From extremely dry and hot to intense downpours and thunderstorms, the effects of climate change are undeniable and accompanied by ever-increasing weather extremes and declining biodiversity. Rijnbeek Perennials feels a huge responsibility to play a part in providing efficient solutions, to make gardens worldwide greener and future proof. As one of the first perennial nurseries in the Netherlands and Europe to be 100% peat-free, the company now presents its latest sustainable solution: Climate Gardeners™ - the garden centre programme that offers climate adaptive plant mixes, featuring seasonal perennials selected to perform in widely varying conditions and to restore nature’s balance. At the same time, it helps customers with inspiring, well-balanced pairings for an eye-catching garden display, with color throughout the seasons.
Bulb Mania brings the buzz early on
The Climate Gardeners Bulb Mania Mix is one of the first mixes within the programme to be launched in garden centres throughout Europe, from late winter to early spring - offering early flowering perennials, variegated foliage plants and potted naturalising bulbs. The combination of perennials and bulbs brings an early spring sensation to the garden. It offers a great, long-lasting effect with successive flowering, colors, and scents that keep evolving for months on end, perennial foliage that covers spent flowers, and a maturing border that returns year after year. In addition, the mix offers a much-needed source of nectar and pollen for bees and other important pollinators as early as possible after a long winter period.
Rijnbeek Perennials even got the world-famous Keukenhof excited about their Bulb Mania Mix as the Dutch spring park prepares for its 75th season. Together with JUB Holland, a specialist in creative bulb mixtures, Rijnbeek Perennials presents the bulb & perennials border at Keukenhof in Lisse (NL). Around 1,4 million visitors will be able to enjoy the meadow-style border from 21 March to 12 May of this year and many seasons to come, as the border will be preserved in the park and will bloom again in years to come.
Year-round climate challenges tackled by new garden centre programme
Bulb Mania is one of several well-thought-out mix concepts of the Climate Gardeners programme. Based on a rotating method, Rijnbeek Perennials delivers garden centres new and interesting, mixtures every month, with a strong focus on various challenging climate conditions throughout the year. While the Bulb Mania mixes concentrate on increasing early-season biodiversity and prolonged flowering, other mixes offer plants that regulate rainfall or can easily beat the heat. To name a few, there is the Urban Jungle Mix – designed for shady, wet conditions early in the year, and the Drought Resistant Mix for a water-wise, low-maintenance border in scorching hot summers. Rijnbeek Perennials has segmented its broad collection of over 5.000 varieties based on their strongest assets, like deep roots, water-absorbing qualities, heat tolerance, and magnetic effect on bees and butterflies. And with a product range that wide, garden centres can count on unique, rare varieties that truly stand out and deviate from standard perennial offerings. As the entire Rijnbeek production is grown 100% peat-free, all mixes in the Climate Gardeners programme are potted in peat-free compost as well.
Ready-made solutions for innovative garden centres
Presenting an enticing offer that keeps customers interested and surprised with each visit will be a breeze for garden centres. Rijnbeek Perennials is set to make things super easy. Arno Rijnbeek (director): “With our ever-growing and evolving collection, we offer the most qualitative and alluring perennials you can find in the market. You can leave it up to us to pick distinctive plants to match your needs and wishes, and we even take the presentation on the shop floor off your hands.” Rijnbeek Perennials proposes its Climate Gardeners programme and a complete ready-set-sell package. This includes a sales display table in a natural wooden look, topped off with a mixed planter for shopper inspiration, a waterproof POS banner for each seasonal mix, and corresponding plant labels for their 9cm recycled pots. Furthermore, there are pre-mixed planters in bio-degradable containers to plant directly into the garden and a cross-sell of professional peat-free substrate to maximize sales potential.
Rijnbeek Perennials exhibits with a joint stand (H121/122) with Keukenhof and JUB Holland at the Garden Press Event on 20 February in the Business Design Centre in London.
For more information:
Rijnbeek Perennials
www.rijnbeek.com