Floraculture December 2015

W W W . F L O R A C U L T U RE . E U

Floraholland Trade Fair Aalsmeer AIPH

Grower associations from around the world convene in Italy

Thesinglebestopportunitytoget the entire pulse of the industry Brought to you by

CROP PROTECTION

‘Trust me I am a doctor’

w w w.k isan.com

D e c e m b e r 2 015

FloraCulture The business magazine for worldwide floriculture

Floraculture International encourages the pursuit of joint activities in areas of mutual interest with national and international societies, companiesandorganisations.

Agreements have been reachedbetweenFloraculture International and leading growersandtradeassociations in 32 countries. This unique partnership includes a complimentary copy for each member of the registered associations. Floraculture International is proud to announce the cooperation with the following associations.

For more FCI partners see page 34.

Partners of FloraCulture International

Table of Contents

December 2015 Volume 25 Number 12

Cover story: FloraHolland Trade Fair Aalsmeer The FloraHolland Trade Fair opened doors to the opportunities available in the industry and thenewproductsthatarecomingtomarket.Thisyear’sattendeesalsoparticipated in top-notch educational sessions on topics including international markets and social media and the art of selling ornamental plants and fresh cut flowers.

14

by Ron van der Ploeg

Industry professionals flock to 2015 Proflora show

Asocolflores has hailed its Proflora show a success. The organisers reported nearly 3,000 visitors attended the show which was held at Bogotá’s Corferias Convention Centre from October 28- 30, 2015.

22

by Jaap N. Kras

Christmas celebration with bulb flowers

25

IFTF 2015 celebrates success in Vijfhuizen

Show organiser HPP is pleased to announce an increase in attendance at the annual International Floriculture Trade Fair (IFTF) held November 4-6, 2015 at the Expo Haarlemmermeer convention centre in Vijfhuizen, the Netherlands.

26

Departments World News International Events Advertising Index

Grower associations from around the world met in Stresa, Italy, for the 67th Annual Congress of the International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH), sponsored

by Dashun International Flower Co.

22

by Ron van der Ploeg

‘Trust me – I’m a doctor’

Celebrate Christmas with bulb flowers!

Tulips, amaryllis, hyacinths and buttercups are perfect for the job. Their lively shapes and refined Christmas colours will infuse your customer’s home with Christmas spirit, especially when combined with cheerfully coloured pots or attractive Christmas decorations.

by Ron van der Ploeg

AIPH debates key issues for growers

Getting your crop protection programme right can be challenging. It is about to become even more of a challenge because European flower retailers are beginning to ask for significantreductionsinthechemicalresidues on flower crops – even though they are not consumed.

30

by Louise Labuschagne

Polish young plant suppliers host annual Chrysanthemum event

Polish suppliers of young Chrysanthemum plantsthrewtheirdoorswideopeninOctober for their annual open house. Striking pot chrysanthemums in full bloom and cut Chrysanthemums in the optimum harvest stage were on display.

33

by Alicja Cecot

Columns 08 28 39

From the editor Dutch Comfort Certifiable in California

07 09 13

FLORACULTURE INTERNATIONAL

MEDIA

KIT

Ourintegratedmediakitprovides information on all digital custom advertising and promotion opportunities, as well as print advertising rates, specifications, and issuance and closing dates; explains our partnerships worldwide and describes our editorial focus.

36

December 2015 | www.FloraCultureInternational.com

5

FloraCulture The business magazine for worldwide floriculture

Editorial & Administration Offices Angie Duffree

FloraCulture International Postbus 1000, 1430 BA Aalsmeer, Netherlands T +31 6 533 46 605 Circulation Administration: FBW Woerden P.O. Box 612, 3440 AP Woerden, the Netherlands T (31) 34 84 31 393 E info@fbw-woerden.nl Editors: Ron van der Ploeg (ron@floracultureinternational.com) Editorial team: William Armellini, Chris Beytes, Alicja Cecot, Aldo Colombo, Arturo Croci, Audrey Gerber, John Ingwersen, Jaap Kras, Marie-Françoise Petitjean, John Sutton, Anthony Tesselaar and Jennifer Zurko.

Founding editor: Debbie Hamrick Published by: FloraHolland Frequency: FloraCulture International ONLINE serves our digital and mobile audience monthly, while FloraCulture International in print is a quarterly magazine, published four times a year. FCI’s four major PRINT issues will divide the year in four seasons: Spring (March), summer (combined June/July issue), autumn (October) and winter (January).

Circulation: FloraCulture International appears in print and online and has a circulation of 104,000 subscribers (16,000 English-language print issues, 66,000 English-language online format, 5,000 Mandarin Chinese-language print issue, 7,000 Mandarin Chinese-language online format and 10,000 Englishlanguage newsletters) in 142 countries. English-language online format for India and local language edition in Italian and Russian.

Printer: Muller Visual Communication Amsterdam.

Designer: Finnmedia, Aryen Bouwmeester Copy correction and sub-editing: Nils van Houts Cover photograph: Brittany Posey

World Wide Advertising Office Europe, Africa, Asia/Pacific International Accounts Management: FloraCulture International, Postbus 1000, 1430 BA Aalsmeer, Netherlands T +31 6 533 46 605 Angie Duffree (angie@floracultureinternational.com) Dr. Sun Italy, Southern France: Jing Xian Arturo Croci, (acearturo@yahoo.it) USA, Canada, Central America: Paul Black (pblack@ballpublishing.com) Ball Publishing, 622 Town Road, PO Box 1660, West Chicago, IL 60186, United States T (1)6 30 23 13 675 F (1)6 30 23 15 254 Miami: William Armellini (william@floracultureinternational.com) China: Dr Sun Jing Xian (consultingflower@yahoo.com.cn) Niranjan Deshpande India: Niranjan Deshpande (team@kisan.com) T (91) 20 302 52 000

From the editor

by Ron van der Ploeg

Bernie Sanders is a Democratic candidate for President of the United States.

In the Democratic debate on November 14, CBS News asked him if he continues to believe in a connection between climate change and terrorism.

The link is obvious, he said, adding that the CIA and Department of Defense share his concern that an increase in drought, flooding and adverse weather as a result of climate change will cause people all over the world to fight over limited natural resources.

Natural resources play a critical role in our industry. This might make Sanders’ message for us, who are so strongly attached to our land, easier to understand. Just imagine how you as a grower in a developed nation would cope with scorching heat, a dry-cracked earth or torrential rains. Just think for a second how fiercely you would fight over increasingly limited natural resources. What would you do if there was no enough water, not enough land to grow your crops?

Of course, the right-wing media was quick to sneer at Sanders’ remarks calling it ‘crazy stuff’ and a ‘little cooky’. Some will say that connecting climate change and terrorism has made a monkey out of Sanders, while the true Berniebers absolutely agree: global warming makes terrorism worse.

The causal relationship is likely, but that doesn’t exclude a lot of other factors that contribute to the origination of what happens in war-stricken countries, for example Syria. There are multiple steps between climate change and terrorism/extremism. For those interested digging deeper into the subject, I suggest reading a very interesting article by Francesca de Châtel examining the role of drought and climate change as indirect triggers of the Syrian uprising Click here.

One of the things I like about this debate is that it has brought the COP21 climate summit back into the spotlight. The conference kicked off on November 30 and it is good to see that, amid safety concerns in Paris coupled with a only logical deflection of French attention, a major terrorist atrocity in Paris does not stop the world from trying to find substantial solutions for the greatest threat we face: suicide bombers can’t ruin our civilization. Global warming could and might.

Flowers placed in the bullet holes of the Paris cafes and restaurants where so many people were killed brought a tear to my eye and also to our monthly columnist John Ingwersen who appreciates that, in a world that seems to be dominated by fear and mistrust in your fellow kind, this publication is about horticulture, plants and flowers. “Nothing could be more peaceful in intent and consequence. What happened in Paris has nothing to do with what we do, but it has everything to do with how we are going to live,” Ingwersen said. And that makes this column relevant no matter what publication saw it published. Page 20.

As 2015 comes to a close, the team behind FloraCulture International sends you wishes for the most peaceful holiday season ever and thanks you for your ongoing support. We look onward to an exciting 2016 as our magazine, website and newsletter will continue to help you grow your business.

Follow us on facebook and twitter FloraCulture International is published monthly.

Worldwide distribution. ©2015 FloraCulture International magazine.

All rights reserved. No portion of editorial may be reproduced in any form without written permission of the publisher.

Publisher is not liable for advertisements using illegally obtained images.

Send address changes to FloraCulture International magazine, Postal address: Postbus 1000, 1430 BA Aalsmeer, Netherlands

Ron van der Ploeg, editor ron@floracultureinternational.com

December 2015 | www.FloraCultureInternational.com

7

8

World News Israel

Danziger takes a grip on 2015 Proflora Awards Danziger’, a leading plant breeder from Israel, was given the honour of making several trips to the stage at the Proflora Awards Ceremony. Varieties earned four awards at the 2015 Proflora show (October 28th-30th, Bogotá, Colombia) exhibition.

Danziger selections were recognised in the breeding, other species and spray chrysanthemum categories.

In the breeder contest category Other Species, first place went to the newest Gypsophila variety – Cosmic™. Cosmic™ recently joined the Gypsophila collection.

It has large, truly white flowers.

Scabiosa Blackberry Scoop™, a unique dark-colored variety, earned third place. Blackberry Scoop™ is part of a delicious series of colorful flowers to be newly introduced in South America. Chrysanthemum Can

Can™ won the third prize in the breeding category . This new flower entered the marketplace only recentl and features daisyshaped flowers in vibrant purple, adding a touch of color to any flower arrangement.

The cushion spray Chrysanthemum, Code 8193, took second place in the breeding category. It has a dark burgundy red color with masses of flowers that proudly rise above the sturdy stems. |||

For more information please visit www.danziger.co.il / www.ballstraathof.co.za

United States

Avalanche+ roses and roaring twenties combine at Kris Jenner’s birthday party The Kardashian-Jenner clan spared no expense when it came to celebrating Kris Jenner's anniversary.

The ‘momager of the Kardashian clan’ was greeted with a Great Gatsby wonderland in celebration of her 60th birthday.

Against a backdrop of sumptuous displays of white Avalanche+® roses, Kris’s six children took it back to the 1920s for their mother’s $2m Great Gatsby-themed birthday bash at The Lot Studios in West Hollywood on November 6th.

The flower walls delighted stage and film directors, pop singers, actors and celebrities. There was no shortage of glitz and glamour.

Rosa Avalanche+® stands out for its high petal count, long vase life and all year round availability . When its large flower head opens the green hue fades and

turns back to creamy white.

The rose, originally a creation of rose breeder Lex Voorn from the Netherlands, is a welcome guest at royal weddings, celebrity parties and brand launches.

The Kardashians are truly Avalanche+® aficionados. The roses took center stage at Kim's second marriage in 2011 and also at her third with musician Kanye West in 2014. The roses are frequently spotted in the reality show and Kanye loves to treat friends and acquaintances to these haute floral beauties: recently he gave Taylor Swift a piece so big it filled the whole trunk of her car.

Kris Jenner's party was decorated with Avalanche+® in Roaring Twenties style by

www.FloraCultureInternational.com | December 2015

Jeff Leatham. He collaborated with Dutch flower promotor LM Flower Fashion. Top grower

Meijer Roses supplied the roses, the other flowers came from Walter Grootscholten Orchids. |||

Dutch Comfort

by Jaap N. Kras

Jurassic Park In 1993 an impressive science fiction adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg was launched named Jurassic Park. Two palaeontologists and a mathematician toured with a group an island, Isla Nublar, a theme park populated by dinosaurs created from prehistoric DNA. Since a few years the movie is available in 3D technology more real and frightening.

