Netherlands: Van der Wilt Gerbera’s back in business after tornado

In December 2018, a tornado left a trail of destruction at Van der Wilt Gebera's. The following six months were all about repairing the greenhouse. That resulted in the replacement of 7,000 panes, 19 km of drainage gutters, 16,000 m2 of cultivation system, 110 km of wires, 16,000 m2 of screens, and 2,000…

US (FL): Miami's gateway reputation continues to grow in floral

As increased cut-flower shipments arrive daily at Miami International Airport (MIA), the airport continues to strengthen its established reputation as the premier floral gateway in the U.S. for flowers exported worldwide. Cut flowers represent MIA’s top import commodity, with 2018 airport statistics…

"Geothermal energy will become commonplace sooner than we think"

Although geothermal energy, biomass power plants and other alternative energy sources have received a lot of attention since the recently concluded Climate Agreement , it has been the focus of attention within the horticultural sector for much longer. "Actually, for years growers have kept innovating for…

Netherlands: Local tea at international trade fair GrootGroenPlus

For the 29th edition of trade fair, GrootGroenPlus decided to cooperate with Johan Jansen of Special Plant Zundert. He developed the first Dutch tea: the JOAN dutch tea maker tea collection. This tea comes from tea plantations in Zundert; where the international trade fair for tree nurseries will be…

"Protect your business and personal property"

It’s not uncommon for a garden center, greenhouse, or nursery owner to have their personal residence on the same property as their business. If that’s your situation, protecting your personal property is a little easier thanks to a special coverage plan from Hortica. HortAdvantageHome is designed for…

US (CA): Dramm and Echter announces rebrand

Dramm and Echter unveiled a new logo and the business’ rebrand to Dramm Echter Farms. The comprehensive rebrand comes after a year of transformation to stay abreast of the…

Breeders are racing to develop plants that flower again and again

Robert “Buddy” Lee has been a grower of wholesale plants and a registered nurse over the years, but his one abiding preoccupation has been his need to find a spring-flowering azalea that blooms through summer and fall. More than 40 years ago, from his fields in southern Louisiana, this was a lonely…

Netherlands: New colors and concepts at Cyclamen Open Days and Retail Week

From week 43 up to and including week 45, Schoneveld Breeding organizes its annual Cyclamen Open Days. Visitors from all over the world come to the brand new PlantXperience, where they are included in the story of Cyclamen Super Serie. In addition to their Cyclamen range, the breeder shows novelties, new…

Philippines: Benguet chrysanthemum growers to gain from best practices

The cut flower industry is among the fastest-growing sectors of the Benguet economy. This can be seen by its exponential expansion within the last five years. Among the most cultivated flowers is chrysanthemum, with an average annual production of 1.59 million dozens. With the booming farm tourism in…

Houseplants delivered straight from the greenhouse

Bloomscape is the fruit of five generations past of greenhouse growers and floral industry innovators, they explain, noting that "our roots go all the way back to ancestors who were pioneers in the Netherlands’ horticulture industry." The idea behind the business is to deliver plants directly from the…

"Choose the right soil analysis for in-ground cut flowers"

If you are using Saturated Paste Extract (SPE) to assess soil nutrients for in-ground grown cut flowers, you may be underestimating plant-available nutrients and applying fertilizers that aren’t needed. by Chevonne Dayboll, Greenhouse Floriculture Specialist, OMAFRA, Lauren Vanderlingen, OMAFRA Summer…

"Modernization and expansion Turkish greenhouses can offer new business chances"

Monday September 23rd, the Netherlands Ministry for Agriculture, Nature & Food Quality and Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) present a seminar on how the Turkish Greenhouse Credit Package facilitates the Turkish ambitions to lower food prices by expanding and modernizing the country’s greenhouse…

A solution to finding ‘fake slots’ of CCT5 Containers

The Dutch company, Van Vliet Containers, has introduced a functional, affordable solution for scanning and counting CCT5 containers. At the beginning of 2019, Container Centrals introduced a new CCT5 RFID label. This was done for more than 3 million containers, including CC Pool. Before the introduction…

US: AFE awards more than $42,000 in 2019 scholarships

The American Floral Endowment (AFE) has awarded 15 students with scholarships totaling $42,300. Seventy-four applications were received for this 2019 scholarship cycle. "We had many outstanding students apply for scholarships this year, which is why some scholarships were awarded to two recipients," said…

