A unique style: Love of pure nature and a stroke of luck

A unique style: Love of pure nature and a stroke of luck

Nadine Weckardt became the European Champion of Floral Art 2007 during the competition in Slovenia in September. Dutch Creations invited her to come and visit the Dutch authoritative breeding companies, which she did together with her business partner, Stefan Göttle.

During this visit, we found the time to ask Nadine some questions about her life, her passion for her profession and of course about the European Championship.

Many florists know you as the European Champion Floral Art 2007; can you tell us something about your background?
"I grew up in Herbrechtingen, a little town in the south of Germany. My father had a farm where he grew and sold different kinds of vegetables, flowers and plants. My grandfather and even his father were in the same business. After I graduated from secondary school I went to Chicago, USA for 1 year high school. A nice thing to share is that, that is where I met my husband. When I came back to Germany, I followed a traditional florist's education for 3 years while I worked in a flower shop. When I received my diploma, I started to work in our own flower shop which is located at the farm. After a few years I pursued a master florist education in Austria, at Franz -Josef Wein's Akademie f�r Naturgestaltung. When I registered for this course, I did not even know Franz-Josef Wein, who is an authority in floral art! The only selection I used when choosing a training centre, was that the timetable should fit with my agenda. As the master florist education takes 2,5 years, not full time, but during this period you had to go 8 or 9 times for two weeks internally at the training centre. When I first came to the Akademie, I realized that this was a very special and famous school and that I was very, very lucky that I had the opportunity to study here. I still think of Franz-Josef Wein as my mentor. I learned everything I know from him.
It is very special that in Velenje, besides me, also no. 2 Andreas Stern from Austria and no. 3 Christian K�mpf from Switzerland are also students of Franz -Josef Wein's Akademie f�r Naturgestaltung!"

How did you prepare for the European Championship?
"Until 1,5 year ago, I never participated in competitions. But in June 2006 the state championship of Baden-W�rttenberg was held 5 minutes from my shop, so I decided to join that competition without knowing anything about floral art competitions, so I did not prepare a lot, but I was very fortunate that day and I won the competition; I was then invited to participate in the German Championship 8 weeks later. For the German Championship, I prepared and practiced a lot, during working hours at my shop, whilst helping my clients and at nights. I got a lot of help and inspiration from my friends and colleague florists Stefan Göttle and Achim Kettler. To my own surprise I became the German Champion. A busy time for me started after that; everybody wanted me to give demonstrations. When it was time to start preparing for the European Championship, I was exhausted, I couldn't find the time and the energy for an optimal preparation and when I arrived in Velenje, I was nervous and I felt that I could have done more to enhance my performance. But I was extremely lucky in Velenje and I won!"

Why should florists participate in competitions like this?
"You don't have to win the competition; you always win with an experience like this. It gives you a broader perspective, you learn to think bigger and you learn to create new things. It is a chance for further personal development, to make new friends, to create a network and to obtain great ideas. So, if you have the money to invest for a competition and you are eager, just do it. Go for it!"

What did you feel when you became the European Champion?
"To be honest, I can't remember everything. First, I was so nervous about my preparations and when they gave us the results, I was overwhelmed. People had to tell me what happened. I was not instantly happy, because I felt sorry for the participants who didn't win. I was just thinking about their investments, efforts and disappointments. It took me three weeks before I realized that I had won the competition and that I was the new European Champion. I was not extremely proud of my achievement, as I felt that the other participants were very good. I think I was just lucky again that day. I can't say I am a better florist than the others in Velenje and I am not being modest. Perhaps I was different but I cannot say that I was better."

What impact has being European Champion had in your life?
"At the beginning it influenced my daily life. I received many telephone calls and gave many interviews. Now, it influences my monthly life, as two weeks per month I am giving demonstrations. Until now mainly in Germany, but soon I will travel to Italy, Spain, Brazil and Japan for demonstrations. It is really exciting."