PATIO PLANTS

The waxflower ‘wow che bello’ factor

Helix Australia’s line of waxflowers is unique in colour, flower size, shelf life and timing.

In Italy, Pescia-based cooperative FloraToscana does an excellent job coordinating the production and sales of Helix Australia’s potted waxflower, aka Chamelaucium uncinatum.

AUTHOR: RON VAN DER PLOEG PHOTOS: LUCA QUILICI AND FLORA TOSCANA Success has many fathers, and the potted waxflower’s rise to prominence in global ornamental horticulture is no exception. Over the past two decades, many people on different continents have worked hard to help horticulturists worldwide grow more customer-centric pot waxflower varieties, unique in colour, flower size, shelf life, and timing.

THE UNMISSABLE LINK BETWEEN BREEDERS AND COMMERCIAL PARTNERS

The key to success has been to link Australian specialist plant breeder Digby Growns – an authority in the field of Western Australia plant genera - from Kings Park and Botanic Garden (KPBG) in Perth with commercial partners Adrian Parsons from flower breeding company Helix Australia and Craig Musson, director of flower exporter Wafex. This partnership has been blooming since the early 2010s. Thanks to the triple helix approach with the Australian government, academia and the industry, it has led to a suite of fantastic waxflower hybrids, innovating waxflower together and sharing both costs and revenues.

ITALO-AUSTRALIAN PARTNERSHIP

While the waxflower is wellknown on the global horticultural scene as an outstanding filler flower, the potted waxflower, as a showstopping plant in pots and containers, is relatively new, at least on the old continent. Thanks to an Italo-Australian collaboration, potted waxflower is finding its way to European markets. Currently, Italy hosts a sizeable production of potted waxflower, with an estimated production output of 250,000 units grown by an estimated 10-15 growers. With a growing market share in supply volumes, the potted waxflower 2.0 from Helix Australia is gaining momentum on the Italian peninsula and beyond. Nearly 20 per cent of Italian-grown potted waxflower sells plants through the Pescia-based Flora Toscana cooperative (see side panel), which emerged in 2004 following the merger of Tuscany’s floral wholesalers Toscoflora and Geoflor Toscana.

BREAKTHROUGH

In an era of job-hopping millennials, it may sound unusual, but Luca Quilici is the man who has been working for Flora Toscana

The waxflower ‘wow che bello’ factor

for a lifetime. He played different roles within the cooperative and is currently responsible for R&D and export. A job which, he says, fits him well because it is about the generation of new knowledge, cross-border business, developing new products or improving existing ones. In this context, he references his country’s potted waxflower production that has long been dormant, with established varieties such as ‘Snowflake’ not precisely evoking excitement. Quilici notes, “The real breakthrough occurred when Helix Australia and Flora Toscana joined forces offering growers and buyers the exclusive waxflower wow factor that have buds as nearly as big as Hypericum and last for at least two months. Take ‘MySweet16’, which produces masses of blooms that magically change colour, starting in white, evolving into pink and finishing in shades of red.”

THE NEW GENERATION OF POTTED WAXFLOWER

Quilici says that the new generation of potted waxflower from Helix Australia provides a much-needed breath of fresh air. “In terms of Flora Toscana member growers, there’s a 100 per cent uptake of Helix’s improved waxflower varieties. The same goes for newcomers. We are actively seeking to increase production volumes. More recently, 60,000 potted ‘Snowflake’ dropped out of production in Portugal, so there is room for expansion. Next spring, for example, growers from Latina - south of Rome - will harvest their first potted waxflower.” According to Quilici, the benefits of Helix’s PBR-protected cultivars vary. “They are truly amazing. All of them have a longer shelf life than existing varieties. Greater product durability helps to extend sales as large-flowered cultivars go hand in hand with larger flower buds. These can be harvested more prematurely. The colours are bright and come in unique tones and hues, putting on a great show for consumers.”

PASSIONATE ABOUT THE JOB

Quilici is delighted to work with Helix Australia, the company’s managing director, providing advice and support when needed. “We love working with Adrian Parsons, who is passionate about his job. We regularly catch up in Europe or Australia, and our greatest achievement so far is that we now have a strong team in place, including growers and salespeople, which will result in even greater things in the years to come.”

Adrian Parsons, managing director Helix Australia (left) and Luca Quilici, R&D and export manager at the Flora Toscana cooperative.