United Kingdom 2016 IGYA finalists announced Ornamental growers from Canada, China, Germany, Netherlands, Turkey, UK and USA are finalists in the AIPH International Grower of the Year Awards (IGYA) 2016.

• Arcadia Chrysanten, Netherlands • Costa Farms, USA • Dashun International Flower, China • Dutchmaster Nurseries, Canada • Flash Tarim Urunleri (Flash Flowers), Turkey • Florensis, Germany/Netherlands • Kunming Hongzhihua Gardening, China • Majestic Trees, UK • Shanghai Yuanyi Seedling, China Bronze, Silver and Gold will be awarded, where applicable, to each category: • Finished Plants & Trees • Young Plants • Cut Flowers.

Each of the category winners will be judged for the final and most prestigious award – the coveted Gold Rose, awarding them the global status of AIPH International Grower of the Year. The IGYA Awards Gala will take place on 28 January 2016 at the IPM Essen in Germany and is an invitation to growers, traders, suppliers, retailers, business leaders and all those linked to the ornamental horticulture industry.

Spaces are filling up fast for IGYA 2016, so make sure you don’t miss your chance to connect with your peers and share industry trends, innovations and business opportunities. |||

Digitalization and software programs allow the companies in our industry to communicate with companies in the supply vertical chain. So can we have a situation where the consumer makes an order and automatically the order can go to the producer of the product. This can be the florist who makes a handhold bouquet according to his/her wishes, a special company that makes bouquets and ship them to consumers or a grower who ships the ordered flowers directly. Further advanced programs make it possible to take all the other consequences into account. The florist can have programmes that automatically makes invoices, shipment contracts, new purchase orders.

Already we see these systems working in big industrial companies where all the processes and handlings necessary to have a company ran from supply of raw material, production, transports, ordering, sales, bookkeeping including invoicing and the paper work behind in the company are automated. The only week points in these systems are the people that have to act. Another perhaps more important reason than saving labour costs to minimize labour.

Walking around on important exhibitions you hardly read anything regarding consumption. Customers of breeders are growers, customers of growers are wholesalers (including exporters – importers), customers of wholesalers are retail chains (supermarkets, DIY stores and garden centre chains.) and if you see a florist he is showed as wonderful designer (champion of name a country or a year or an organization) and not as a normal florist. We are a push industry.

Where I believe at the end the future is to those companies that do R&D on the one hand and know the consumer on the other hand and connect these consumer needs with his factory to make the wanted products. Walking around through all these beautiful Jurassic parks named trade fairs you realize till today it was too easy in the ornamental world, you produced a product waited till this product was ripe and you offered it somewhere and you always found a buyer. A perishable product so by starting selling after harvesting the growers unnecessary limited your selling time.

It will be time to wake up from that movie and start to look for the needs of our consumers. Suppose 80% of the German consumers do not buy flowers and plants. And of the 20% that do buy 80% are consumers with a garden.

How do all the others fulfil their needs and express their emotions when they have a wedding, a funeral, a birthday, a mother day, a party, a visit to a friend or relative? Not one product can fulfil so many needs as flowers and plants.

Who assessed and made a careful inventory all these needs let us say to roughly per country and came up with a plan to fulfil them with flowers and plants? It has been repeated many times - people under 40 do not buy flowers and plants.

Of course not! Hardly anybody does! Consumers have needs to be fulfilled.

My daughter says she hates flowers and plants but in her house I spotted a Phalaenopsis, an Anthurium and a cactus.

TICKETS - EARLY BIRD RATE. Available until 11 December. Individual: €170 (Regular €190) Group: €150 (Regular €170) + VAT per person. (Minimum 1 table of 10 seats) BOOK – EARLY BIRD TICKETS ON SALE NOW

Jaap N. Kras jaap@floracultureinternational.com

December 2015 | www.FloraCultureInternational.com

9

10

World News Australia

Graig Musson to become Wafex’sole owner Wafex managing director Graig Musson last month announced that he has purchased co-founder Adrian Parson’s share, taking sole ownership of the company.

Commenting on the manager buyout, Musson said, “I’m proud of the business that Adrian and I have been able to establish over a 20 year partnership and I look forward to leading WAFEX through the next phase of the company’s growth and development.”

The ownership change was prompted by Adrian’s desire to

step back from the day-to-day running of the wholesale and export segment of the business to concentrate on the company’s research and development subsidiary, Helix Australia.

Adrian Parson will continue to maintain strong links with WAFEX as he drives Helix Australia’s continued success and development. “We look forward to his

influence in developing new wildflower varieties and working closely with our licensed growers around the world,” said Musson.

The day-to-day operations of WAFEX will remain the same with Musson stressing that Wafex will remain committed to sourcing the highest quality products for its customers across Australia and overseas. |||

The Netherlands

Sun flower arrangements for KLM’s inaugural Dreamliner namesake KLM launched its first new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner named “Zonnebloem” (Sunflower) on Sunday November 22. Eye-catching sun flower arrangements marked the introductory flights of the Dreamliner.

Takii is partner of the Van Gogh Museum. Both companies are very pleased that the first Dreamliner carries the name "Zonnebloem" (Sunflower). This flower has made Van Gogh world famous. Takii is known for being the market leader in

sunflowers with their ‘Sunrich’ cut flower variety among their bestsellers. Both companies congratulated KLM (also partner of the Gogh Museum) with this milestone by offering – surprise, surprise - beautiful Sunflower arrangements.

This Boeing 787 Dreamliner is the first of a total of 21 aircraft that KLM will put into operation by the end of 2015.

All Dreamliners will be named after a flower. The Boeing 787 is equipped with the latest features. Compared to a Boeing 747 a Dreamliner uses up to 20 percent less fuel. The Dreamliner can carry a maximum of 294 passengers and the 787-9 variant has a range of 15.150 kilometers. As of this week the regular passenger service with the 787 will start. |||

www.FloraCultureInternational.com | December 2015

Vietnam

Annual Flower Festival stops off in Da Lat The Flower Festival (December 30, 2015 to January 3, 2016) will be coming to Da Lat city in Vietnam to help celebrate the coming of the new year.

The city centre will be painted a multitude of colours with a flower show, flower parade and trade exhibition being the highlights of this year show.

Taking place every two years, the Da Lat flower show will include many cultural activities for the city’s residents and tourists. The theme for this year’s show is "Da Lat –

Multitude of Flower Colours" .

Rising 1,500m above sea level on the Langbiang Plateau, Da Lat has beautiful lakes, waterfalls, forests, gardens, and stunning landscapes.

Xuan Huong Lake in the city centre, which is surrounded by pine trees, lawns, and flower gardens, is a hot spot for hikers, cyclists and horseback riding tourists. |||

12

World News The Netherlands

The ultimate guide to house plants The house plants catalogue, in the industry known as the Flower Council of Holland Pot Plant Catalogue is now available in digital version through the house plants app Info-IndoorPlants.

The Netherlands Poinsettia professionals gather at Magic Stars event This year, Selecta Klemm hosted its Magic Stars poinsettia event for German and Dutch growers and garden retailers at a single venue.

Now in its 5th year, the Magic Stars event took place on November 11 and 12 at Handelskwekerij M. Kregting in Bemmel, The Netherlands. Revamped into a single venue event, Magic Stars offered a perfect platform for the exchange of professional information and marketing ideas.

The whole range of 45 commercial Selecta Poinsettia varieties and several test varieties were on display. On both days, attendees were

offered a behind-the-scenes look at the Poinsettia and Hydrangea production site of Van den Berg in nearby Est. Engineers of Hoogendoorn Growth Management were on hand to provide expertise and insights in horticultural automation solutions. At Kregting’s Louise Labuschagne and Robert Wacker were invited to share their views on biopesticides and marketing respectively. |||

Anticipating customer’s increasing demand for quality digital content is the new house plants app. Knowledge on plants care is limited amongst consumers and often indicated as a hindering for purchasing house plants. Professionals, on the other hand, need a clear, independent and ample product catalogue. The house plants app provides in both these aspects.

Traders and retailers can make a fast and easy search by product name and colour. The information and pictures, obtained with a sole click, are ideal to use in social media and digital communication with clients. By using the search functions care and light requirements, consumers looking for an easy care plant fitting in a shadowy spot in the house, get a list of suitable house plants.

For cash and carry store employees the app has a search function for product names in many languages. Should a client be looking for an “Alpenveilchen”

the app will easily find the Cyclamen. Many consumers, and many professionals, often only know the common product name and not the Latin denomination.

For traders and florists information on cold sensitivity is vital. The app allows them to have a quick overview of the plants that require a temperature above 12°C during transport and on the shop floor. |||

United States

Floral luxury awaits downtown Manhattan L’Olivier, known as the ‘haute-couture’ of floral design and the floral artists behind A-list New Yorkers, is teaming up with Dümmen Orange, a world leader in flower breeding, for a pop-up shop in Brookfield Place.

Established in 1994, under the direction of renowned floral artist Olivier Giugni, L’Olivier opened its flagship store in Manhattan as New York’s premium downtown flower shop. Guigni hired Dümmen Orange to cater for a uniquely crafted ‘Grab-and-

Go’ collection exclusively available at Brookfield Place starting at $35.

Highlights of the collection include exquisite bouquets bursting with a large variety of roses, daisies, gerberas, seeded eucalyptus, lily grass, aspidistra,

www.FloraCultureInternational.com | December 2015

philodendron leaves and more.

L’Olivier’s signature arrangements, priced from $125 to wherever your imagination can take you, will also be available.

“We are thrilled to be popping up in Brookfield Place, the new heart and soul of downtown

Manhattan with the Grab-andGo collection tailored to younger clients who love flowers. With this new atelier, we look forward to reaching the downtown audience and allowing everyone to experience the best in floral design!,” said Giugni. |||

Certifiable in California

by John Ingwersen

United States NextLevel Conference focuses on networking through “Hubs” Networking is an invaluable asset to any conference. It’s what can make a “good” conference exceptional. NextLevel doesn’t depart from this expectation, and rather, seeks to raise the bar for powerful networking. In addition to focused and relevant educational sessions, the January 18-20, 2016 conference in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, offers attendees “Hubs,” which focus on specific goals and help business leaders to connect with others who share similar challenges and hopes for the future.

Tiffany Heater, a past NextLevel attendee and Burpee Home Gardens Program Representative said, “NextLevel is a great opportunity for me to network with industry professionals from all over the country. The topics the speakers cover are both interesting and relevant to my career.”

There are four Hubs at NextLevel: Advance My Career, Balance Life and Business, Establish My Legacy, and Build My Bottom Line. These Hubs connect attendees based on similar goals and then facilitate meaningful conversations, revealing common business challenges and insights from the conference itself.

The Advance My Career Hub is for emerging leaders hoping to determine next steps in their career, whether it’s the strategies and skills needed to move up the management ladder or the resources to start their own business. The Balance Life and Business Hub gives participants resources and ideas for managing both the demands of business and life successfully (and happily). The Establish My Legacy Hub discusses the hoops and hurdles of succession planning or selling a business entirely. Finally, the Build My Bottom Line Hub shares struggles and triumphs of strategies that make the right tweaks for a great (and more profitable) business: more effective marketing, getting rid of unprofitable products, increasing margins, and successfully developing staff.

To learn more and register, please visit www.AmericanHort.org/NextLevel AmericanHort has also secured great conference hotel rates. To receive these rates, please book hotel rooms by December 28. |||

A Moment of Silence I was a little late getting to this column, the last week or so being quite busy for a November, but that’s only part of the excuse. The other part was that, to be frank, I was having a hard time coming up with a compelling topic. Call it writer’s block, what have you, my mind was blank.

