18 minute read
CUT FLOWERS
Spray Chrysanthemum Summerflame.
AUTHOR: RACHEL ANDERSON PHOTOS: FLORITEC Wieek 35 – the last few days in August and the first few days in September – is always an eventful week for ornamental horticulture worldwide as the seasons change and many people return to work or school. In Medellin, Colombia, Week 35 is known as Chrysanthemum Week – a joyous celebration of Chrysanthemums. Their plentiful blooms have captivated consumers to become one of the world’s most traded and grown cut flowers.
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TOP PRODUCER
Colombia’s high altitudes, bright sunny days and cool nights have created the ideal conditions for producing this colourful genus. Juan Carlos Naranjo, the Colombian representative for leading Chrysanthemum breeder Floritec, notes that Colombia produces some 1.8 billion Chrysanthemum stems a year – making it one of the biggest producers of this flower. Its stems are shipped worldwide, with the United States and Canada being the largest markets for this country’s Chrysanthemum growers. Many of the world’s leading floriculture companies have locations in Colombia – and Week 35 sees ten leading breeders, including Floritec, welcome growers, traders and retailers from Colombia, Ecuador, Costa Rica, and the USA to their sites to view their Chrysanthemum ranges.
IN-SITU BREEDING
Over the last five years, Floritec – a relative newcomer – has increased its market share in the Colombian Chrysanthemum market with its wide range of varieties, including daisy-like, button or pompon varieties, novelty types and disbuds. The key to Floritec’s success in Colombia and worldwide is largely due to its unique approach to conducting its plant breeding programmes ‘in situ.’ This means that, rather than having its breeding facilities, Floritec works closely with producers worldwide to breed its customised varieties in growers’ glasshouses and their locations’ specific climatic conditions. This method of customised breeding was born out of necessity. When the company was formed some 15 years ago, it didn’t have the capital to build its breeding facilities. However, its strategy certainly helped Floritec and its varieties to stand out from the crowd. Naranjo says: “Floritec is now recognised as one of the main sources for new Chrysanthemum varieties, and more because we have been able to establish a very nice and important assortment to supply the main needs of the growers and cater to the latest consumer trends.”
DISBUDS – THE STARS OF THE SHOW
In Colombia, the forward-thinking firm (which is based in The Netherlands) has been collaborating for five years with renowned, Medellín-based producer Flores El Capiro. The grower opened its greenhouses during this year’s Week 35 to welcome and delight a record number of visitors with Floritec’s wide range of Chrysanthemums, including Santinis, sprays and disbuds. Floritec has been working closely with its Japanese parent company of three years, Inochio Seikoen, to develop and then trial its stunning range of Japanese disbud varieties in Colombia before showcasing them to the market during Chrysanthemum Week. With their large blooms, quirky petal shapes, and soft colours (such as salmon pink) that appeal to the wedding market, they were unsurprisingly the show’s star. Naranjo confirms: “The Japanese disbud varieties captured the attention of everybody – growers, customers, traders, and importers. Their unique shapes, sizes, quality, colours, and textures made people react to the many possibilities that Floritec varieties can bring and offer to the market.”
Stealing the show
Customised breeder Floritec revealed its game-changing Japanese disbuds at this year’s Chrysanthemum Week in Medellín, Colombia.
(Left) Both of these varieties are still coded. The variety in vintage colour will be named soon as orders for this cultivar come flying in.
(Right) Ten leading breeders, including Floritec, welcomed growers, traders and retailers from Colombia, Ecuador, Costa Rica and the USA to their sites to view their Chrysanthemum ranges.
A still coded disbud.
He adds: “Being able to hear and see people’s reaction in all these aspects made visitors want to see more and wait for further developments – as well as start producing them, create the added value that everybody in the chain looks for and that the new disbuds and spray assortment can bring to the Chrysanthemum and flower market.” Naranjo also notes that this year’s introduction of Floritec’s Japanese disbuds (named so because the plants are ‘disbudded’ to feature one bloom per stem) coincides with the USA market’s increasing interest in new, trendy, and colourful styles. While the daisy- and cushion-type Chrysanthemums in traditional white, yellow, pink, and purple remain popular, Dahlia look-a-likes and other new types of flower shapes, sizes, and bright and unique colour combinations are allowing designers and consumers to enjoy a more extensive assortment of Chrysanthemums.
