Garden Retail World Mourns Passing of Ernest Wertheim
August 9, 2020 
The garden retail world, and the entire horticulture industry for that matter, lost a true icon this week with the passing of Ernest Wertheim at the age of 100. Ernest was a landscape architect who became a world renowned garden center designer. He and his long-time business partner, Jack Klemeyer, formed the San Francisco-based architecture firm WVK and made history by designing state-of-the-art garden centers all over the globe.
At just about any industry event, Ernest could be found surrounded by garden center owners seeking out his advice, or even just an affirmation that they were doing things the right way.
In 2018, Ernest and Klemeyer established the Wertheim, van der Ploeg, & Klemeyer Research Fund as a celebration of a lifelong dedication to the horticulture industry. As Wertheim explained, his success and time in the limelight would not have been possible without Klemeyer’s diligent and talented contributions behind the scenes. Wertheim expressed the hope that creation of this fund would result in a lasting recognition of their nearly career-long partnership and, as he did for more than 75 years, support industry advancement for generations to come.
Ernest’s children have requested that donations in memory of Ernest be made to the Horticultural Research Institute (HR). Donations are being gratefully accepted here. Also, please take a look at this tribute video compiled by AmericanHort in 2017.
Below are just a sampling of the many tributes that have been posted in the wake of Ernest’s death. We invite you to read the thoughts below, and share your own reflections in the comment box below (if you have any photos with Ernest you’re willing to share, we would like to create a pictorial tribute, so please feel free to email them to [email protected]).
From garden retail consultant Ian Baldwin:
“A sad day in the garden center industry as we learn of the passing of Ernest Wertheim. His awe-inspiring early life in 1930s Germany created the resolve, passion, diligence, and work ethic that we all knew in him. He was a visionary leader in an industry that needed his constant probing, challenging, and downright ornery approach. I have always admired the way he asked questions to owners and managers that no one else would ask. R.I.P Ernest, and thank you for your legacy and amazing changes you gave to this wonderful business!”
From Jack Klemeyer:
“I started working with Ernest and his partner, Jacob van der Ploeg, in August of 1970. Shortly thereafter, I was offered a teaching position at the Swiss Federal Technical University in Zurich, Switzerland, and therefore left the firm in January of 1973. To my surprise and delight, Ernest and his partner offered me a partnership in the firm before I left, to be implemented upon my return. It was a wonderful opportunity, and working with the two of them over the next 45 years was always rewarding. Projects were located all over the U.S., Canada, numerous countries in Europe, and even South Africa and Australia.
Ernest was always honest, sincere, forthright, and caring, both for clients and for our employees; others’ interests always came first. We developed some wonderful friendships throughout the nursery industry, and they will always be cherished. He will be sorely missed by me and many others, and his many wonderful qualities will never be forgotten. It has been a great honor and privilege to have had him as a partner for these many years.
Most sincerely,
Frederick J. Klemeyer, Jr. AIA/FCSI”
From Jacquie Williams-Courtright, Alden Lane Nursery
“The history of Alden Lane is not complete without recognizing a gentleman who shaped our new garden center, our dear friend and industry colleague, Ernest Wertheim.
Ernest was a landscape architect who became a world renowned garden center designer. We were fortunate to be personal friends and engaged the services of his San Francisco architectural firm, WVK. Ernest and his partner Jack Klemeyer made history by designing state of the art garden centers all over the globe, and we are grateful to both for their vision and great skill in their backyard. Coincidentally, the first garden center they designed was my husband’s, Orchard Nursery and Florist Lafayette in 1954 for the previous owner.
Ernest’s longevity stemmed from embracing youth and new technologies. He never stopped learning. He had tremendous stamina and capacity always outpacing those he consulted for. He was a passionate planner who challenged his clients to think through their needs, asking the hard questions. He was a peace maker and always a broker of goodwill.
My husband, Tom Courtright, myself, and Ernest once spoke at a garden symposium and had flown out of San Francisco. Our return flight was delayed by four hours. We enticed Ernest to talk about his life and World War II experience. The result of those fleeting four hours was numerous speaking engagements and a book called Chasing Spring.