Then came 13 November, and Paris. And suddenly I had no shortage of thoughts.

I am calm but I am angry. And I am sad, so very sad… How many dates will we need to memorialize before, as a society , we say, enough is enough?

I certainly have had my differences of opinion with French policy in the past, but on this I am resolutely with them, and I hope that they embark on a course of action that will begin to cut this cancer out of our world.

And I pray, and hopefully not in vain, that my own country will stand with them. Someone needs to lead the world against the pure evil that is behind these events.

Lip service and token gestures are only going to lead to more horrific headlines, more mourning, and more fear. Whatever may happen next, a life lived in fear is nothing but a shadow of what it should be. If we succumb to fear we deserve whatever comes after. I don’t care where you are, Paris, London, Amsterdam, Rome, New York, Washington, or Los Angeles, this applies to all of us.

I appreciate that this publication is about horticulture, plants and flowers. Nothing could be more peaceful in intent and consequence.

What we do delights people, fills a very real space in all of our lives.

What happened in Paris has nothing to do with what we do, but it has everything to do with how we are going to live, and that makes this column relevant no matter what publication saw it published.

There is very little else I feel like saying, aside from that takeaway from Great Britain and the Blitz…it’s been trivialized into meaningless bumper stickers, but perhaps now all of us can better appreciate its import….

‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ Yes, we will….

John Ingwersen graduated with a degree in marketing from Georgetown University in 1990, and founded Jungle Jack’s, Inc. in 1995. sales@junglejacksthailand.com

December 2015 | www.FloraCultureInternational.com

13

14

FloraHolland Trade Fair organisers have reasons to smile. Trade show manager Wilma van Straalen told FCI that the 3-day event blew away previous attendance records. Over 15,000 breeders, growers, exporters, florists and wholesalers accompanied by their customers attended trade fair this year, up from 14,000 in 2014.

by Ron van der Ploeg

Record attendance confirmed for FloraHolland Trade Fair

I

nnovation took centre stage, business deals were made and the overall atmosphere was upbeat. “Businesses are more confident about the future,” said Van Straalen. She added, “The stands looked more beautiful than ever, while the atmosphere this year was extremely good and positive.”

Approximately15,000visitorswere registered, setting a record for the show. Nearly 750 exhibitors from home and abroad exhibited their latestproductsandservices,including 470 plant growers, 180 flower growers,50breeders,seventrading companies and another 50 'added value' stands. All the participants shared the 25,000m2 trade fair floor for three days.

Making its début this year was the FloraHolland House, the ‘Home of Opportunities’, which

occupied pride of place right in the middle of the show. There industry professionals could meet toexchangeideasandtodiscussthe latest trends and challenges for the

ornamentals industry worldwide.

The 2015 focus was on spectacular plant novelties, new cut flowers andsmartmerchandisingconcepts.

Here are FCI’s highlights:

Inca Orchids roll out scented orchid product line The orchid family comprises some 750 genera, almost 20,000 species and many thousands more hybrids. They are well-known for their exotic blooms and intriguing growing habits, but not particularly noted for their fragrance. Until now. Inca Orchids, also known under the name Van der Goes Orchids, announced the release of their scented orchid product line in time for holiday sales.

The fragrant Cambria, Miltonia, Brassia and Oncidium, join the company’s expanding line of specialty orchids that also includes Zygopetalum, Miltoniopsis, Miltonidium, Colmanara, Burrageara, Bratonia and Beallara.

Coming in a 9cm pot are the scented orchids in shades of pink and violet, while other colour mixes are available in 12cm pots.

Plans for adding bottled orchid perfume are underway but not easy to realise as perfume manufacturers are known for operating 'selective' distribution policies.

The quality and intensity of the fragrance depends on daytime, light conditions and the flowering stage of the plant: in the early

morning hours, in partial shade and in an advanced flowering stage, plants will smell much better. Shelf life is between 6 to 8 weeks. The merchandising concept comprises a special, multi-language plant label and packaging.

These plants, which were originally bred by several European orchid breeders, are grown in different quantities per week depending on the pot size and are available for order now.

Inca Orchids is a family-run orchid business managed by second generation Hans van der Goes.

The Van der Goes family grows up to 900,000 orchid plants per year. Sales representative Robbin

www.FloraCultureInternational.com | December 2015

van Paassen is excited to be adding the scented product line to Inca Orchids’ already extensive portfolio and said feedback at the FloraHolland Trade Fair has been very positive. “We generated a great deal of interest in our

scented orchids and obtained many qualified leads.” ||| Modelling Inca Orchids’ newlylaunched scented orchid product line are sales manager René van der Tas (left) and sales representative Robbin van Paassen.

2015

FloraHolland Trade Fair Recap Making pot chrysanthemums more seductive You’d better not ask pot chrysanthemum grower Hans van Leeuwen from Lionplant in Honselersdijk about product sales right after the All Saint’s period. He believes it only reinforces the plant’s image as a quintessential sympathy flower.

Pot Chrysanthemums are the perfect house plant for any time of year according to Van Leeuwen, who says it’s time to revisit the plant’s image. He draws a comparison between a coffee in the average coffee shop and a self-brewed cup of Senseo coffee. “The latter may be more expensive but customers are willing to pay extra for a coffee that doesn’t disappoint,” Van Leeuwen said. ”The trick is to make our pot chrysanthemums more seductive, so we only select the best varieties with large flowers, sturdy stems, long shelf life, bold colours, uniform plant habit and strong leaves. These are sold under the Chrysanne brand which comprises both disbudded

Nova Zembla and spray Zembla Chrysanthemums in pot.”

Lionplant works together with a company that has found a way to dye Chrysanne plants in all colours of the rainbow. “It’s a specialty job and you need skilled people, but the results are phenomenal,” said Van Leeuwen.

Another major trend that has continued is glittering pot Chrysanthemums. “Russian consumers simply love it,” Van Leeuwen said, adding that his Chrysanne pot mums were real show stoppers at Moscow’s FlowersExpo trade show in September even though the Russian export market is under pressure. |||

Senecio Aquarine Mount Everest reaches new heights The FloraHolland Trade Fair remains a very houseplant-focused show with Phalaenopsis being one of the most prominent features.

And for all the orchid beauty on display, it was also refreshing to see some less mainstream indoor plants, for example Senecio Aquarine Mount Everest grown by Winden-Erica BV in Erica, the Netherlands.

Pictured left to right are Tom van Winden and Berry van der Zwet.

Native to East Africa, this Senecio ficoides (syn. Curio ficoides) knows something about hot conditions. Flower breeders have retooled it, improving stem length and plant habit. WindenErica BV is one of the few plant nurseries to exclusively grow and sell this plant under the brand name Senecio Aquarine Mount Everest and the company’s sales manager Berry van der Zwet said it is not an easy crop to grow: “But we have learned a thing or two about it. The single hardest thing is producing good transplants which are started from cuttings taken from own motherstock. Proper watering is also vital.”

Senecio Aquarine Mount Everest makes for an ideal houseplant brightening any living space with its silvery blue-grey foliage. It thrives in full sun, but also in

light shade and tolerates cold and warm temperatures ranging between 5˚ and 30˚C. It requires little maintenance and only needs to be watered once every four weeks (winter) or once every two weeks (summer).

The plant is a natural beauty with stylish appearance that is grown in 15cm and 17cm pots.

The company also stocks a range of added value plants, already potted into decorative ceramic/ plastic pots and cylinder vases ready for re-sale.

Run by the Van Winden family since 1956, the 12ha greenhouse business carries specialty houseplants such as Zamioculcas in 14, 17 and 21cm pots (7ha), bedding plants such as Viola, Bellis perennis and Pelargonium (4ha) and Senecio Aquarine Mount Everest (1ha) which are sold under the joint Royal Green brand. |||

December 2015 | www.FloraCultureInternational.com

15

16

2 shades of cut hyacinths On the eve of the 2015/2016 season, cut hyacinth producers Mark van Paridon and Job Pennings launched their new two-toned Magic Hyacinths. Attendees at the FloraHolland Trade Fair were hungry for details about this new product in development, details that both growers prefer to keep secret. With consumers constantly looking for fresh ways to add colour and beauty to their indoor spaces, Magic Hyacinths have the potential to gain their fair share in the market.

All that is known about the development stage the product has been in for two years is that the highly-popular cut hyacinth 'Delft's Blue' and its mutant ‘China Pink’ are used for blue-red and white-red colour patterns respectively.

There are also plans for creating a green cut hyacinth by using the same, secrete method of dyeing.

The growers stressed that they will keep an eye on good balance between supply and demand, while targeting the high end of the market.

The first flowers should be available for order mid-December 2015. |||

‘Tea at its freshest’ Around the world, consumers have been expressing an increasing preference for growing and producing their own food and drinks. In response to this trend, the Vireõ group of Aalsmeer-based plant nurseries has been seeking out opportunities for the consumer to pick his or her own tea. Using its ‘Tea at its Freshest’ tagline, the company’s neat new herb merchandising caught the eye of many show-goers.

Uptown Kalanchoes Kalanchoe Diamond is targeting an exclusive, highend service and image. For many years, Kalanchoe breeder, propagator and grower Stefan Slijkerman from Heerhugowaard, the Netherlands, questioned himself about where his product sits in relation to the total market.

“We wanted to move more toward a high end position and that’s how we teamed up with Amsterdam-based diamond company Gassan. The latter provides diamond dust, the leftover material from cutting diamonds,” Slijkerman said.

While its traditional use in blade saws, nail files and flat screens (research has revealed that these microscopic diamond particles emit electrons at a lower voltage than other know substances), Slijkerman adds the dust to his potting mix. Although it has not been scientifically established, the dust is believed to extend the plants’ shelf life to 10 weeks. Storytelling techniques and a sleeve with three-dimensional and holographic effects should give the Diamond brand credibility and personality. |||

www.FloraCultureInternational.com | December 2015

Grown in biodegradable, D-Grade pots from Desch Plantpak, and according to the standards of the MPS Fruit & Vegetables label, the concept comprises a gift bag including two potted herbs: mint (Mentha) and lemon verbena (Lippia citriodora/syn.Aloysia citrodora).

Vireõ sales representative Pieter Middelkoop looks back on a very successful show where he generated a great deal of interest in the new concept: “We received a lot of positive feedback from exporters and supermarket alike. Experience

tells us, however, that the ‘incubation time’ of these new concepts is quite long and can take more than two years. But the interest was genuine and we even gathered some useful tips. Initially, the tender-leaved herbs were packed in closed bags leading to concerns over the plant’s shelf life. So we now have decided to market the plants in open bags.”

What’s more is that the herbs, especially mint, can be used for everything, not just a fusty cup of tea but also for tasty and tropical mojitos! |||

2015

FloraHolland Trade Fair Recap Big and pearly-white Gaultherias make ideal evergreen groundcovers that combine delicate flowers and attractive berries. Standing out for their rich green, alternative leaves, they are great house and patio plants too. The genus was named in 1735 by Carl Linnaeus to honor Dr Gaulthier, a physician in Quebec City. Members of the rhododendron family (Ericaceae), Gaultherias are native to eastern and southern Asia, North and South America, and Australasia.

There are over 180 species within the genus with Gaultheria procumbens being the most noted one for making exciting additions to winter container displays. White berries were unique to Gaultheria mucronata.