THE POSSIBILITY TO GROW
Whilst North America remains an important market for Colombian growers, many seek opportunities to export to Europe. With this fact – and the burgeoning popularity of its Colombian-grown Chrysanthemums – in mind, Floritec is in the process of breaking with its tradition and setting up its breeding facility in Medellín. Naranjo says: “This new facility seamlessly fits in with the organisation’s growth – and with Floritec’s ambition to be, and develop into, a world-leading company.” Floritec’s marketing and communications manager, Daphne Hoogeveen, says: “We have now found a place we can rent and build a greenhouse for ourselves. For several years we’ve had very close and good cooperation with Capiro, and they are very kind to us. By having our facility, we have many more possibilities to grow. Floritec’s mission is to develop relevant and leading varieties in close cooperation with customers. “Through on-site development, we can develop varieties with reduced susceptibility to diseases and pests perfectly suited to local growing and climate conditions: customised breeding. But given our ambition, this also requires a stronger home base, and this new location in Colombia certainly provides that. In the Netherlands, we are in the same process; we are now renovating our facility there.”
TRADE FAIR AALSMEER
The firm hopes to open its new site in Colombia next year. In the meantime, it’s focussing on Trade Fair Aalsmeer (from November 9 until November 11, 2022). There it will captivate visitors with its display of Colombian varieties, its families of pot mums, pot Celosia, pot Aster and spray Chrysanthemum, including the snowy-petalled ‘Maverick White’ and ‘Maverick Sunny’ (yellow) cultivars.
Spray Chrysanthemum Zippo.
EXPOFLOR ECUADOR 2022
Hard to miss extremely long-stemmed roses.
After a four-year hiatus, ExpoFlor Ecuador 2022 opened its doors to a floral extravaganza. FCI’s correspondent William Armellini travelled to Quito to attend the three-day event, which first began with professional tours of some awe-inspiring farms.
AUTHOR: WILLIAM ARMELLINI Event organiser and industry body Expoflores can reflect well on a successful 2nd edition of ExpoFlor Ecuador, held at Quito’s Metropolitan Convention Centre between 5-7 October 2022. The positive buzz across the show floor didn’t go unnoticed, as exhibitor and visitor testimonials echoed the quality of contacts, stands and products. Covid-19 delayed this semi-annual event, and the large crowds indicated a pent-up demand for people to meet face-to-face without mask coverings.
PROFESSIONAL FARM TOURS
On day one, entrepreneurs invited industry professionals into their farms and workplaces. The first open house was at the breeding company Connectiflor/E.G. to see where new varieties are born. When the company’s breeders invited them to try some crossbreeding themselves, it soon became apparent that rose breeding is an elaborate process that takes many steps to complete. Developing rose varieties with improved yields, end-use quality and environmental performance is lengthy and costly. Breeders have to combine the best talent from across the globe, and the time required to create a commercial rose variety from ideation until product launch can take years. Growers test thousands of seedlings to find the best new varieties in hopes of finding one or two that will make the transition from selection to production. The second professional tour stop was at Rosa Prima, one of the best and largest growers in Ecuador, and there you can visit their test greenhouse.
(Above) A good dose of togetherness at the return of ExpoFlor Ecuador.
(Top left) Hippy psychedelic roses.
(Middle left) Floreloy team.
(Bottom left) Dyed and glittered roses. This is ‘Candyland’ for flower lovers. Imagine yourself in a four-acre greenhouse with views of the Andean mountains, surrounded by rows upon rows of newly created roses. Each plant posing with its new blooms reaches up into the sunlight, hoping they will be selected, much like a litter of puppies jumping and barking, waiting to be adopted. The host invited his guests to walk the aisles to select their favourite bloom, followed by a fabulous breakfast in this wonderland. The following day, the international guests embarked on a special tour to Jet Fresh Flowers, with company owner Mike Black showing the group around. This boutique rose farm has taken employee happiness and care to a new level, with ‘Happy and Hippy’ being the roots of this new company’s style. Natural Roses, garden roses, painted roses, dyed roses and more are what you will find here. A highlight of the social care of the company was the laundry room, where the employees can bring in their clothes from home, and Jet Fresh has them washed, dried, and folded for free.