Ethiopia: Flower company looking to expand from 60 to 100 hectares

Hansa Flowers, the second biggest flower producer and exporter company in Ethiopia, says it has been engaged in various corporate social responsibility activities that benefit the local community. The company manager Franklin Thomas said Hansa Flower has invested $200,000 birr [7,000 USD] and built an…

Netherlands: Van der Wilt Gerbera’s back in business after tornado

In December 2018, a tornado left a trail of destruction at Van der Wilt Gebera's. The following six months were all about repairing the greenhouse. That resulted in the replacement of 7,000 panes, 19 km of drainage gutters, 16,000 m2 of cultivation system, 110 km of wires, 16,000 m2 of screens, and 2,000…

"We are able to keep the greenhouse cleaner"

South Central Growers, established in 1979, currently has 1,030,354 sq.ft. of environmentally controlled space and 700,000 sq.ft. of outdoor growing space. They grow flowering annuals, hardy mums, and poinsettias for mass merchants and home improvement retailers. Looking for an alternative to perlite,…

Nutrient monitoring of garden mum

Chrysanthemums require medium to high fertility of 150 to 300 ppm N. Optimal substrate pH values for chrysanthemums range from 5.8 to 6.2. Chrysanthemums are susceptible to high substrate pH and soluble salts. Substrate pH above 6.5 inhibits iron availability and induce interveinal chlorosis (yellowing).…

New Zealand and Africa to collaborate in geothermal development

A key geothermal facility from New Zealand is exploring ways of collaborating with GDC to boost technical capacity in the geothermal development, steam field development and resource management. The New Zealand Africa Geothermal Facility (NZ-AGF), is also in talks with GDC in providing a financial grant…

US: Targeted insecticide offers extended residual protection to help save time and labor

Acelepryn insecticide from Syngenta has been approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for use in ornamental nurseries as well as greenhouses. Powered by the active ingredient chlorantraniliprole, Acelepryn provides long-lasting control of Japanese beetles, sawfly larvae and leaf-feeding…

US Congresswoman Finkenauer visit at Plantpeddler

U.S. Representative Abigail Finkenauer visited Plantpeddler on July 30. During her visit at Plantpeddler she toured the production of rooted Poinsettias, Summer/Fall finished crops, expansion of the facility, and new trial gardens. "Abby loved the Sunfinity Sunflower and the story behind this incredible…

Breeders are racing to develop plants that flower again and again

Robert “Buddy” Lee has been a grower of wholesale plants and a registered nurse over the years, but his one abiding preoccupation has been his need to find a spring-flowering azalea that blooms through summer and fall. More than 40 years ago, from his fields in southern Louisiana, this was a lonely…

NL: Plantarium to celebrate the years of plenty

If there will necessarily be seven no one knows, but walking about at Plantarium, the major trade fair for shrubs and trees in The Netherlands, confirms green business is still experiencing the fat years. Even the set-back in boxwood production caused by the box tree mot seemingly did not leave deep…

Longer rootstock provides consumers with fruitful harvests

Fruithof, a complete supplier of fruit trees and plants, lets consumers enjoy homegrown fruits from their own garden. With two new fresh sales concepts, they focus on new target groups. These sales concepts were shown for the first time in 2018 and now they are developed even further and presented during…

UK: GCA members look for ways to reduce plastic waste

The Garden Centre Association are encouraging their members to do what they can to help reduce the amount of plastic going to landfill. Two of its member centres recently worked with Herefordshire and Worcestershire authorities to get non-black PP plastic pots and trays accepted in household and kerbside…

Cities taking re-greening of urban landscapes to great heights

Cities around the world, such as Singapore, Milan and London, are taking re-greening of urban landscapes to great heights – literally. The trend for vertical planting is starting to grow in popularity and is not just for large urban displays, they can add wonderful interest to domestic gardens. It’s…

US: New heucherella provides year-round 'Peach tea' color

As with all of Terra Nova Nurseries’ varieties, Heucherella ‘Peach tea’ was conceived through ingenious flower breeding and tireless laboratory research. With 25 different varieties of heucherella, Terra Nova has been dedicated to innovation by way of genetics; each variety is bred to flourish in some of…

US (WA): Washington Flowers Project promotes local flowers

In recent years, however, the floral landscape has changed. Yes, tulips are beloved and important to growers in the state. But a renaissance in cut-flower agriculture, combined with a groundswell of consumer interest in local and seasonal food – as well as floral choices – has led to diversification of…

US (CA): Dramm and Echter announces rebrand

Dramm and Echter unveiled a new logo and the business’ rebrand to Dramm Echter Farms. The comprehensive rebrand comes after a year of transformation to stay abreast of the…

UK: Could social media save lavender?