Until now. Special Plant Zundert BV proudly presented its first white berry Gaultheria procumbens ‘White Pearl’ and the company’s Siebe Feenstra believes there is definitely room in the market. “Gaultheria mucronata and Gaultheria procumbens are two completely different plants. The first one has stiff, upright branches and

has a somewhat wiry spreading growth, while Gaultheria procumbens features a more spreading plant habit, broader leaves and big berries. Absolutely a first in procumbens however are the white coloured berries which, so far, only existed in red and deep pink.”

Most Gaultheria plants have either male or female flowers and both are needed if you wish to get a good display of berries.

Breeder Johan Jansen was not at hand to say if this is also the case with Gaultheria procumbens ‘White Pearl’. They will be available for order Autumn 2016. |||

Like a virgin FloraHolland’s Flower Handling Services specialise in import handling and cold storage of fresh cut flowers. “After a long haul flight flowers are immediately unpacked from their shipping boxes and prepared for the auction,” explained FloraHolland’s Frans Pakvis.

He added that among his few hundred customers is Panocal, a

36ha rose farm which is ideally located at an altitude of 6000

feet in Kenya’s Kitale region on the slopes of Mt. Elgon, not far from the Uganda-Kenya border on the equator.

Founded in 1996 by Mr Paul Wekesa, the Panocal farm is committed to quality and sustainability. Panocal is MPS SQ, MPS A and FFP certified and produces around 60 million stems/year of cut roses for the European market.

Auctioned off in the first week of November by FloraHolland in the Netherlands, the farm’s first batches of ‘Glacier+’ made a blooming debut achieving an average price of €0,30 for 50cm stem lengths.

Occupying pride of place at both the FloraHolland Trade Fair and the IFTF, the newly launched rose uses its ‘Truly White’ tagline and Pakis believes this description is without exaggeration.

“Not only is the rose pure white, it also has a relatively long vase

life. We used the FloraHolland Trade Fair to promote and sell the new rose and made valuable contact with the Dutch exporters who tend to be somewhat skeptical about new white roses which often are easily damaged during transport. However, Mr Wekesa was at hand at both trade fairs and received good feedback from customers and merchants.”

The new ‘Glacier +’, bred by Dümmen Orange, is a quintessential import rose from Africa and should compete with other white rose varieties such as ‘Athena’ and ‘Proud’ but differentiates itself by its virgin white colour, large heads and high petal count.

Stem lengths vary from 40, 50 to 60cm and they generally come in wraps of 10 stems. Available all year round at the FloraHolland auction clocks, expected sales volumes are 2,000 stems/day. |||

December 2015 | www.FloraCultureInternational.com

17

18

Out of the Vase Launched by the Israeli flower corporation Aviv (with Aviv Flowers branches in the Netherlands and Germany) in close cooperation with FloraHolland, the Out of the Vase contest is the brainchild of Aviv CEO Mr Moshe Peretz and was one of the highlights of this year’s FloraHolland Trade Fair.

The inaugural Out of the Vase competition provided examples of how to accurately blend fresh cut flowers with contemporary design. Invited to participate were 15 students from design schools in15 countries.

The grand prize winners were announced at a glittering awards ceremony on November 5th with first prize winner, American Jody Lee taking home $10,000!

Lee is studying at the renowned Fashion Institute & Technology in New York. She is majoring in

fashion design with a specialization in knitwear. In the 'Out of the Vase' competition she represented Dutch floral wholesale company FleuraMetz.

Ending second and third were graphic designer Nuushi Haranda from Japan and fashion designer Annika Geiger from Germany.

Mr Peretz explained that the main objective behind the new event is to spur innovation, and to think differently (out of the box/vase), unconventionally and

from a new perspective.

For the Aviv company the contest was a perfect tool to promote their range of top quality, niche-type flowers which are sold under the Harmonie brand.

A catwalk show, held in Cultra Square, marked the event’s grand finale. Models in floral evening gowns, cocktail dresses and beach outfits trod a walkway as African music echoed off the sumptuous and dazzlingly colourful arrangements of Aviv’s specialty flowers. |||

Packaging improvement for more Anthurium sales The FloraHolland Trade Fair gave Bouman Anthurium from Bleiswijk, the Netherlands an excellent opportunity to showcase their new EASYunPACK packaging for cut Anthuriums. It vaguely reminded us of the Flowerfix packaging which was introduced in 2008 by former Anthurium grower and breeder Dirk Jan van der Stoep.

The main benefits - less tape and less damage - are the same, but what's new with EASYunPACK is that individual cardboard cards are no longer needed.

The bottom of the EASYunPACK boxes are pre-cut with thirteen individual, tight-fit slots allowing growers and their customers to easily slide the flower stems in and out respectively.

Bouman Anthuriums has protected its invention with a patent and has released a video presenting the EAS-

www.FloraCultureInternational.com | December 2015

YunPACK design. It explains how unpacking anthuriums in the traditional way takes 3 minutes whereas with an EASYunPACK box the job is done in less than 30 seconds.

In June, Bouman introduced its novelty packaging under FloraHolland’s florists’clock. It not only created buzz but also helped to generate demand among retail florists. For them, no extra costs are involved. ||| Click here to view the video.

2015

FloraHolland Trade Fair Recap FloraHolland House The new FloraHolland House hosted a top-notch educational programme covering diverse and timely topics appropriate for key players in the ornamental horticulture industry. Providing an interesting overview of the magic world of flower arranging was Dutch German floral designer Florian Seyd. Remy Steijger shared his expertise on social media marketing with a particular focus on Pinterest.

Trend watcher Adjiedj Bakas gave an energetic and positive presentation on Thursday, November 5, during which he encouraged his audience to do things differently. Provocative and positive as always, he stressed the importance of change. 'Shift happens' is one of his well-known expressions. |||

All is rosy for Avance roses Frank van der Meijs and his brothers Robin and Bart and Daan are members of third generation rose growers from Maasland who are taking up the fight against the flooding of the Dutch markets with low-cost roses from Africa and South America. They chose to diversify in premium quality roses by using clean and state of the technologies and investing in optimal light levels and CO2 fertilisation.

Frank can look back on a successful Trade Fair. “We had a great FloraHolland Trade Fair and made valuable contacts with new an repeated customers. The three-day event gave us a chance to communicate our Avance

brand message emphasizing the core values of our company. Our commitment to building strong business relationships gives us the flexibility to meet customers’ short and long-term needs alike.”

Creating a visual anchor, a

much photographed giant rose heart- drew visitors into the Avance booth were the Van der Meijs family highlighted other major benefits of the company.

Following the successful increase of light levels at their Maasland-based greenhouses, the company decided to also optimise the use of supplemental lighting at their production location in Berkel en Rodenrijs.

“We increased the light levels by 50 percent to 260 µmol. We believe this can give a significant boost to our crop which was planted eight years ago. Our 1000W High Pressure Sodium lamps currently provide the optimal light level for photosynthesis resulting in sturdier stems, stronger flower colour and an increase in side shoots. They allow us to harvest premium quality roses from the same crop

for another five years.”

Founded by Jos (60) and Joke (59) van der Meijs in 1979, the Avance rose farm is highly committed to environmentally responsible and sustainable growing; CO2 fertilisation captured from the CHP engines and partly sourced from Shell’s OCAP (Organic Carbon Dioxide for the Assimilation of Plants) plant in the port of Rotterdam provides the perfect greenhouse climate.

Annual production currently stands in excess of 15 million stems/year. Almost all of the Avance roses are destined for export sales with customers in as far afield as Russia.

Growing roses over two production sites, Robin and Frank are responsible for the nursery in Berkel and Rodenrijs, while his twin brothers Bart and Daan are running the Maasland branch. |||

December 2015 | www.FloraCultureInternational.com

19

20

Mother Bromelia and her Bromini child Already sure to be a crowd pleaser at baby showers is the mother-and-child merchandising concept by Rip Bromini BV from Pijnacker. Nancy Rip, married to the 4th generation of the Rip family, explained that it is actually two products in one: a finished saleable Bromelia in a 12cm pot wrapping its protective leaves around a bromini in 5.5cm pot that sits in a flower pot holder.

The Rip family has been serving the horticultural industry since 1930. Their love for plants is deeply rooted in the company’s mission which also includes a paragraph on environmentally responsible and sustainable growing. “Actually, we have teamed up with our neighbour tropical foliage plant grower Leon Ammerlaan to make use of geothermal heat and save at least 15 percent gas,” explained Rip who added that at the core of today’s business are miniature pot bromelias in 5.5cm pots and sold under the Bromini brand name. Almost all of the company’s plants are sold through FloraHolland’s intermediary service Connect. |||

DFG honours outstanding horticultural entrepreneurship The Dutch Flower Group (DFG) hosted its annual Dutch Flower Awards Ceremony at the FloraHolland Trade Fair on Thursday November 5, honouring the great and good of the flower world. This year’s winners of the Dutch Flower Awards are: J.W. Knoppert & Zn., Solis Plant and Afriflora from Ethiopia.

Nine cut flower and ornamental plant growers battled it out to win DFG’s prestigious Dutch Flower Award, which identifies successful and growing companies. Now in its 14th year, the prestigious accolade recognises hard working, outstanding horticultural entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence and extraordinary success in areas such as innovation, product quality, supply chain management and commitment to sustainability efforts.

All candidates are suppliers with whom the Dutch Flower Group has a tried and tested relationship.

J.W. Knoppert & Zn. from ’s-Gravenzande was named DFG’s most valuable cut flower supplier, while the pot plant grower with the highest added value this year is Solis Plant, also based in 's-Gravenzande, the Netherlands.

DFG deemed the Ethiopia-based rose farm Afriflora as the most valuable foreign supplier.

Now in its second year, the Preferred Partner Award recognises supply chain partners for the dedication and forwardlooking perspective they use in working together with the DFG companies.

www.FloraCultureInternational.com | December 2015

Earning this year’s award was packaging company Van Dongen-De Jong/ Twinpack .

On the afternoon of Thursday November 5, at the DFG stand of the FloraHolland Trade Fair Aalsmeer, DFG CEO Marco van Zijverden revealed the names of the winners while stressing that collaboration with growers is DFG’s priority.

Commenting on the company’s latest business performance Van Zijverden said that this year’s growth will be around 7 percent, increasing the turnover for 2015 to a value of €1.35 billion. Over the next few months, DFG will aim their efforts at development of talent, sustainability, innovation and increased cooperation within DFG companies and partners in the supply chain.

Dutch Flower Group is a global family of companies. Together, they are a leading player in the import, export, trade and marketing of fresh cut flowers, bouquets, plants and decorative greens.

With 2,200 employees, the Dutch Flower Group serves customers in 60 countries worldwide. |||

2015

FloraHolland Trade Fair Recap Best Stand Award FloraHolland’s Inger van IJzeren announced the winners of the Best Stand Award during a cocktail reception at the FloraHolland House on Thursday, November 5.

There were three categories of competitors: cut flower growers, ornamental plant growers and breeders. Vanda orchid grower Steef van Adrichem

took the crown in the cut flower category. High-end department stores were the inspiration for his winning stand design which includedg full

vision retail display counters for showcasing the company’s luxurious Vanique gift boxes.

Other category winners were patio plant growers Citrina and

Anthurium and orchid breeder/ propagator Anthura from Bleiswijk. |||

Borneo Exotics and JM Plants perfect their pitch!

Nepenthes (tropical pitcher plant) growers Borneo Exotics and Roland Meeuwisse had successfully practiced their pitch and it was clearly attractive enough to capitalize on several minutes of the FloraHolland Trade Fair visitors’ attention.