A SUPER SHOW
Back in Quito, the stands at super show ExpoFlor Ecuador were grand, and the quality and quantity of flowers were amazing. The halls were packed with happy people, and that is what makes a good exhibition. This was a trade fair in its most truest form, where business is focused and conducted. In the rose show, there were so many to see that it was hard to determine which you liked the best. The pictures on YouTube https://youtu. be/7EVqH40DkYo speak for themselves. The ‘bar talk’ was about the situation in the Netherlands, where many flower farmers are going bankrupt or just not planting any crops this season. Gas and electricity prices have exploded, and growers realise that if there is no relief, many cannot afford to continue. This is a very fluid situation, and the outcome is very unclear.
INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
The Ecuador trip also gave some insights into Ecuador’s indigenous protesters that had paralysed the country in June, blocking highways across the country and clashing with police. Protesters claim they have been disproportionately hurt by inflation, rising energy prices and austerity measures. Growers, in turn, point out that the protests caused considerable trouble for businesses. They sustain that many protesters include small flower growers who do not pay royalties for the flowers they sell. It is a highly complex story, but the good news is that there is a dialogue between the flower breeders (whose varieties are being stolen) and the small growers to find some solution, hopefully, because many of these small growers grow excellent, sought-after flowers.
A BEAUTIFUL PLACE
Quito is a big and beautiful place. It is a crowded city nestled high in the Andean mountains, full of history and an excellent place to hold such an event - if you are not in a hurry to get anywhere. The growers here appear to be quite optimistic about the future based on the number of new greenhouses under construction in the North. It is said that at least 50 further hectares of greenhouses have been built recently. Organisers, exhibitors, and visitors hail ExpoFlor Ecuador 2022 as a huge success. It will be interesting to see if Proflora 2023 in Bogotá will eclipse this fine show. The industry can’t wait. Professional Farm tour: Ecuador is known for its premium large-headed roses.
(Above) FSI’s Jeroen van Oudheusden visibly enjoyed the Alice in Wonderland-themed stand of Ecua Garden. (left) Professional Farm tour: packing area for roses.
NOVEMBER 2022
9-11. THE NETHERLANDS
International Floriculture Trade Fair (IFTF) at Haarlemmermeer Expo in Vijfhuizen. www.hppexhibitions.com/iftf/
9-11. THE NETHERLANDS
Trade Fair Aalsmeer. www.tradefairaalsmeer. royalfloraholland.com
21-24. UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (UAE)
WARD (meaning flower in Arabic). Gulf International Flowers and Gardens Exhibition at Abu Dhabi’s ADNEC convention centre. YouTube: Gulf International Flower and Gardens Exhibition
DECEMBER 2022
1. FRANCE
Graines d’Or, 37th Awards. This annual ceremony in Paris celebrates the best in French garden retail. www.trophees-grainesdor.com
6-9. AUSTRALIA
Australian Horticultural Trials Week. www.horticulturaltrials.com
JANUARY 2023
24-27. GERMANY
IPM, the world’s premier horticultural trade show at Messe Essen. www.ipm-essen.de
20-29. GERMANY
Grüne Woche, international green week Berlin. The world’s largest consumer and trade fair for food, agriculture and horticulture. www.gruenewoche.de
FEBRUARY 2023
16-18. TÜRKIYE
The Flower and Plant Show at Tüyap Fair and Exhibition Centre in Istanbul. www.en.flowershow.com.tr
22-24. ITALY
MyPlant&Garden at Fiera Milano. www.myplantgarden.com Qatar’s entry at Expo 2022 Floriade made it into The Guinness Book of World Records as the tallest freestanding 3D-printed concrete tower in the world.
QATAR
Once FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 ends on 18 December, final preparations for the World Horticultural Expo 2023 Doha Qatar begins.
