"A plant that looks unique needs to be kept unique"

"A plant that looks unique needs to be kept unique," says Christina Schmitz of Hydrangea Breeders Association, when talking about their Kanmara hydrangea. "This is one of our special hydrangeas which we would like to keep special. Therefore it is being cultivated by just a few producers in Europe, and retailers need to purchase the associated POS material if they want to have this product on their shelves. In this way, we can control the entire process until it arrives in the consumers hands. It seems to be effective as the demand for this product is increasing," says Schmitz.

Christina Schmitz at the IPM Essen in Germany. She is standing behind the JIP blue one of their innovations at the IPM.

Kanmara
Hydrangea macrophylla Kanmara® Splendour, is bred by Hydrangea Breeders Association from De Kwakel, the Netherlands and was put on the market in 2015. According to Schmitz, this hydrangea in a 5 liter container has an unusual look. "The flowers become majestically big in summer, the color variations are unique and they have special color accents," she says. The Kanmara is currently available in six different shades: In Rosé, In Lilac, In Pink, In White, In Deep Pink and In Champagne. "When the plant is fully grown, the flowers will produce different colour variations right through until the autumn. The branches are strong and sturdy and the large, dark green leaves also keep their colour through to autumn," says Schmitz.

Keep it a special plant
According to Schmitz, a unique plant needs to be kept unique. For this reason, they set up some regulations for the plant which are different to their regular varieties. For the Kanmara® Splendour, they decided to control the entire process, from the grower to the consumer. "We market the plant as unique and therefore, it also needs to reach the customer as a unique flower." Therefore, only a small selection of growers in Europe are growing the Kanamara and the retailers need to purchase the associated POS material. "If they do not want to use this material, we will discuss our motivation with them and we will decide how to proceed," she says. According to Schmitz, this is quite new for most retailers in Europe. "In Germany and Switzerland, for example, they are not used to this kind of approach, but we are on a good path."

High demand
This different approach for the Kanmara seems to work. According to Schmitz, the demand is increasing. "We invest a lot in the entire process of putting this plant on the market in a particular way. Therefore, we want to grow slowly. In the future we expect more plants on the market, but it needs to remain a special item, not only for the growers, but also for the retailers," concludes Schmitz.

For more information
Hydrangea Breeders Association
Christina Schmitz
Email: [email protected]
www.hydrangeabreeders.nl