A 100% foreign-owned company incorporated in Sri Lanka under Section 17 of the Sri Lanka Board of Investment (BOI), Borneo Exotics are specialists in carnivorous Nepenthes. The company’s director, Diana Williams, was happy to announce that Nepenthes are once again receiving the attention that it deserves. “Up until the early 20th century, Nepenthes were hugely popular in cultivation, on a par with orchids, but after the onset of the first World War, they were almost totally lost to cultivation and largely forgotten until the early 1980s.”

Established in 1997, Borneo Exotics is the horticultural centre for the production and export of artificially propagated Nepenthes and is reviving one of the most fascinating examples of the diversity of Earth's flora. The

new craze for Nepenthes comes at a time when tissue culture technology makes it possible to produce unlimited number of plants without negatively impacting wild Nepenthes populations.

Williams said that much of the firm’s effort is directed towards producing horticulturally selected varieties featuring beautiful characteristics and an ease-ofgrowth never seen before. The result of their breeding work was on display at the FloraHolland Trade Fair where the company shared a stand with Dutch Nepenthes grower Roland Meeuwisse who specialises in the large scale production of Nepenthes. Together they are leading the revival of Nepenthes cultivation.

After 15 years of intensive R&D, the breeding results are evident with new varieties such as

‘Lady Luck’, ‘Suki’ and ‘Susan’ conquering the global market. All of their Nepenthes are protected with Plant Breeders’s Rights (PBR).

Catching the eye of many show-goers was the DIY Mini Bio-Dome (MBD) growing system. Nepenthes baby plants in a coir-fiber plug come in a plastic dome that is small enough to fit on a windowsill. Plants need to be watered occasionally and should be placed in a spot with indirect sunlight, while adding some household orchid fertilizer once a month. After six months they reach their mature growing stage, having grown out of the hole. These Nepenthes can even be grown indoors under an LED reading light, on a desk or table. |||

December 2015 | www.FloraCultureInternational.com

21

22

Colombia Industryprofessionalsflock to 2015 Proflora show T Asocolflores has hailed its Proflora show a success. The organisers reported nearly 3,000 visitors attended the show which was held at Bogotá’s Corferias Convention Centre from October 28- 30, 2015.

he latest novelties in roses, carnationsandAlstroemerias were among the stars on display at Proflora this year. The annual event brought together over 6,500 key stake holders in the flower industry, from 60 countries.

Colombian Vice-President Mr GermánVargasLlerasopenedtheshow as the special guest of honour.

Large infrastructure projects

by Jaap Kras

In his welcome address for the opening of the 13th Proflora show Vargas Lleras provided a robust assessment of planned investment in Colombia’s large infrastructure projects and programmes. Billiondollar road and rail projects were toutedbeingthebiggestdriversfor growthandforeigninvestmentover the next decade, with a comprehensivepipelineofprojectsalready established.

These projects will change the face of the fourth-largest economy in Latin America after Brazil, Mexico and Argentina and will bolster its competitiveness. “Flowers are

Armada’s Gerard Lentjes (left) said that the Proflora show was fantastic, giving his company an excellent opportunity to showcase their newest range of Chrysanthemums.

www.FloraCultureInternational.com | December 2015

Carnations rank among the cash crop of the Colombian flower industry.

our nation’s best ambassadors, and this is an industry that needs to be celebrated, nurtured and developed,” said Vargas Lleras who added that Colombian floriculture is the prime example of an industry whereworkersaretreatedwell,have employment rights and enjoy high job satisfaction.

Vargas Ileras also touched on the passing of a decade of revaluation and the much needed respite the current exchange rate will give the nation’s flower farmers after their long challenging stint of shifting rates.

The Vice President concluded his speech by expressing hopes for better times poised upon the nation’s flower-industry horizon and on promising prospects for more robust production that will trigger job growth across the Colombian countryside.

his audience of an important milestone: Colombia’s flower exports to the United States marked their 50th anniversary on October 18th.

On that day, half a century ago, industry pioneer Edgar Wells sent the veryfirstshipmentofflowersvalued at just USD $20,000 to the USA. Solano Mejía went on to highlight the socio-economic strides the Colombian flower industry has made and to praise Lucie de Vélez’s decades of social action contributions to the Colombian flower industry.

50th anniversary

AsocolfloresPresident,MrAugusto SolanoMejíaalsospoke,reminding

The new brand name Dümmen Orange made its début.

Proflora Quality Competition.

During the ceremony, John Vaughan received a Lifetime Achievement Award, and the brand new video entitled Colombia, Land of Flowers was rolled out for the nearly 1.000 attendees.

Click here to view the video.

Vital industry

In 2015, more than 400 flower farms, many of which do not directly export their product, employed 120,000 people. Colombia is the second largest exporter of fresh cut flowers in the world and anticipatesoverallcutflowerexport sales to total US$ 1,5 billion this year. The bulk of Colombia grown cut flowers go to the United States (US$ 1 billion), the UK, Russia, Japan and Canada. The flower industry constantly reinvents itself, with (retail) shelf-ready bouquets for the US marketplace represent-

ing nearly 40% of the daily trade.

The area dedicated to commercial flower production in Colombia is 6900 ha. with the Cundinamarca region boasting 75% of the production, while 20% of the flowers are grown in Antioquia (Medellín) and some 5% in the Cali area.

Among the cash crops are roses, standard carnations, Chrysanthemums and Alstroemerias.

Alstroemerias

On the subject of Alstroemerias, an increasing number of growers specialise in the Inca lily which over the past few years has seen its production area dramatically increase.

FCI had the honour of speaking with Lucie Vélez and her son Daniel. In the hilly valley of the Teusacá River, 35 km north east of Bogotá Daniel runs his 10 ha.

Suasuque farm. He and his father,

the renowned late Ernesto Vélez, swapped carnations and roses for Alstroemerias in the 1990s. Daniel said the price setting of his flowers are good but finding skilled and dedicated workers remains challenging as the Colombian country sideisdepopulatingatarapidpace.

Don Eloy Rosas has seven flower shops in Bogotá.

Olij Breeding general manager Philippe Veys.

Asocolflores President Augusto Solano Mejía.

December 2015 | www.FloraCultureInternational.com

23

24

Colombia An American in Bogotá Now that the music ringing in his ears has calmed down and the first cups of coffee taking effect, our man in the United States, William Armellini is able to say that Proflora was a fabulous show.

“Bogotá is a lovely city. The people are warm and inviting and the weather for this show was as well. I have been traveling to Bogotá since the late 1980s and there are many visible changes. First of all the weather is warmer and the humidity lower so global warming is evident and no doubt has forced growers to change some of their growing practices. The other obvious change over the last 10 years was the absence of police and military personnel on nearly every corner. Their presence was comforting and alarming at the same time. A positive result was the reduction in petty crime, fast forward to today and the situation is quite different. The petty crime has increased and in a paradoxical way it shows that this country is safer than the past and perhaps no worse than Miami or any major city.

The Proflora show is a big deal so there was grand opening with speeches and awards. It seems that the organizers have learned from past experience not to have every politician in Bogotá give a lengthy speech. This time the Vice President of Colombia told us in great detail about the infrastructure improvements that are planned in Colombia. The most interesting to me was a new airport called Eldorado II. It was not clear to me if this was a totally new airport or an expansion of the existing one. (which is what I expect). The other news about new roads, more bridges and more lanes was no doubt good news to those living in Bogotá because the traffic is simply awful but somehow it all works.

The show floor was filled with more exhibitors than the past and the quality of the booths has set the bar high for future shows. What´s new everyone ask? I am not a florist so my view was perhaps influenced by the beautiful lady's decorating the booths that pretend to be part of the business. I am not sure they really result in any additional business, but I admit they are a pleasant distraction.

To read my full review and see all of the many images please click here.”

Stunning Gypsophila varieties by Danziger.

Socio-environmental programmes

Daniel agrees with Asocolflores President Solano Mejía, who explained that the flower industry is not only important for hard currency coming from exports but also for providing work to women in rural areas: the sector accounts for 25% of the total employment and has the highest employment rate among agriculture activities in Colombia.

The Colombian floriculture industry is committed to socioenvironmentalprogrammesaiming atbetterhousing,education,health care, child care and welfare for workers.

Don Eloy Rosas

When Mr Solano Mejía referred to Colombia’s flower industry, marking its 50th anniversary, FCI made a short trip down memory lane as well. In 1965, Flores Colombianas Ltd. exported its first harvest of carnations to the USA. At that time, Don Miguel de GermánRibon grew garden and cut roses Roses galore.

www.FloraCultureInternational.com | December 2015

for the local market on his farm La Conchita. Today, his children own nine flower shops under the name ‘Don Eloy Rosas’ of which seven are located in Bogotá.

Santiago de Germán-Ribon was so kind to take FCI around one of his recentlyopenedflowershopswhere over 70% of the buyers are men. He explained, “Both young and older men purchase flowers as a gift.”

De Germán-Ribon showed design packaging boxes in his flower shop where he also sells French wines and other gifts. “We work accordingtoathematicapproachcombining flowers with French flair. This month’s theme is Alstroemeria, which means that it will be difficult to find any other cut flower in our shop window.”

Proflora organizers, Mr Augusto Solano Mejía and Jairo Cadavid were complimented on ‘a great show. According to Proflora Director Ms Cristina Uricoechea this was the best and most successful Proflora to date. |||

Christmas

Celebrate Christmas with bulb flowers!

Cheerfully fragrant flowers such as tulips, amaryllis, hyacinths and buttercups are perfect for the job. Their lively shapes and refined Christmas colours will infuse your home with Christmas spirit, especially when combined with cheerfully coloured pots or attractive Christmas decorations.

Christmas celebration with bulb flowers

V

arious Christmas colours have been in vogue over the past years. Pastel colours, neon colours, bright colours – they all got their spotlight dance. But nostalgia maintains its permanent charm: traditional red and white in a modern outfit is immeasurably pleasing! Round it off with fresh pots and white

or silver Christmas decorations.

A touch of days gone by creates wonderful feelings.

Snow white

The colour white, always highly popular around Christmas, symbolises a number of things, including the snow that the cold season brings. Outside,

the weather is bleak and cold, but indoors, things are warm and cosy. White bulb flowers such as tulips, buttercups, amaryllis and hyacinthslookabsolutelygorgeous in grey or matching white pots – it emphasisesthepure,whiteflowers.

Add some artificial snow, a Christmas star or some Christmas lights, and you’ll have a wellspring of pure Christmas feeling. |||

December 2015 | www.FloraCultureInternational.com

25

26

Show organiser HPP is pleased to announce an increase in attendance at the annual International Floriculture Trade Fair (IFTF) held November 4-6, 2015 at the Expo Haarlemmermeer convention centre in Vijfhuizen, the Netherlands.

by Ron van der Ploeg

IFTF 2015 celebrates success in Vijfhuizen A

ttendancepeakedonFriday, the last day of the show, ending IFTF on a high note.

Show organiser HPP is delighted by thepositivefeedbackreceivedfrom visitors and exhibitors. “We have just had our best IFTF ever. Within the first hours of opening on Wednesday,wehadrecordnumbers of visitors through the doors. The second day and the last day were equally busy,” said HPP CEO Dick van Raamsdonk.

The 2015 IFTF hosted 253 exhibitors. The atmosphere was clearly upbeat with a sizeable number of buyers from new, distant countries.

The show saw a remarkable decline in buyers visiting from Russia, but HPP added that overall visitor numbers were higher than in 2014.

