It has been an interesting year for the Phalaenopsis. Due to oversupply the prices all over Europe were low. However, Daniel Pass of Double H Nurseries in the UK isn’t complaining.
Glitters and innovation
“There is still an appetite in demand”, says Daniel Pass. “It is driven by more innovation into the product. In recent years orchids were made into a gift by using drop in ceramics. That was the best you could get. Now they are made into fancy shapes and dressed with lights and glitters. Growers and suppliers are pushing the boundaries to offer looks we have not seen before. Some people love glitter but some hate it though, because they see them as harmful micro plastics, the good news is we can now also offer biodegradable glitters.”
Indoor gardening
According to Daniel, the popularity of house plants in general shows growth year on year. “Indoor gardening as they call it in the UK is a trend. By including plants in the interior, they are bringing the outside in. Ferns and green plants are still increasing in popularity.
Maximized rose production
Double H Nurseries supplies to UK supermarkets like Waitrose, M&S, Tesco and Sainsbury’s. Apart from Phalaenopsis they also supply roses and chrysanthemums. “We maximized production of roses this year. Because we had more demand for the rose range we are growing, we ramped up production over the course of the year.”
Brexit
Looking forward to 2019, Brexit is hard to ignore. “We grow and import, so there are going to be pros and cons from any deal. As we progress through Brexit our products will become even more competitive to UK retailers than our competition in continental Europe, the material we buy from the EU will go up in price. Also, we are a big employer so labour is a concern. We need clarity and support from the government about what is going on, and we need to work ever closer with the UK supermarkets, our customers.”
For more information
Double H
Gore Road,
New Milton,
Hants, BH25 5NG
Tel: 01425 616565
enquiries@doubleh.co.uk
www.doubleh.co.uk