Melissa McKeown and Suzanne Mulvehill at the IPM Essen in Germany.
Miami Tropical Plants was established in 2013 and sells tropical plants from liners to finished plants in the USA, Canada and Europe. "We supply new plant varieties, which enables growers and garden centers to differentiate themselves from their competition. We introduced a new concept in Canada whereas small to mid-size garden center’s can share a full container of plants and buy direct. We are bringing this same concept to Europe," says Mulvehill. Miami Tropical Plants was exhibiting at the IPM Essen, that was held from January 24-27, for the first time and showcased some of their tropical plant varieties. The Alocasia 'Tiny Dancers', was one of the varieties that they were promoting at their booth.
Alocasia 'Tiny Dancers'
The Alocasia 'Tiny Dancers' plant was bred by LariAnn Garner in 2012 and introduced by Aroidia Research USA in 2014. "The plant is known for its extraordinary shape and can grow 20-45 cm in height and 15-20 cm wide. It takes about 2 to 4 weeks to finish a 15cm plant and 5 to 7 weeks to finish a 20 cm plant from liner."
What is the reason for introducing this plant to the European growers? ”A couple of months ago, we received a request from a Dutch grower, asking us to supply liners of this variety. As it is a patented variety, it currently can only be sold in the USA. We set up an agreement with the patent holder to offer the patent rights for sale in Europe,” says Mulvehill.
And it seemed to be a good decision. "At the IPM Essen, we received a lot of positive reactions. People like the plant’s unique shape. It has a very artistic look.”
For more information:
Miami Tropical Plants
Suzanne Mulvehill
Email: sales@miamitropicalplants.com
www.miamitropicalplants.com