Over 27,000 industry professionals from the world’s €7 billion flower and plant sector packed the aisles at Expo Haarlemmermeer to do business with the industry’s

most innovative fresh cut flower suppliers. The event also offered an excellent opportunity to see the newest trends in technology, suppliesandequipmentforornamental horticulture. With a record number

of exhibitors already rebooked for the 2016 show, IFTF couldn’t be in a better position Van Raamsdonk said, adding thanks to all visitors, exhibitorsandtradeassociationsfor their continuing support. |||

FotoCCar Exhibitor Pierre Demesmaeker from Vlezenbeek, Belgium, owner and director of Inter-Arbo/FotoCCar was equally upbeat about the show’s success, saying: “We have done our share of trade shows this year and IFTF was successful in providing quality of leads and results.”

Demesmaeker’s main activity is the production of quality nursery stock products and forestry planting stock grown from seed and rooted cuttings. Albeit a side business, commercial Christmas tree production also largely contributes to Inter-Arbo’s annual revenue.

Yet, considerable uncertainty about future sales remain. “Lowcost airlines are now among our biggest competitors with more and more choosing to spend their Christmas in the sun, the snow or in European cities,” said Demes-

www.FloraCultureInternational.com | December 2015

maeker. The Christmas tree sales are waning, slowly slipping through our fingers. Meanwhile, we are increasingly specialising in jumbo Christmas trees from 5 to 25 metres used for decorating town squares and government buildings. Here, it all boils down to size with a fierce competition among counsels for the biggest and best Christmas tree.”

Meanwhile Demesmaeker has set up another side venture that is quickly expanding: FotoCCar. “The idea began with a problem

that needed to be solved. For all the beauty of the plants produced at my nursery, I hadn’t found the right way to accurately photograph and reflect the product’s size, shape and quality to ensure sales and customer satisfaction. Then, FotoCCar was born. Demesmaeker said, “FotoCCar is comprised of an aluminum photo backdrop in white or blue and a set of rulers for height and width. All this can be easily mounted onto a Danish CC trolley. Available to order in both centimeter and inch models.” |||

2015

International Floriculture Trade Fair Recap Inaugural World of Flowers doesn’t disappoint IFTF was the first to introduce an exciting floral fair for today’ professional florist, which it dubbed ‘World of Flowers’. The International Florist Association (Florint), Green Team Consultancy+, Oasis, Chrysal, floral designer Pim van den Akker and the Flower Council of Holland embarked on the collaborative initiative with IFTF which brought floristry back into the spotlight.

With nearly 700 registered florists in attendance, the show surpassed all expectations.

The educational programme was jam-packed and focused on the Millennial Shoppers, born between 1980 and 2000, representing both the 20th century’s last generation and its first truly digital one.

"Together we looked at this specific consumer segment," explained Michael Bourguignon of Florint. He added, "How do they look at flower shops? What trends do they consider important? What does that mean for our marketing? We presented all of those findings at IFTF, and we hope that will it have its effect on

florists’way of thinking.”

The best Dutch flower arranger of 2014, Dini Holtrop appeared on stage showing a host of wedding flowers evolved around four themes: winter, summer, romantic and ‘1001 nights’.

Fashion models Caroline and Roxi who thought it was an eye-opening experience. They

looked stunning, thanks in part to the gorgeous flower arrangements they carried, and were pleasantly surprised by how kind people were at the first flower show they ever visited. In fact, countless people wanted to be in a photo with the ‘brides’. |||

Royal recognition for De Ruiter Innovations BV Dutch rose breeder De Ruiter Innovations BV marked its 100th anniversary with a spectacular party in Hoofddorp for customers friends, and family from home and abroad.

Amstelveen’s mayor Mirjam Van ’t Veld was at hand to announce that HM King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands has granted the company royal recognition.

The royal status gives the grantee permission, and responsibility, for the display of the relevant royal crest in connection with the business, on official letterheads and other communications.

Company owners Henk de Groot and Oscar Peters proudly signed the documents stipulating the rules that govern the royal recognition. De Ruiter Innovations also

changed its name to Royal De Ruiter BV. Following the official ceremony, guests enjoyed a party on the evening of Wednesday, November 4, with music, dancing, food, drinks and entertainment.

Founded almost a century ago, De Ruiter has been working continuously on the breeding and improvement of roses. Originally a family business, De Ruiter has become a household name in cut rose breeding and propagation.

Additionally, De Ruiter played a pioneering role in the develop-

ment of miniature pot roses.

In addition to cut roses, De Ruiter runs breeding programmes for hip roses, field-grown cut roses, pot roses, patio roses and garden roses as well as cut and potted Hypericum. The key aspects of

plant health, productivity and uniformity, transport properties, colours, cultivation technology, environmental requirements and longevity are the foremost assessment criteria used by De Ruiter’s breeding department. |||

Bercomex happy with footfall Bercomex, a leading developer and manufacturer of solid- state grading and bunching machines for the floriculture sector has also expressed its delight at the 2015 IFTF footfall.

At this year’s show, the company proudly presented the result of its latest research and development: two new flower processing solutions built on the strength of proven technology platforms. On display was the FloraFit flower bunching line, a system for flower growers and processors who want to take the next step in quality improvement to operate

more effectively and reconfigure quickly when processing multiple types of flower. Its unique selling points are: easier input of flowers, de-leafing per stem and automatic bunching for a more consistent and uniform bunch quality. Bercomex also announced its retooled Rosematic.

The machine’s new configuration de-leafs per stem and is fitted

with sliding gutters which allow rose growers to bundle the sorted roses as they wish. The system can also be fitted with a UV light module to combat botrytis.

Sales of the company’s flagship machine, the Furora are going strong. Collaboration with various growers has ensured that the Furora is capable of sorting and bunching an increasingly wide

range of flowers. The Furora also has new capabilities: in addition to processing disbudded chrysanthemums, the Furora can now process spray chrysanthemums.

There is also a new facility to count the number of buds on lilies and the updated Furora can also process thicker stems of summer flowers such as ornamental Brassica and Helianthus. |||

December 2015 | www.FloraCultureInternational.com

27

28

International Events December 2015 1-2. Germany Fleuroselect Breeders and Young Plant Producers Conference at the Tryp Hotel in Ratingen, near Düsseldorf, Germany. www.fleuroselect.com 2-4. United States New England GROWS. Beginning this December, New England GROWS is moving to the week right after Thanksgiving. “Mark your calendar and set your expectations high, because we’re going to deliver the best GROWS experience ever and you won’t want to miss it,” promised the show organisers The event is set to take place from December 2-4, 2015 at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Centre. www.newenglandgrows.org 2-5. Turkey Growtech Eurasia at the Antalya Expo Centre. www.growtech.com.tr

2016 January 2016 6-8. United States MANTS (Mid-Atlantic Nursery Trade Show) at the Baltimore Convention Centre. www.mants.com 11. Belgium Hamamelis Festival at Kalmthout botanical gardens. www.arboreumkalmthout.be 15-24. Germany Grüne Woche, international green week Berlin. The world’s largest fair for food, agriculture and horticulture. www.gruenewoche.de 20-22. United States TPIE 2016 will take place January 20-22 in Fort Lauderdale, FL. www.tpie.org 26 to 29. Germany IPM Essen at the Messe Essen. info@ipm-essen.de www.ipm-essen.de February 2016 3 to 5. Germany Fruit Logistica Berlin, the world’s leading trade fair for the fresh fruit and vegetable business. www.fruitlogistica.de

16-18. France 31st Salon du Végétal at the Parc des Expositions in Angers, France. salon@bhr-vegetal.com www.salon-du-vegetal.com

16-20. Switzerland Giardina, the country’s leading home and garden show at the Messe Zürich convention centre. www.giardina.ch

24-26. Italy The 2nd edition of Myplant & Garden at the Fiera Milano RhoPero convention , Milan, Italy. www.myplantgarden.com

16 to 20. Australia Melbourne International Flower and Garden (MIFG) show at the Royal Exhibition Buildings Melbourne,Nicholson St Carlton www.melbflowershow.com.au

26-27. United Kingdom RHS London Botanical Art Show.

A celebration of botanical art and horticultural masterpieces from around the world. www.rhs.org.uk 25-27. Poland Gardenia,nurserystocktradeshow at Poznan’s International Fair. www.gardenia.mtp.pl March 2016 2 March. Belgium Florall. In 2014, Belgium’s leading trade show for the lifestyle horticulture industry was reduced to a one day event. www.florall.be 4 to 6. United States Northeast Floral Expo at the Sheraton Springfield Monarch Place Hotel Springfield, MA. www.northeastfloralexpo.com 5 to 13. United States 2016 Philadelphia International Flower Show at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Philadelphia. www.theflowershow.com 9 to 11. United States World Floral Expo in Los Angeles. www.hpp.nl 14-15. United States 36th Annual Congressional Action Days www.safnow.org 15 to 17. Sweden Nordic Flower Expo, MalmöMässan, Mässgatan 6, 215 32 Malmö, Sweden T +46 40 631 11 10 info@malmomassan.se www.nordicflowersexpo.com 17 March. China PMA Fresh Connections China in Shanghai. Access exclusive market insightsthatwillhelpyoucapitalize onChina'srapideconomicgrowth.

Build your network by connecting with Chinese retailers and importers. www.pma.com

www.FloraCultureInternational.com | December 2015

30 March – 1 April.

The Netherlands Tulip Trade Event www.tuliptradeevent.nl April 2016 1-2. United Kingdom RHS Spring Plant Extravaganza at the RHS Horticultural Halls.

Featuring the RHS London Orchid Show. www.rhs.org.uk 5-6 April. United States Fresh Connections Retail in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA Network with leading retailers, explore consumer trends and uncover new business opportunities. www.pma.org 9 to 14. United States California Spring Trials. www.horticultureevents.com 12-14. Ukraine Flower Expo Ukraine at the International Exhibition Centre (IEC) in Kiev, Ukraine. www.flowerexpo-ukraine.com 15-17. United Kingdom RHS Flower Show Cardiff at the Bute Park in Cardiff. www.rhs.org.uk 20 – 24 April. The Netherlands 69thFlowerParade(Bloemencorso van de Bollenstreek). This year’s theme is Flowers & Fashion. www.bloemencorso-bollenstreek.nl 22 April – 1 May. Belgium Floralies Ghent. Floralies Ghent will debuting as an outdoor plant and flower event in Kunstenkwartier of the city. www.floralien.be 23 April to 30 October. Turkey Expo2016Antalya,aninternational horticulturalexhibitiondevotedto nature, the environment, children andfuturegenerations.It’sanevent that revolves around the theme of ‘Children’, reinforced by cultural, historical and artistic activities. www.expo2016antalya.org.tr/en

25-29. Turkey CIOPORA's AGM 2016 will take place in Istanbul, Turkey, April 25-29. +49 40 555 63 702 www.ciopora.org 29 April to 15 May. Korea International Horticulture Goyang Korea 2016 10th International Flower Exhibition at Lake Park, Goyang City near Seoul. bom@flower.or.kr www.flower.or.kr 29 April to 16 October. China Tangshan International Horticultural Exposition 2016. www.tangshanexpo2016.com/ english/ www.aiph.org May 2016 5-8. United Kingdom RHS Malvern Spring Festival www.rhs.org.uk 11 to 12 May. Mexico Fresh Connections Mexico in León, Guanajuato, Mexico.

Tap into new business opportunities in Mexico and other global markets. Acquire solutionsforincreasedoperational productivity. www.pma.org 11 to 13. China 18th Hortiflorexpo IPM Beijing. www.hortiflorexpo.com 17-19 May. Australia Fresh Connections Australia and New Zealand in Brisbane, Australia. Get direct access to the movers and shakers of the Australasian fresh fruit, vegetable and floral industry. Stay ahead of yourcompetitionwithcutting-edge educationonthelatesttechnologies and global trends. www.pma.org 19-21. Azerbaijan Caspian Agro, the country’s largest agriculturaltradeshowtakingplace at the Baku Expo Center from May 19-21.

