3/30/2015
Classically Chic
Chris Beytes
When it comes to European garden center shows, England’s GLEE and Germany’s Spoga+Gafa have long topped the list of must-attend events. Maybe you’ve been to one or both? But rapidly gaining ground and attention is IPM Essen, now considered the world’s largest horticulture trade show. It surpassed and then replaced the Netherlands’ Horti Fair on every globe-trotting retailer’s calendar. Plus, IPM has something Horti Fair never had: a retail floral component that makes a visit even more worthwhile.
GrowerTalks/Green Profit was in Essen, Germany the last week of January for the event. Here’s just a tiny taste of the products and trends from IPM Essen’s dozen halls. If this leaves you hungry for more, mark your calendar for IPM Essen 2016, January 26-29.
Chunky texture
Small doesn’t mean cheap in Europe. Some of the nicest products we saw were the tiniest, such as these mini senecio “palm trees” in small but intricately interesting ceramic pots. Mini orchids and tropical flower arrangements benefit from the same chunky, natural texture.
Bend like a willow
Seen in Hall 5, the Danish Hall and produced by Danish grower H.M. Binderiet, these willow braid patio planters are clever and beautiful. How much fun it must be to watch them leaf out and grow from what appear to be sticks!
Go retro
Europe combines old and new exceptionally well—think modern lighting in a 500-year-old canal home in Amsterdam. Which is why somebody did so well with this vintage plant packaging concept, spotted downstairs in the floral display area. Called Garten legenden, it featured heirloom-style species such as
Prumula auricular and
Viola odorata in a classic clay grower pot. At the bottom of the label is “Gepruft durch” (certified) and a signature—no doubt of the grower. A great example of how to make a common variety special.
Hangers
You don’t see many plastic hanging baskets in Europe. What you do see are hangers made of wire, moss, bark and even glass. Here are two examples of how Europeans hang their plants. The coco hangers are from the Kokodama Collection by Kokoplant B.V. of the Netherlands; the glass hangers are from “interior object” designer Serax of Belgium.
Convenience
On average, Europeans garden more than Americans, but that gap is narrowing and European marketers are finding ways to make gardening easier and more convenient. Handles are one way—for years we’ve been spotting clever handle packages that make it easy to carry a product (or two or three) home, such as these Happy Bee Bulb Sets.
Bulbs are still a pain to plant, however. But Easy Bloom Pad wants to remedy that with a bulb-filled paper package that you just drop and bury.
Our favorite product
Concept 2.0 from Hakbijl Glass is a three-in-one stackable vase system. Hakbijl says the three shapes will meet nearly every cut flower and blooming bulb need of a homeowner. We were told that it’s being distributed in North America by Chrysal.
Bottled up
And plants in glass are in. These two examples are from Eden Collection by Noviflora of the Netherlands.
Wrap it up
One European trend we noted was packaging and plants featuring multi-layer wraps using a combination of fabric and something with which to tie it, such as raffia or paper-covered wire. The technique adds color, texture—and most importantly, value!
GP
For more, check out our video tour at youtube.com/growertalks.