Giant sequoia near Heimerdingen

Wilhelma-Saat refers to the seeds of the giant sequoia (Wellingtonia), which were imported to Württemberg shortly after their discovery on the initiative of King Wilhelm I of Württemberg (1816-1864), grown and planted throughout southwest Germany. Some of these plants, also known today as giant or mountain sequoias, have been preserved and are often protected as natural monuments.
The giant sequoias were discovered in the United States in 1852. The nature-loving Wilhelm I is said to have been so enthusiastic about reports from traders and travelers returning from America that he ordered sequoia seeds for 90 dollars in 1864, shortly before his death. The seed dealer was probably Christian Schickler.
According to legend, the high number is probably based on a misunderstanding. The king is said to have ordered "a lot of seeds", the Americans translated the unit of measurement as "a lot" - and sent a lot of seeds. At that time in Württemberg, a lot corresponded to about 15 grams, instead the Americans sent a pound - which corresponded to 470 grams in Württemberg at that time or 100,000 pieces.
A court gardener in Stuttgart raised seeds from overseas in 1864 in the cold house at Wilhelma. A few thousand vigorous plants emerged from the seeds (reports vary between 5000 and 8000). They were trained and distributed to forest departments across the country and planted in the Wilhelma itself. They were also sold for a fee. Sequoias were coveted in the royal and princely houses - as an exotic rarity to decorate the stately residences. In the cold winter of 1879/80, however, many of the young trees froze to death at temperatures as low as minus 36° Celsius.Source:
de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelma-SaatOther interesting sources:
stuttgarter-nachrichten.de/inhalt.mammutbaeume-in-der-wilhelma-5000-mammuts-aus-feather-light-seeds.ef88ce4a-d62e-4fdc-a315-0d50e45042c1.html
wilhelma-saat.de

In 2006, a working group was formed in Germany to focus on sequoias.
In 2014, the 150th anniversary of the sequoias was "celebrated". At this point, 132 surviving specimens were known.
There are also numerous other designated locations for sequoias in Baden-Württemberg outside of the state capital – in castle gardens, forests and parks. From 1870 onwards, transplantation was carried out by the forestry offices in Weinheim, Lorch, Schorndorf, Winnenden and Heimerdingen near Vaihingen (Enz). A total of nine specimens have been preserved in the forest district of Welzheim: six from the planting year 1866, two from 1893 and one from 1918. In addition, 24 pieces were planted in 1958 in a closed nursery. Of these, 18 are still standing. Heidelberg has a sequoia forest with 30 trees, and there is a mighty tree in Ochsenbach. Sequoias can also be found in Remshalden, Weinstadt, Wüstenrot and Hemmingen. The currently (March 2014) highest sequoia in Germany is located in Oberbrüden (Auenwald) at 55.8 meters. The strongest (diameter at breast height 4.1 m) is in Neuweiler. The specimens on the Felsenmeersteig hiking trail in Albstadt did not grow quite as large.Source:
de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelma-SaatOther interesting sources:
stuttgarter-nachrichten.de/inhalt.mammutbaeume-in-der-wilhelma-5000-mammuts-aus-federleichten-samen.ef88ce4a-d62e-4fdc-a315-0d50e45042c1.html

There is also some other interesting information here:
komoot.de/highlight/3172431