The Expo will open on 2 October 2023 for six months until 28 March 2024, in the Al Bidda Park. The Expo park covers 170 hectares and expects to attract more than three million visitors. Expo 2023 Doha Qatar will look at climate change, water, soil and endangered resources with a theme focusing on ‘Greening the Desert’ and improving the environment. The Expo is part of the Qatar National Vision 2030, and this objective is to host the first World Horticultural Expo in a desert climate. More than 80 international participants from governments and businesses are invited to share their country’s horticultural knowledge and experience in pavilions in the Expo park. Expo 2023 Doha Qatar is also promoting how other cities address greening city principles through a webinar series in partnership with AIPH called the Green City Briefings from now until the Expo’s opening. (See page 29). Visitors of Qatar’s Desert Nest pavilion at the recently closed Expo 2022 Floriade learnt a little about the country’s forward-thinking vision for sustainable ways of living in harmony with the environment. As an unofficial symbol of passing the World Horticultural Expo baton from the Netherlands, its formidable 12.1 metre high, Guinness World Record 3D printed concrete pigeon tower will now become a permanent legacy fixture at Expo 2023 Doha Qatar. Visit www.dohaexpo2023.gov.qa.
23-29. NETHERLANDS
TuinIdee, garden show at the Brabanthallen in Hertogenbosch. www.tuinidee.nl
25.02-05.03. FRANCE
The Salon International d’Agriculture (SIA) will be hosted at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles. In 2019, this event attracted 633,000 visitors. www.salon-agriculture.com
MARCH 2023
7. BELGIUM
Florall, Belgium’s leading horticultural trade show at Waregem Expo. www.florall.be
8-10. ETHIOPIA
Hortiflora Expo at the Millenium Hall in Addis Ababa. www.hppexhibitions.com/hfe
23.03-14.05. NETHERLANDS
Keukenhof, one of the world’s most beautiful spring gardens. www.keukenhof.nl
29.03-02.04. AUSTRALIA
Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show at the Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens. www.melbflowershow.com.au
APRIL 2023
01.04-22.10. SOUTH KOREA
Suncheonman International Horticultural Garden Expo 2023 in South Korea. www.scbay.suncheon.go.kr
23.04-31.10. TÜRKIYE
International Horticultural Expo 2023 Onikişubat Kahramanmaraş. www.expo2023.org
MAY 2023
24-28. UNITED KINGDOM
RHS Chelsea Flower Show. www.rhs.org.uk
From October 2nd 2023 to March 28th 2024
FLORMART 2022
Cutting ribbon ceremony of Flormart 2022. Italy’s second-largest trade show and conference for the horticultural sector took place at Padua’s PadovaFiere convention centre from 21 to 23 September, staged by its new owner Fiere di Parma. The organiser’s count suggests that 4,000 people, including 150 qualified buyers, attended the three-day fixture.
The show was good in that there were many new prospects from abroad.
AUTHOR: RON VAN DER PLOEG Given Flormart’s turbulent past, marked by much organisational restructuring, change of ownership, the quick rise of a new trade show competitor in Milan, and, more recently, two years of disruption, cancellation, postponing and rescheduling due to Covid-19, it is unsurprising that among exhibitors and visitors of the 71st edition of Flormart had some reservations about this year’s show. No one expected a spectacular rise in attendance since Flormart’s last pre-pandemic edition in September 2019 (300 exhibitors and 6,000 trade visitors), and there wasn’t. But those who had predicted a rather anaemic event were proved wrong. Because despite the reduced 16,000 m2 gross floor space, exhibitors told FCI that they were pleased with the quality of the show traffic or as Edoardo Sciutti from the show’s most prominently present exhibitor ANVE puts it, “It was piccolina, small in size, but that is not automatically a bad thing. Participating growers told me the show was good because there were many new prospects from abroad.” He references the excellent work the Italian Trade Agency (ITA) delivered by bringing in 150 pre-screened international buyers from the MENASA region (Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia) and the Balkans. Sciutti notes, “Contrary to what happened in the past when sellers were overly present, on this trade mission were predominantly buyers, including many new faces. The 30 plus ANVE members present – occupying a combined space of 1,500m2 - had some great leads, and the product interest was strong.” The ITA-led trade delegation followed a horticultural trade mission from Italy earlier this year. This mission occurred in Dubai to coincide with Expo Dubai. On this trade mission, 30 Italian nursery stock growers met with potential buyers from the MENASA region at the M-Eating Italy pavilion at the Expo. Sciutti adds that the market for Italian-grown trees, shrubs and plants continues to expand as global demand for trees soars, particularly
