Acquisitions, hot summer in Europe and Cultivate'18

July 2018 was a month filled with many company announcements. Like ForemostCo acquired Orcosa, Dümmen Orange obtained the New Zealand calla assortment, and Premier Tech took over an engineering firm. Danziger and Syngenta Flowers launched a perennial marketing initiative, Asocolflores and AgroCheck started a partnership, Beekenkamp and Syngenta combined poinsettia portfolios in North America and Darwin Colombia SAS received MPS-A qualification.

July also marks summer and the end of the peony season in Europe. According to a Dutch peony grower, the prices were satisfactory, but it was hard work to deliver good quality. And the Summer 2018 in Europe was marked with hot temperatures, and the Gladiolus was such a crop that was suffering from this weather.

And of course, events and exhibitions were held. Deb's Greenhouse in Canada hosted the first New Blooms for Canadian growers and retailers and we visited the Cultivate'18 in Ohio, USA.

Below the complete overview of July 2018.

Jack Brooijmans, Gebr. Brooijmans:

NL: "Peony season was hard work"

"The prices were satisfactory, but it was hard work to deliver good quality." With these words, peony grower Jack Brooijmans summarizes the past season. At the Gebr. Brooijmans nursery in Steenbergen, the Netherlands, six varieties are cultivated, both in plastic tunnels and in open field cultivation. Limited.....

A walk through the farm of Red Lands Roses

"Harvesting three times per day guarantees best quality"

In Kenya the cut flower industry is, in descending order, dominated by Kenyans, then the Dutch and Indians, and then, in small numbers, a whole lot of other nationalities. French are rare though, but we had an opportunity to visit one of their farms: Red Land Roses. Isabelle Henin Spindler, here with a new.....

ForemostCo to acquire Orcosa

Orcosa, a producer of ornamental plants in Costa Rica, will be joining the ForemostCo family. Orcosa is a subsidiary of Handelskwekerij van der Velden in Holland, which has over 75 years in the business of ornamental plants in Europe. “Our plans are to combine Orcosa’s capabilities with our existing.....

Fleurizon introduces new varieties

"Market for Sansevieria is unsaturable"

“After the green wave in the 70’s, the Sansevieria went down in sales. But the last 2-4 years the market is unsaturable,” says Frank de Greef of Fleurizon. This international company is introducing several new Sanseviera varieties. The names of the new varieties are Black Princess Sandy and Frozen. Both.....

"We experience a revival of Dianthus"

It sounds a bit unusual for a breeding company to promote their products to end consumers, but that is exactly what Selecta One is doing. In 2017 they started a campaign for their Dianthus variety Pink Kisses. “We wanted to understand the consumer's behavior and trends. That’s why we began to speak to.....

Debbie Foisy on first New Blooms

CAN: "This might be the start of an annual event"

On Thursday, July 5th, Deb’s Greenhouse, in Morinville, Alberta hosted the first New Blooms for Canadian Growers and Retailers. The full day event was attended by 96 growers, retailers and plant brokers from Western Canada. The two part event included a plant trial grown out by High Q Greenhouses in Alberta,.....

Dümmen Orange acquires New Zealand calla assortment

Dümmen Orange has expanded their product portfolio with the calla assortment and breeding pipeline of Bloomz. Both companies signed their joint agreement and integration has started. These calla lilies from New Zealand will enhance the current Dümmen Orange product lines, especially in cut flowers. Hanh.....

Turnover FloraHolland first half 2018 almost similar to last year

In the first half of 2018, the turnover at Royal FloraHolland amounted to €2.6 billion, a fraction less than the sum achieved in the first six months of 2017. The average price of flowers was 3.9% higher, of houseplants 0.3% higher and of outdoor plants 2% higher. The higher prices compensated for the effect.....

Kenya: Crowdfunded solar panels provide 50% of rose grower’s energy

Rift Valley Roses is about to meet 50 percent of their electricity demand with solar energy. The costs to realize this project at this 22ha farm is 94,000 Euro and will be financed through the crowdinvesting platform of ecoligo.investments. Berlin-based solar company ecoligo will manage the project, which is.....

ThinkPlants

Danziger and Syngenta Flowers launch perennial marketing initiative

Danziger and Syngenta Flowers announced the launch of a new marketing initiative that will include their respective perennial portfolios in the United States and Canada in one offering under the brand name ThinkPlants. This new marketing initiative not only supports the respective efforts of Danziger and.....

For better debt monitoring for Colombian flower exporters

Asocolflores and AgroCheck start partnership

Asocolflores, the Association of Colombian Flower Exporters, and AgroCheck, credit information supplier and international debt collection agency for the floriculture industry, recently started an exclusive partnership to improve the debt monitoring for Colombian flower exporters. The arrangement will.....

North America: Beekenkamp and Syngenta combine poinsettia portfolio

Syngenta Flowers and Beekenkamp Plants announced a new initiative bringing together their poinsettia portfolios and supply chain in time for the 2019 season. By combining their poinsettia genetics, Syngenta Flowers and Beekenkamp Plants can offer North American brokers and growers a full range of varieties......

CAN (QC): Premier Tech acquires engineering firm

Premier Tech continues its expansion with its eighth acquisition—and first in Quebec—in the past 18 months. With the transaction, Premier Tech acquires Saint-Hubert–based engineering firm Automation Machine Design (AMD Inc.), which has specialized in designing and manufacturing automated and robotic.....

MPS-A qualification for Darwin Colombia SAS

MPS honored the achievements of Darwin Colombia SAS in the area of sustainability by officially presenting the recognition for obtaining the MPS-A qualification in July 2018. Darwin Colombia began perennial unrooted cutting production in 2002. In August 2014, Ball Horticultural Company acquired the company.....

NL: Gladiolus also suffering from hot summer

"It's just too hot, and that's why the prices are disappointing. The season started off nicely, but the last two weeks it's less. This morning the auction clock price was 11 cents, which is the lowest of this season," says Johan Denissen from Denissen Gladiolenkwekerij Odiliapeel. Now the Four Day Marches.....

Photo Report Cultivate '18

Here is the photo report of Cultivate ’18, the largest all-industry horticulture exposition and convention in North America. This three-day event concluded last Tuesday and brought together a nicely balanced mix of greenhouse technology, supplies, seeds, ornamental starting material and finished.....

Aviram Krell, Plantec Ecuador:

"A successful variety is about understanding the entire chain"

The success of a rose variety is not only determined by the productivity, length of stems, and resistance to diseases, but also by understanding and meeting the demands of all links throughout the chain. Plantec Ecuador, a representative of over 5 rose breeders in Latin America with their base in Ecuador,.....