T +99412 447 4774 F +99412 447 8558 caspianagro@ceo.az www.caspianagro.az 24-28. United Kingdom RHS Chelsea Flower Show. www.rhs.org.uk

Congress

Grower associations from around the world met in Stresa, Italy, for the 67th Annual Congress of the International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH), sponsored

by Dashun International Flower Co.

AIPH debates key issues for growers M

embersandguestsheard presentations on the Italian ornamental horticultureindustryandwelcomedinto membership the Italian Nursery Exporters Association (ANVE).

President of ANVE, Marco Cappellini, along with Dr. Alberto Manzo from the Italian Ministry of Agriculture, Food & Forestry and Italian nursery expert Dr. Arturo Croci welcomed delegates to Italy.

Green City

During the Congress, held from 20-23 October, 2015, the vari-

ous Committees of the Association debated key issues facing the ornamentalplantandflowersector.

The AIPH Green City Committee, chaired by Karen Tambayong fromIndonesia,heardreportsfrom members regarding Green City initiatives in their own countries.

AIPH provides an international network for grower associations to share information and ideas on how to promote the use of plants in urban areas. AIPH is considering the development of new international green city guidelines and waystofurtherpromotecitygreening. Grower associations around the world now recognise this as essential activity for promoting the industry and the importance of plants in line with the purpose of AIPH which is to be ‘the world’s champion for the power of plants’.

Novelty protection

The AIPH Novelty Protection Committee heard from intellectual propertyexpertThomasLeidereiter on the importance of IP in the ornamentals industry and where this is going in the future with discussion on patents and other factorsimpactingonplantbreeders rights. Tim Edwards from the UK was elected as the new Chairman for this Committee during the Congress.

The AIPH Marketing & Exhibitions Committee, chaired by Kevin Chung from Chinese Taipei, plays an important global role in approving and monitoring International Horticultural Exhibitions. During 2016 there will be two AIPH approved exhibitions. One will be in Antalya (A1), Turkey and the other in Tangshan (A2/B1), China. Preparationsfortheseareprogressingwell and AIPH looks forward to celebrating the horticultural industry and seeing it shared with millions of visitors through these exhibitions nextyear.Progressreportswerealso received from Taichung, Chinese Taipei (2018/19), Beijing, China (2019) and Almere, Netherlands (2022).

New president and AIPH medals

During the Congress members elected Bernard Oosterom (Netherlands) as the new AIPH President, succeeding Vic Krahn (Canada) and Tim Edwards (UK) as Vice-President. Also the AIPH Gold medal was presented to Jaap Kras from the Netherlands for his years of support to AIPH and the global ornamentals industry and AIPH Bronze Medals were presented to Arturo Croci and Paulo Zacchera in recognition of their assistance in making the Congress so successful. |||

December 2015 | www.FloraCultureInternational.com

29

30

Crop protection Getting your crop protection programme right can be challenging.

It is about to become even more of a challenge because European flower retailers are beginning to ask for significant reductions in the chemical residues on flower crops – even though they are not consumed.

Decisions should really be made on-farm by competent, qualified farm staff.

‘ Trust me – I’m a doctor’ T

he problem is that some growers are already achieving higher yields for less crop protection budget and with lower chemical residues. This means that the goal posts could be moving. Have you got a plan?

Most farmers do a lot of ‘looking over the fence’ to see what other growers are doing. After all, it is easier to learn from other people’s mistakes–notsoexpensiveforyour own farm. However, it’s not always possible to find out exactly how your neighbours achieved these goals before you did. If there is a marketadvantagetoachievinglow residue crops, they may not be too willing to help you compete with them.

Testimonials

by Louise Labuschagne

Grower’stestimonials,however,are usually a good honest opinion and worth their weight in gold. A word of caution though. Sometimes in a complex biological programme, they may not yet have fully grasped all the factors involved and could over-simplify issues or even misinterpret events. Already

www.FloraCultureInternational.com | December 2015

you have the other ‘problem’ – that everyonehashisorherownopinion about the same thing. Many different views about the same thing. Are they all correct? Which opiniondoyouchoosetoactupon?

Is your own opinion, just another opinion – is it correct? All opinions aregenerallymoldedbyexperience.

Buthowweinterpret‘experienceor evidence’ is also open to error.

Teamwork

Achievement does not come without some effort. Movers and Shakers do it differently. The old adage about ‘if it ain’t broken, don’t fix it’, could have been what the ostrich said when he stuck his head in the ground. Don’t wait until it’s broken. It could be too late to fix it.

Leading flower growers in Kenya, set out to see if it was possible to bend over backwards and reduce chemical residues for the ever-demanding retailer. To their surprise, they discovered they could also reduce cost and increase yields – if they got it right. This was not a happy accident; it came about by building capacity and understand-

ing of crop protection in the crop managementteam.Thisdeveloped over time by taking advice from experienced advisors, who were able to help assess risk and react to changing pest and disease situations.

It is essential that these in-crop discussions, between the grower and the advisor, happen every week. It is not realistic to measure and manage risk, in an ever-changing crop protection situation, with support from an advisor who rocks up once a month. On-the-spot advisors can deliver essential support mechanismstogrowerswhoneedtomake the right decisions – immediately.

Who to trust?

How do you know if you are getting good advice on crop protection? What type of qualification should your crop protection advisor have? What about your farm crop protection manager – is he or she really ‘qualified’? How do you separate out the 'advice' from a salesman on commission; a farm manager who shares the salesman's commission;

a consultant who is just repeating somethingtheyreadonawebsite?

BASIS (Floriculture)

Since 1978, crop protection advisors in the United Kingdom have not been legally allowed to give advice on crop protection without passing a diploma level qualification called BASIS. Even salesmen are not allowed to sell cropprotectionagentswithoutthis qualification.

The qualification was established, and is examined, by an independent organization, BASIS Registration Ltd, at the suggestion of the UK government. For more details please visit www.basis-reg.co.uk BASIS is the most advanced legal requirement for crop protection salesman anywhere in the world and other countries are now seeking advice from this organization, to assist them in setting up similar systems in other countries.

It involves writing a 5,000word research project on a crop protection subject; three in-field meetings with the examiners who ask tough crop protection questions; a multiple choice question paper and an ‘identification test” on pests, diseasesandsprayequipment.This all culminates in an interview with the Panel of Expert Examiners.

Not easy.

The GlobalGAP accreditation scheme asks whether your farm takes advice from someone ‘appropriately qualified’ to make crop protection decisions. BASIS is recognized as an ‘appropriate’ qualification.

protection managers or as advisors?

Would they pass the BASIS exam without any difficulty?

Integrated Pest Management Advisors

There are currently no formal qualification or certificates of competence for IPM Experts or Advisors. So anyone can give IPM advice. Given the increasing importance of IPM in flowers, this needstobeaddressed.Thesituation is even worse than it is for ordinary crop protection advisors.

Almost impossible to tell which advisor can provide the most assistance. In this situation, grower testimonials from those who are working with the same KPIs as your farm – is probably the best option.

Grandfather rule

It is more difficult to make the best value judgment if you are not well qualified yourself. Being a grower for the last 20 years is a great achievement, but in an everchanging situation, there may still be things that you could learn from a formal training in a specialist area such as Integrated Pest Management and crop protection.

Under UK law, it used to be possible to avoid having to pass the BASIS exam, and still give advice on pesticides, if you were born before 31 December 1964 and used an agricultural product on your own or your employer’s land. In this case you would have been exempt from having to hold a certificate of competence.

But from 26 November 2015, the grandfather rule does no longer exist. Everyone in the UK who sells or advises on crop protection must be properly qualified. This is a principle that ought to be adopted more widely in the world.

How many ‘grandfathers’ does your farm currently employ as crop

Sustainable

European flower retailers are beginning to ask for significant reductions in the chemical residues on flower crops – even though they are not consumed.

Relying on external advisors, for crop protection advice is not a sustainable strategy, because they are not always available. Decisions should really be made on-farm by competent, qualified farm staff.

If senior management delegates all responsibility for crop protection decisions to one person, this increases the risks of human error or corruption in the management of programmes that might be worth thousands of dollars per hectare very year. If farm teams make decisions about the crop protection programme this could reduce these risks, as long as all team members are qualified properly.

Benchmarking

What performance indicators can you use to check whether your crop protection is 'good' or 'just about good enough' or 'hopeless'? Time to look over the fence again – and benchmark your Key Performance indicators against what others can achieve.

Your customers will choose some benchmarks for you. It could be they now want low pesticide residues.

You will choose other benchmarks.

The cost per Meter Square for the crop protection programme and yields will probably be important.

Whatever the benchmark – when you measure something it is more likely to improve just because you bothered to measure it. |||

December 2015 | www.FloraCultureInternational.com

31

Poland Polish suppliers of young Chrysanthemum plants threw their doors wide open in October for their annual open house. Striking pot chrysanthemums in full bloom and cut Chrysanthemums in the optimum harvest stage were on display.

Polish young plant suppliers host annual Chrysanthemum event P

ot chrysanthemums are among the cream of the crop in Poland’s ornamental horticulture. The nation is somewhat unique in that growers schedule their crops to be ready at retail for All Saint’s Day and All Soul’s Day, respectively on November 1st and 2nd when Poles flock to graveyards to pay their respectstorelativesandlovedones who have died.

Wide variety

by Alicja Cecot

Poland hosts a sizeable amount of Chrysanthemum growers but few of them produce their flowers all year round. The variety of cultivars is very wide, although consumers continue to ask for the more conventional chrysanthemums featuring double, white and yellow flowers (the Zembla series, for example, has ranked among the nation’s best-selling cut chrysanthemums for many years, while cultivars like ‘Willowbrook’ top the pot chrysanthemum list.

Paradiso mix.

Novelties

Nevertheless, each season heralds the arrival of novelties that are promotedbyyoungplantsuppliers.

There are 10 of them in Poland and they cooperate with breeders from the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and France (known for its top quality in disbudded pot chrysanthemums).

This year, in mid- October three of the leading companies, Złocień, Cichoń and Turscy welcomed their customers who came from far afield and had their fingers crossed for a goodsalesseason.Theeventoffered the perfect opportunity to network andplacecuttingmaterialordersfor the next season. |||

Annual Chrysanthemum event

Open Day at Turscy.

A point of reference for the industry is its annual chrysanthemum event in October when the propagators opentheirgreenhousestoshowcase pot chrysanthemums in full bloom and cut Chrysanthemums in the optimum harvest stage. Highlight of the event are the latest breeding breakthrouhgs.

Skyfall features a trailing habit.

December 2015 | www.FloraCultureInternational.com

33

Floraculture International encourages the pursuit of joint activities in areas of mutual interest with national and international societies, companiesandorganizations.

Agreements have been reachedbetweenFloraculture International and leading growersandtradeassociations in 32 countries. This unique partnership includes a complimentary copy for each member of the registered associations. Floraculture International is proud to announce the cooperation with the following associations.

For more FCI partners see page 4.

Partners of FloraCulture International

Classifieds HELP WANTED FLORASEARCH, INC. In our third decade of performing confidential key employee searches for the horticulture industry and allied trades worldwide.

Retainedbasisonly.Candidatecontactwelcome,confidential,and always free.

1740 Lake Markham Rd., Sanford, FL 32771 USA Phone (1) 407 320 8177, Fax (1) 407 320 8083, E-mail: search@florasearch.com, Website: www.florasearch.com FOR SALE GALAX AND LYCOPODUM Email: larryscarolinamountaingreenery@gmail.com Tel /Fax: +1 828 675 1558 Contact: Larry CONSULTANCY French man 50 years old, looking for consultancy contracts in horticulture. Examines any other proposal. All countries.