used to plant forests. “So buoyant the market is that growers would nearly forget about energy crisis and war,” says Sciutti, complimenting Flormart’s new owner Fiere di Parma on much stricter management. “It may sound banal, but the organiser embarked on a much straightforward path, sticking to registration deadlines, original booth rates, and not lowering prices in the last minutes. Instead of giving space away, this strict regime helps to create anticipation with some growers even being disappointed for not being present.” Flormart ranks among one of Europe’s oldest horticultural trade exhibitions and has been the launch platform for many nurseries’ stock products for many decades. True to tradition, the 2022 edition of Flormart also offered plenty of learning opportunities such as conventions, meetings, and educational programmes. Now that the green city movement worldwide is gaining increasing traction, the Flormart forum discussions highlighted how green infrastructure could contribute to a city’s liveability through its economic, social, and environmental benefits. Flormart’s message was crystal clear: Italian-grown flowers and plants play a crucial role in helping realise successful urban green spaces. During Flormart’s educational programme, Italy’s investment and reform plan for recovery (in Italian known as PNRR or Piano Nazionale di Ripresa e Resilienza) from the Covid-19 emergency was on everyone’s lips. The plan earmarks €6.68 billion for culture and tourism through investments in heritage regeneration, enhancements in assets and skills, digitalisation, and accessibility, targeting environmental and social sustainability. The paragraph on parks and gardens in the PNRR is crucial for ornamental horticulture in Italy as it highlights the restoration of historic parks and gardens adopting a ‘systematic approach to urban regeneration. Its goal is to improve the quality of life and social inclusion among the younger generations and within urban communities. Protecting the environment and biodiversity and people’s right to “urban green spaces are all essential criteria for the €300 million funding programme. In the future, the role of Flormart as a connector between companies and the government will intensify. Next year, the show will take place between 20 – 22 September 2023. For more information, visit www.flormart.it Apart from being a great network opportunity, Flormart is also a quintessential order-writing trade show.
Compagnia del Lago, a specialist grower of container-grown Camellia, Azalea and Rhododendron in all sizes, and a variety of other acid-loving plants such as Pieris japonica, Kalmia, Daphne and Edgeworthia. From its 30-ha site in Verbania Fondotoce, benefiting from Lake Maggiore’s benign microclimate, Compagnia del Lago serves its customers in northern and central Italy.
Iulia Klimina from Bolzano-based R3GIS accepted the award from Italy’s former agriculture minister Stefano Patuanelli.
Davide Romiti from Pistoia-based Romiti Vivai scooped up the Flormart Award for the company’s innovative range of Lagerstroemeria indica.
In the Tech category, Saviolife/Saviola Group from Mantova took home the Flormart Award for a wood fibre-based substrate. Busy aisles, especially in the morning.
FLOMART AWARDS
Flormart celebrated its annual awards ceremony on the opening morning of 21 September. Italy’s then agriculture minister, Mr Stefano Patuanelli (who on 22 October was succeeded by Gino Lollobridgida; a grand nephew of actress Gina Lollobrigida), presented awards in three categories: Flower and Plants, Tech, and Sustainable Landscape Design.
Crowned winner in the first category was Pistoiabased Romiti Vivai for its innovative range of Lagerstroemeria indica. Davide Romiti came on stage to accept the award.
The jury praised the cultivar ‘Violet Lord’, featuring bright pink blooms that beautifully contrast against the shrub’s dark foliage. ‘White Queen’ is arguably the purest white Lagerstroemeria indica currently available on the market. The company also extensively trialled ‘Purple Star’, which begins flowering in May with repeat flowering four months later.
In the Tech category, Saviolife/Saviola Group from the city of Mantova scooped up the Flormart Award for a wood fibre-based substrate certified by FSC and PEFC, which can be used in organic cropping.
Finally, Bolzano-based R3GIS walked away with the third Flormart Award, earning recognition for its Green City portal, which allows city residents to identify and explore plants and trees they have seen in parks and green spaces.
The Green City portal is an extension of already existing Green Spaces software used by cities for the maintenance of urban green areas. The Green City tool is currently used by four cities: Bolzano, Lugano, Rimini, and the Polish town of Krakow .
