collections at Castle Beimendorf in Pirna contain four azaleas cultivated by Steffen.
Awards
The Central Horticultural Association awarded Steffen its highest award, the Georg Arends commemorative coin. In 1952 he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Humboldt University of Berlin .
The administration building of the Institute for Breeding Research on Horticultural Crops and Fruit in Dresden-Pillnitz, which belongs to the Federal Research Institute for Cultivated Plants , was named after Alexander Steffen.
Several rhododendron varieties were named after Alexander Steffen , two of which are now part of the Deutsche Genbank Rhododendron .
Works
- The book of the Chrysanthemum for gardeners and lovers.
- Basics of horticultural management.
- Market gardening handbook: for practical use by pot plant and cut flower gardeners and for study by young horticulturists.
- Our flowers in the garden: practical instructions for enthusiasts and gardeners on the cultivation, use and care of the most beautiful flowers in the garden.
literature
- State Office for Environment, Agriculture and Geology , State Association of Horticulture Saxony, Association of former Dresden-Pillnitzer (Ed.): 200 years of ornamental plant cultivation in Saxony . Laske-Druck, Pirna 2013.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Manfred Ernst: Who was Alexander Steffen? Association former Dresden-Pillnitzer eV, 2003, accessed on March 2, 2017 .
- ↑ a b c d 200 years of growing ornamental plants in Saxony. P. 88 ff.
- ^ Lars Herrmann: Institute for Horticulture. In: www.dresdner-stadtteile.de. Retrieved March 2, 2017 .
- ^ Dresden-Pillnitz, Lohmener Strasse 10. Institute for breeding research on horticultural crops and fruit. Steffenbau (1913/1915). Courtyard front (partial view). Deutsche Fotothek, accessed on March 2, 2017 .
- ↑ Deutsche Genbank Rhododendron. Lower Saxony Chamber of Agriculture / Bundessortenamt, accessed on March 2, 2017 .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Steffen, Alexander |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German horticultural director and author |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 24, 1871 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Justemin, Germany |
| DATE OF DEATH | September 11, 1952 |
| Place of death | Erfurt , Germany |