Contact for more information: mago@lagoon.nc

Follow us on facebookandtwitter

Advertising Index COMPANY PAGE WEBSITE

AIPH .....................................................................3..............................................www.aiph.org Deliflor................................................................32.........................................www.defliflor.nl Florasearch Inc...............................................35............................www.florasearch.com Floricultura B.V................................................6.............................www.floricultura.com Flowers & Cents.............................................11..................www.flowersandcents.org Javo......................................................................32...............................................www.javo.eu Jiffy Products Int...........................................11...............................www.jiffygroup.com Jungle Jack’s....................................................32......... www.junglejacksthailand.com Market News Service..................................11.........................www.intracen.org/mns P.T. Ekakarya Graha Flora..........................40................................www.ekakarya.com Real IPM.............................................................11................................... www.realipm.com Shuford Galax................................................ 35 Takii .....................................................................35.......................................... www.takii.co.jp Thierry Richez................................................ 35 Vitroplus.............................................................6........................................www.vitroplus.nl This index is provided as a service to our readers. The publisher does not assume responsibility for errors or omissions.

36

www.FloraCultureInternational.com | December 2015

KIT 2016

FLORACULTURE INTERNATIONAL

MEDIA

FloraCulture International magazine together with its website and newsletter connects advertisers with the most qualified readership of any international business magazine for ornamental horticulture production in the world.

FCI magazine

FloraCulture International in print is a quarterly magazine, published four times a year rather than 11, increasing its shelf life, allowing for extra visibility and exposure for your advertisements. FCI’s four major print issues divide the year into four seasons: spring (March), summer (combined June/July issue), autumn (October) and winter (January). The print magazines highlight major horticultural events and trade shows such as IPM Essen, Salon du Végétal, My Plant & Garden, Keukenhof, Flower Trials, GreenTech, IFTF and the FloraHolland Trade Fair Aalsmeer.

Meanwhile, the online version of FloraCulture International appears monthly, with unrestricted online access and digital distribution through the world’s leading grower and trade associations in over 142 countries.

FloraCulture.eu website

FCI’s website has recently received a facelift which is the first step in a complete overhaul. The redesign featuresrearrangedsectionsandaddedanemphasis on news. With an increasing worldwide readership using the web as much as their primary source of news, our website is designed for use for breaking news first, and then for analysis and explanation pieces.

FCI Bloom Brief newsletter

Sign up now to at www.floraculture.eu to receive our monthly email newsletter and stay connected to what's happening in ornamental horticulture. Each issue contains an overview of the most important internationalnewsaboutplantbreeding,production, trends and technology. The FCI Bloom Brief is circulated at the beginning of each month.

Two page spread 406 mm x 273 mm (16 in. x 10,7 in.) trim size 412 mm x 279 mm (16,2 in. x 11 in.) bleed size

Full page 203 mm x 273 mm (8 in. x 10,7 in.) trim size 209 mm x 279 mm (8,2 in. x 11 in.) bleed size

FCI PRINTED MAGAZINE (4 x per year)

TWO PAGE SPREAD

FULL PAGE

1/2 PAGE

1/3 PAGE

1/4 PAGE

1/6 PAGE

1x

€ 7.086,00

€ 3.939,00

€ 2.678,00

€ 2.194,00

€ 1.905,00

€ 1.339,00

2x

(5%)

€ 6.732,00

€ 3.742,00

€ 2.544,00

€ 2.084,00

€ 1.810,00

€ 1.272,00

3x

(10%)

€ 6.337,00

€ 3.545,00

€ 2.410,00

€ 1.975,00

€ 1.715,00

€ 1.205,00

4x

(20%)

€ 5.669,00

€ 3.151,00

€ 2.142,00

€ 1.755,00

€ 1.524,00

€ 1.071,00

1/6 PAGE

FCI DIGITAL MAGAZINE (11 x per year)

TWO PAGE SPREAD

FULL PAGE

1/2 PAGE

1/3 PAGE

1/4 PAGE

1x

€ 4.606,00

€ 2.560,00

€ 1.740,00

€ 1.426,00

€ 1.238,00

€ 870,00

€ 4.375,00

€ 2.432,00

€ 1.653,00

€ 1.355,00

€ 1.176,00

€ 826,00

3x

(5%)

6x

10%)

€ 4.145,00

€ 2.304,00

€ 1.566,00

€ 1.283,00

€ 1.114,00

€ 783,00

9x

(20%

€ 3.685,00

€ 2.048,00

€ 1.392,00

€ 1.140,00

€ 0990,00

€ 696,00

11x

(25%)

€ 3.454,00

€ 1.920,00

€ 1.305,00

€ 1.070,00

€ 0928,00

€ 652,00

FCI CHINA MAGAZINE (4 x per year)

1x

TWO PAGE SPREAD

FULL PAGE

1/2 PAGE

1/3 PAGE

1/4 PAGE

1/6 PAGE

€ 2.500

€ 1.500

€ 895

€ 700

€ 595

€ 450

2x

(5%)

€ 2.375

€ 1.425

€ 850

€ 665

€ 565

€ 428

3x

(10%)

€ 2.250

€ 1.350

€ 805

€ 630

€ 536

€ 405

4x

(20%)

€ 2.000

€ 1.200

€ 716

€ 560

€ 476

€ 360

FCI INDIA MAGAZINE (11 x per year)

1x

TWO PAGE SPREAD

FULL PAGE

1/2 PAGE

1/3 PAGE

1/4 PAGE

1/6 PAGE

€ 2.500

€ 1.500

€ 895

€ 700

€ 595

€ 450

3x

(5%)

€ 2.375

€ 1.425

€ 850

€ 665

€ 565

€ 428

6x

10%)

€ 2.250

€ 1.350

€ 805

€ 630

€ 536

€ 405

9x

(20%)

€ 2.000

€ 1.200

€ 716

€ 560

€ 476

€ 360

11x

(25%)

€ 1.875

€ 1.125

€ 671

€ 525

€ 446

€ 338

Half page 178 mm x 124 mm (7 in. x 4,9 in.) horizontal size 85 mm x 254 mm (3,4 in. x 10 in.) vertical

1/4 page 85 mm x 124 mm (3,4 in. x 4,9 in.)

1/3 page 54 mm x 254 mm (2,2 in. x 10 in.)

1/6 page size 54 mm x 124 mm (2,2 in. x 4,9 in.)

December 2015 | www.FloraCultureInternational.com

37

KIT 2016

FLORACULTURE INTERNATIONAL

MEDIA

EDITORIAL CALENDAR January

Germany

Substrates

IPM Essen

February

Asia

Greenhouses

Salon du Végétal

March

Banners (floraculture.eu and FCI Bloom Brief newsletter) WEBSITE BANNERS

Central & Eastern Europe

Cut flowers

Keukenhof

April

North America

Climate, Water

Hortiflorexpo China

May

Central America

Auctions

Flower Trials

June

Western Europe

Production, Automation

OFA Short Course

July / August September

Africa

Bedding Plants

Plantarium

Australia

Indoor plants

Flormart, Ifex, Moscow Fairs

W1R Megabanner 280 x 280 pixels € 750 right hand side

October

Southern Europe

Nursery stock Holland

IFTF/IHTF, Iberflora

W1L Block banner 185 x 185 pixels 450 left hand side €

November

Middle East

Crop protection

FloraHolland Trade Fair

December

Latin America

Bulbs

IPM Essen

W2 Big banner 280 x 80 pixels € 350 right hand side

FCI BLOOM BRIEF BANNERS E2 255 x 71 pixels € 250 In between banner E1 120 x 240 pixels € 350 left or right hand side

WEBSITE & FCI BLOOM BRIEF COMBI E1+W1L Website & FCI Bloom Brief Combi W1L + E1 € 550 W2+E2 Website & FCI Bloom Brief Combi W2 + E2 € 450 E1+W1R Website & FCI Bloom Brief Combi W1R + E1 €850 CV Corporate and trade show videos CV €1500

PRINT TECH SPECS

Column widths and delivery instructions for advertising in FloraCulture International: Publication trim size: 203 x 273 mm (8 x 10,75 in).

Printing: cover, half-web offset; body, web offset.

Binding: Saddle stitched.

Screen: 60 lines per centimetre (150 lines).

Bleed: Every advertisement must have an overlap of 3 mm on all four sides. There is no extra charge for a bleed page.

Live area: All text and essential material (photographs, illustrations) for bleed ads must be placed at least 10 mm (excluding the 3 mm overlap) inside the four outer edges of the advertisement.

DIGITAL TECH SPECS

Sending material by e-mail: Certifed CMYK PDF. Electronic files must be created in one of the following programmes: QuarkXPress (mac or pc), Adobe illustrator (mac or pc) Adobe InDesign, Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Photoshop.

Colour: CMYK. The PDF should be accompanied with a colour laser proof (photograph quality).

If this is not provided FCI cannot be held accountable for the outcome of the colour printed.

Images/Artwork: Scans placed into own layout must be saved at 100% and 300dpi at final size output. These scans must be saved as EPS or TIFF format in CMYK mode. All logos should be saved as EPS or Ai. Media labelling requirements: Publication name, issue date, advertiser, advertisement title, file name.

CANCELLATIONS

Cancellation of space for a specific issue cannot be accepted after the listed closing date. Cancellations should be mailed to the publisher before the advertising closing date. Cancellations received after the closing date will be charged the full payment. Covers cannot be cancelled. If an advertiser cancels any portion of a contract, such cancellation automatically nullifies any rate protection, free ads and/or early contracting discounts.



Follow us on facebook and twitter

LIABILITIES

The advertiser must obtain the appropriate permission to reproduce any photography, artwork, logos, designs, trade names and/or trade service marks, which are supplied or used by the company in any advertisement to be published in FloraCulture International. The publisher will not be responsible or held liable for images or other printed matter that is obtained illegally.

TERMS

• I nvoice payments are due 14 days after the billing date. Overdue invoices are subject to 2% service charge per month.

•A ny payments by the publisher, such as customs or import charges on advertising materials received, will be billed at cost.

• T he publisher reserves the right to resize an advertisement, which is not a producible size or that does not meet the specifications. The current production charges are applicable. A production charge rate sheet is available upon request.

• T he publisher will run previously printed advertisements if new ad material is not received by the material due date.

• T he publisher reserves the right to reject any advertisement that is not in keeping with the publication’s standards.

• T he publisher assumes no liability for errors in key numbers or the advertiser’s index, or for instructions not specified in writing.

•U nless a written request is received to the contrary, all furnished material can be disposed of after one year.

WORLD WIDE ADVERTISING OFFICE

FloraCulture International Ms Angie Duffree Postbus 1000 1430 BA Aalsmeer T +31 6 533 46 605 angie@floracultureinternational.com

SUBSCRIPTIONS

FloraCulture International, in print and online.

Subscriptions for industry professionals: €40 per year. Non-qualified subscribers: €75 including mailing costs.

Subscriptions services: FBW Woerden Mr Kees Slagter IJsseloord 204 3448 VM Woerden info@fbw-woerden.nl

CIRCULATION

FloraCulture International has a circulation of 104,000 subscribers (16,000 English-language print issues, 66,000 English-language online format, 5,000 Mandarin Chinese-language print issue, 7,000 Mandarin Chinese-language online format and 10,000 English-language newsletters) in 142 countries.

Published by FloraHolland ©2016 FloraCulture International® magazine.

All rights reserved.

1 4 1 8De c .

2 0 1 6