The book recounts the life of a boy born in Berlin, becoming a landscape architect, fleeing to safety in the U.S., being inducted into the U.S. Army as an enemy alien, providing intelligence that saved countless lives, and ultimately working directly with General Douglas MacArthur in the Pacific.
Ernest’s bright light will live on in his family, friends, colleagues, clients and countless projects along with the many lessons taught along the way.
I’ll close with the last passage of his book
“A Place to Rest”
‘On the upper part of the mountain in Alpine Meadows there is a steep slope that is covered with striking Sierra primroses (Primula suffrutescens). The perennials, endemic to California, come out after the snow has melted. For years our family would hike up the mountain to see them in bloom which, depending on the season, is in mid-July or early August
It is on the mountain in Alpine among the primroses where both Margrit and I would like to be put to rest. We hope our ashes will provide some nutrients for these beautiful plants, just as my relationship with plants has nourished me. My love affair has been with me through the innocence of childhood, the nightmares of Nazi Germany, the separations and losses of loved ones, the horrors of the battlefield, the transcendent landscapes, the gift of good friends, the joy of family and many lessons I’ve learned that humbled me and hopefully made me a better person. How lucky I have been.’
How lucky for us to have known this amazing man.”
From Carol Miller (former Editor of Today’s Garden Center magazine)
“If you ever had the chance of meeting Ernest Wertheim over the course of his century-long life, you had a strong opinion about him. He was that kind of person.
He held hard-won opinions about how to succeed in the garden industry, and he wasn’t shy about forcefully sharing them. During garden center tours, some attendees jostled to be on his bus so they could learn more. Others fled to any other bus than the one he was on. I was always part of the first group.
To the uninitiated, he could be intimidating, edging on offensive. But if you paid attention, you would quickly realize a few things.
First, he had a smile in his eyes. There was no hostility behind his strong remarks about store design. He thoroughly enjoyed a verbal tussle, so long as its goal was to improve. Never to tear down.
Ernest Wertheim (middle) confers with General MacArthur over a map.
Second, he was usually right. His comments were designed to help you grow. And considering he revolutionized the garden retail market in the U.S. during the 20th century, he knew his stuff.
And finally, he never attacked people. Ever. Only ideas he thought were wrong headed.
Once you got to know him, you learned he was generous and caring. He abhorred prejudice and valued character. He was fiercely protective of his friends. And if you earned his respect, he gave you his friendship for life.
Ernest gained his character by rejecting cynicism and hatred, despite the appalling experiences he lived. And his life was epic.
Ernest Wertheim was a Jew in pre-war Germany. He lost friends when Hitler passed the first major anti-Jewish law in in 1933. His father was beaten and held ransom by Brown Shirts that same year before his employer freed him and got him out of Germany. When he returned a few years later, he was promptly put in Sachsenhausen, Heinrich Himmler’s first concentration camp. (And Ernest broke his father out with Himmler’s personal car — make sure you read his account of it!).
He witnessed Kristallnacht, had a view from his uncle’s office of Hitler’s bunker under construction, and helped others escape to Czechoslovakia. And finally, just before leaving Germany was no longer possible, he managed to come to the U.S.
In WW II, he earned his U.S. citizenship, married his wife, and became an intelligence officer. A bureaucratic snafu shipped him out to the Pacific instead of a mission to Germany ahead of D-Day. And there, he met General MacArthur, and worked for him on several missions, at times alone and others embedded. He had a front row seat to history that shaped the world.
I first started hearing about his remarkable life during a snowstorm at the Louisville airport. He told me about meeting Gen. MacArthur for the first time.
If you knew Ernest, you won’t be surprised to hear he bluntly told him, “You’re not my favorite general.” But it’s also typical that Ernest listened to his response and from that point, respected the general.
Over the next couple of years, he told me and others about his experiences, stories he had kept private for decades. I, along with everyone else hearing these remarkable stories, urged him to write a book about his life. Which he finally did with the help of a biographer. I strongly urge you to read the book, Chasing Spring.
By sheer force of character, Ernest left an indelible mark on the garden industry and on everyone who knew him. He lived life fully during his 100 years (in fact, he didn’t give up downhill skiing until his mid 90s, just about the same time he climbed Mt. Kilmanjaro with his sons). Farewell, Ernest. There will never be another you.”
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