FLORA TOSCANA: THE ESSENTIALS

The 2004 merger between Tuscany’s Toscoflora and Geoflor Toscana created one of Italy’s most important floral wholesale powerhouses with 120 personnel and a €65 million group turnover in 2021, up from €50 million in 2019.

The Flora Toscana cooperative, with its headquarters in Pescia, supplies inputs for the cultivation process and does marketing and processing of flowers, cut foliage and pot plants for predominantly local growers.

Flora Toscana took root in 1971 when ten visionary entrepreneurs came together to share a common problem: the skyrocketing prices of materials and sundries. They formed a business cooperative to purchase horticultural supplies and obtain services at a lower cost.

Of the 230 members Flora Toscana has today, 150 actively sell their flowers and plants through the cooperative. Many of Flora Toscana’s member growers are in Pescia, Viareggio and Lucca, and Italian regions such as Puglia, Lazio, Liguria, and Sicily. They come from as far afield as Spain and Kenya, where growers supply Statice and potted waxflowers and cut roses, respectively.

CHAMELAUCIUM QUICK FACTS

Chamelaucium (waxflower) is a staple filler flower on the global cut flower market. The genus of this shrub belongs to the myrtle family (Myrtaceae) and has flowers reminiscent of those seen in Leptospermum.

Waxflower is native to Australia and grows in its natural habitat near its western seashore. Waxflower is commercially available year-round, thanks to the extended flowering seasons of Australia, South Africa, Israel, and the USA.

While the waxflower is well-known on the horticultural scene as an outstanding filler flower, the potted waxflower as a showstopping plant in pots and containers or landscape features is relatively new.

New compact white waxflower from Helix Australia’s breeding programme.

MEET AND GREET FLORA TOSCANA AT IFTF

The staff of Flora Toscana and its exhibiting growers look forward to meeting you at the IFTF show. True to tradition, the Flora Toscana stand will serve as a meeting point for growers and clients.

Luca Quilici says, “No doubt that the skyrocketing energy costs and the war in Ukraine will be on everyone’s lips. However, as Flora Toscana, we will also look at opportunities to launch several new varieties, including the potted waxflowers from Helix.

Throughout the year, we are present at Europe’s major horticultural trade shows such as Salon du Vegetal in Angers, France; Iberflora in Valencia, Spain; IPM Essen in Essen, Germany and Myplant&Garden in Milan, Italy.

Pot Chamelaucium ‘MySweet16’ produces masses of blooms that magically change colour, starting in white, evolving into pink and finishing in shades of red.

PRODUCTION PLANNING

In coordinating production, Flora Toscana’s crop technician regularly meets with growers. What does it take to succeed in a potted waxflower crop? Quilici responds, “The grower needs to keep an eye on production planning, particularly during the pruning season. If you prune plants too early, you will have a not-soperfectly shaped plant. Conversely, your plants will not flower if you prune too late.” The best innovations are never finished. What does Quilici think can help growers and traders to make potted waxflowers even more successful? “The pipeline of naturally compact waxflower hybrids coming through Helix Australia’s breeding programme is very exciting. This will reduce the cost of pruning and growth regulators and deliver a wider range of colours and bloom size far superior to the current ‘Snowflake’ variety, which dominates the potted waxflower market.

PREMIER PORTUGUESE MARKETING

Marketing is essential to create and maintain demand to engage customers. Quilici is just back from a trip to Portugal to visit wholesalers, florists, and garden retailers and to catch up with the editors of Jardins, Portugal’s popular gardening magazine, led by editor-at-large Teresa Chambel. Quilici says, “Flora Toscana’s strength is big in small niche-type crops. At the turn of the century, Flora Toscana started to grow and sell potted Protea from an Australian plant breeder and propagator. Proteas have helped us gain a market presence in Portugal, a Protea-minded country. Remember that Portuguese Madeira and the Azores boast a long tradition of growing these exotic flowers. Today, we export a wide range of ornamentals to Portugal, with Flora Toscana having achieved significant brand recognition, also because sometimes we are lucky enough that the magazine Jardins and television show Praça da Alegria, with co-host Teresa Chambel are putting our flowers and plants, including potted waxflower, in the limelight.” Asked about the outlook for the new potted waxflower spring sales season, Quilici concludes, “We will continue to ramp up production in Italy and Spain. I believe potted waxflower has much-untapped potential, and we see a growing demand for the Helix varieties.”