TRADE DAY REPORT

By Nan Cleven

May Trade Day was once again at capacity with every stand occupied by leading growers and allied businesses at Australia’s premier plantlife wholesale trading market.

Our final autumn Trade Day was full of seasonal colour, with and sprinkling of pink to celebrate Mother’s Day and raise funds for the Breast Cancer Network. Thanks to all our generous stand holders for supplying prizes for our raffle. A big thank you to Cancer Council Victoria who were on hand to offer complimentary advice on bowel cancer screening and Peninsula Health for delivering a pop-up COVID vaccination hub.

Our May Trade Day was proudly sponsored by Industry Silver Partner, Hortitech, who are celebrating 40 years of supplying the horticulture industry with the best cover and crop protection solutions. Here’s Ric from Hortitech ringing the bell to welcome the buyers in from the cold. They wasted no time in filling their trolleys with the finest quality greenlife and allied products.

Never one to miss out on an opportunity to dress up in pink, here’s Chris Merrywood with some of his ever-popular espaliers. Another stand holder whose wares were perfect for a Mother’s Day audience was The Pot Dealer, a Melbourne based distributor of indoor and outdoor pots and all things house and garden. You can view their stylish range at thepotdealer.com.au

The Ausflora Pacific team got behind the pink theme which must have inspired the shoppers, as they sold out of all their stock early in the day.

A big congratulations to Linda Sijpkes who completed the gruelling 100km Oxfam Trailwalker in 34 hours in April. She raised an impressive $8,500 along the way

«And with Mother’s Day just around the corner, it was another sell-out for Wright’s

Nursery’s stand, their stunning range of chrysanthemums did not last long.

Here’s nursery manager Chintan proudly displaying the fruits of their labour. « Trade Day ever-present Robert

Plechinger of Yackandandah Valley

Nursery took cover amongst his stunning range of indoor plants, always a hit with the buyers.

Proud Partners of NGIV

Technology is what we do, innovation is what we live for powerplants.com.au pb-tec.com

Amongst our stand holders were Vaughan’s Plants who made their first outing to Trade Day. Phil Vaughan runs a small family business specialising in Australian native plants; rare, unusual and grafted varieties. Phil’s stand proved to be extremely popular with buyers eager to secure his stock. ‘Our first Trade Day was fantastic, it was a wonderful opportunity to put our plants in front of so many buyers and we’re already looking forward to the next one in June,’ enthused Phil. Experience the benefits of NGIV Trade Day for yourself and take advantage of: • The finest quality greenlife and allied products • The best wholesale prices • The convenience of everything under one roof

• An unparalleled range of plants and gardening products • Network with Australia’s leading growers, allied suppliers and other retailers • Up to 80 stand holders If you’re part of a plant, gifting or garden retail business, and you haven’t attended an NGIV Trade Day before, contact ngiv@ngiv.com.au to find out how you can enjoy a complimentary visit.

There were no shortage of winners on the day, with stand holders and buyers both happy with a busy day’s trading, but don’t forget the raffle winners. Here’s Ash from Hortitech handing over vouchers to Facey’s Nursery and Top Ten Trees.