Philipp Weiss one of the recipients of the 2025 year garden medal

Now it is officially! Saturday 16 August 2025 The National Association of Swedish Garden distributed the Royal Patriotic Society's medal "for merits about horticulture or beekeeping". The recipient of the year is Philipp Weiss, Sara Bäckmo and Eva Robild.

The National Association Svensk Garden writes in its press release, among other things, that the award winners “unites in its deep commitment to promoting sustainable cultivation and increasing knowledge about garden and cultivation in Sweden. Through their respective deeds, they have been driving forces to inspire, educate and change how we view the role of cultivation in our lives, with focus on sustainability, biodiversity and innovation. All have in different ways managed to make knowledge of cultivation available to a wide audience, Regardless of previous experience. [They have] lowered the thresholds for people to dare to grow themselves and discover the joy of working with nature. By combining educational skill with passion and expertise, they have given both beginners and experienced growers the tools to create meaningful cultivation systems.” The entire press release is available here.

The motivation for appointing Philipp Weiss as a medalist reads so here:

Philipp Weiss author, civil engineer and certified permaculture designer.

Philipp Weiss is a prominent advocate and practitioner in forest garden cultivation in Sweden. With a background as a civil engineer and a certified permaculture designer he has since 2007 dedicated his life to develop and disseminate knowledge about sustainable cultivation methods, specially adapted for Nordic climate conditions.

Through his knowledge and inspirational pedagogy, he has paved the way for a new understanding of sustainable cultivation, where nature's own cycle is at the center. As one of the main advocates for forest gardens in Sweden, he has shown how these cultivation systems can create productive, ecological and aesthetically pleasing environments that benefit both humans and biodiversity. His work has enabled more people to discover the potential of long -term and regenerative cultivation methods.

Through sit authorship, he has made concepts such as permaculture and forest garden cultivation available to a wide audience. His books serve as invaluable sources of knowledge and practical guides for both beginners and experienced growers. Philipp conveys handy techniques and methods while also raising the deeper philosophical and ecological values that underlie a sustainable way to grow and live. The book Perennial Vegetables: Discover, grow, enjoy (2016), written together with AnnaVi Sjöberg, was nominated for this year's garden book 2016. The sequel, Forest Garden: Growing edibles everywhere (2018), was awarded the Garden Book of the Year award 2018. Nut grower's manual, was published 2022 and was nominated for this year's garden book. It was also named encyclopedic splendor.

Through his blog – Forest Garden Blog, Has the award winner generously shared his knowledge and experiences about forest gardens to a wide audience. His post covers topics such as nut cultivation, perennial vegetables and permaculture principles, and gives readers tools to implement sustainable cultivation methods in their own gardens. The blog acts as a resource for both beginners and experienced growers, and has contributed to increasing interest in forest garden cultivation in the country. By sharing his experiences and knowledge, he has created a community where growers can learn and be inspired by each other, which in turn promotes a more sustainable and diversified culture culture in Sweden.

Directly adjacent to the own cultivation "Putmyra forest garden" in Stjärnsund runs the award winner with his wife, Rebecka Törnqvist a nursery. The nursery specializes in forest garden plants and is offered a Bret range of perennial edible plants adapted for cultivation in Swedish climate conditions. Philipp's work has been noticed in several media, Among other things, Swedish Radio and SVT, where he actively contributed to highlighting forest gardens' potential in Sweden. By providing both plants and spreading knowledge, he not only promotes the theory behind forest garden cultivation, but also practically contributes to strengthening biodiversity and developing the cultivation method in the country.