Syngenta Flowers is looking back at a fruitful IPM 2019 in Essen, Germany, amid an impressive display of novelties, brands and initiatives.
One of the introductions is Poinsettia Mirage Red, a true grower’s poinsettia. Easy production is a definite advantage but it also wins the hearts of retailers and consumers for its beauty and durability. The bracts produced on Mirage Red contain less blue than many other red varieties. So it looks more vibrant in the artificial light conditions often found in retail and home environments.
Product Manager for poinsettia, Edwin Oortwijn said: “Mirage offers dark green foliage that contrasts beautifully with its nostalgic, vibrant, red bracts. Unlike some varieties, it boasts long-lasting cyathia for a durable shelf-life. Mirage Red can be produced in pots from 6cm all the way up to 13cm and requires very few PGRs, which is highly unusual for poinsettia.”
Taking centre stage is its breakthrough in Impatiens walleriana breeding, Imara. Its 2018 launch marked a welcome return of impatiens following the 2011 outbreak of downy mildew. Four limited introductions are added to the Imara range. Being strong, resistant and never succumbing to the disease, Imara has taken the horticulture industry by storm since its introduction last year and again at IPM, Imara was received with high enthusiasm and interest from key industry figures.
The new Calliope range in a major presentation was another highlight at the show. With four types in 36 colours, the Calliope display will bring to life the ways in which this plant responds to all the needs of today’s consumers, while increasing profitability for growers and retailers with proven higher retail prices. Also in 2019 Calliope will sponsor Cultivation Street founded by Chartered Horticulturalist and UK broadcaster David Domoney and supports gardening communities and schools across the UK. After the success of last year’s campaign, Calliope Flowers will be Cultivation Street’s sponsor for the second year running. Calliope is a geranium with more vibrant and intensely coloured flowers, which are easy to care for and longer-lasting.
Syngenta Flowers announced earlier that as of February 1st it would combine the wholesale activities of Syngenta Flowers and Floranova across Europe. This change will offer its customers a good one-stop shop experience. Dominic Lacey, Floranova’s Managing Director is pleased about this decision: “Although Syngenta Flowers and Floranova continue to operate as two separate companies with own breeding, production and commercial activities, we see Sales as an area where it makes more sense to combine efforts and let our customers benefit from a one-stop shop possibility and the advantages this offers in terms of ease of doing business. Combining wholesale activity in Europe is possible because, unlike most other markets, the European customer base of the two companies is very similar. At the same time customers will continue to benefit from the breeding innovations from two strong companies with a broad product portfolio. We look forward to engaging with customers over the coming weeks to discuss these changes in more detail and the opportunities this presents.”
The Vegetalis Patio Edibles assortment is developed and introduced by Floranova and the existing range will remain available to customers through the Floranova Wholesale organisation. As of February 1st, the existing Vegetalis Patio Edibles assortment also become part of the Syngenta Flowers distribution assortment for grower customers in Europe. The Vegetalis Patio Edibles assortment range will be extended with other vegetables and herbs suitable for the home gardener but with the quality aspects demanded by the professional grower, to allow Syngenta Flowers to offer a broader range of vegetables to its grower customers.
Syngenta Flowers