Owners are concerned about bacterium Xylella, which could destroy entire lavender fields, just as it has thousands of olive groves in Italy. By the end of August, the UK’s lavender fields will have been harvested, with the essential oil – long known for its health and wellbeing benefits – going on to…

NL: Making shipping orders more efficient

Montis has chosen again for WPS to automate their greenhouse at a new location in Moerkapelle, the Netherlands. Left to right: Nico van de Berg (Montis), Niels van de Berg (Montis), René Zoutendijk (WPS), Maarten van der Gaarden (WPS). Being raised in a grower family and dealing with a variety of crops,…

US (CA): Sonoma County increases ornamental sales by 74.2%

Sonoma County (California) has presented its 2018 Crop Report. The reported total value for 2018 was $1,106,662,100, which represents a 24% increase from the 2017 value of $894,182,900 and is the first time in history that the gross value of agricultural commodities produced in Sonoma County has exceeded…

The challenges of managing pests and diseases in retail settings

Greenhouse growers work tirelessly each year to produce high-quality plants for spring sales. Of all of the different factors involved in growing bedding plants, pest and disease management is one of the most important. Though monitoring for pests and diseases and taking corrective action ends at…

A preserved rose flower tribute to Takashi Murakami

Japanese contemporary artist, Takashi Murakami’s flowers are his most recognizable motif. With twelve petals and a bright, beaming smile, this daisy flower design has been featured everywhere from the Versailles Palace to Vans sneakers. Jet Fresh Flower Distributors made a special floral tribute to…

Costa Farms’ Far East Division VP to speak at World Ornamental Horticulture Summit

Over the past 11 years, Fabian Saenz has made it his mission to expand one grower’s global business into China. Saenz, vice president of Costa Farms’ Far East Division in Guangzhou China, will share his journey and the company's challenges along the way at the World Ornamental Horticulture Summit taking…

Climbing stairs for charity... in full firefighter gear

Although the activities of Genesis Horticultural Solutions keep Australian consultant Tony Bundock pretty busy, he still considers it important to put something back into the local community. “I am now approaching my 30th year as a Country Fire Authority volunteer firefighter, which sees me respond to…

Netherlands: Local tea at international trade fair GrootGroenPlus

For the 29th edition of trade fair, GrootGroenPlus decided to cooperate with Johan Jansen of Special Plant Zundert. He developed the first Dutch tea: the JOAN dutch tea maker tea collection. This tea comes from tea plantations in Zundert; where the international trade fair for tree nurseries will be…

Netherlands: New colors and concepts at Cyclamen Open Days and Retail Week

From week 43 up to and including week 45, Schoneveld Breeding organizes its annual Cyclamen Open Days. Visitors from all over the world come to the brand new PlantXperience, where they are included in the story of Cyclamen Super Serie. In addition to their Cyclamen range, the breeder shows novelties, new…

"Protect your business and personal property"

It’s not uncommon for a garden center, greenhouse, or nursery owner to have their personal residence on the same property as their business. If that’s your situation, protecting your personal property is a little easier thanks to a special coverage plan from Hortica. HortAdvantageHome is designed for…

Neil Alcock ‏

Week 34 updates - Heuchera Plug and P9 Trolley deals https://t.co/NFLllyp7g2 pic.twitter.com/x5D2nTisXS — Neil Alcock (@NeilAlcock) August 23, 2019

US (FL): Miami's gateway reputation continues to grow in floral

As increased cut-flower shipments arrive daily at Miami International Airport (MIA), the airport continues to strengthen its established reputation as the premier floral gateway in the U.S. for flowers exported worldwide. Cut flowers represent MIA’s top import commodity, with 2018 airport statistics…

Ethiopian launches cargo flights to Bangkok & Hanoi

Ethiopian Cargo & Logistics Services has started once weekly freighter service to Bangkok, Thailand and Hanoi, Vietnam as of August 16, 2019. Regarding the new service, Ethiopian Group CEO, Mr Tewolde GebreMariam, remarked, “Our new cargo service to Bangkok and Hanoi will supplement the daily…

Superman