Although they bloom all year round indoors, the campanula season picks up again with the onset of the warmer season. Growers are currently observing a clear trend towards more sustainable varieties and smaller pot sizes, Landgard, a marketing producer cooperative in Germany, reports. "These bellflowers are mostly grown as minis in 5.5 cm pots or in 10.5 sizes and, depending on the weather, they can be planted outdoors from March/April."
The plant has been popular for many years, and this is also confirmed by Claes Bastrup, Sales Manager at Gartneriet PKM A/S in Odense, Denmark. "Over the last 8 to 10 years, we have produced around 8 million campanulas per year. In addition, we are continuously working on new cultivars in our own product development."
According to Bastrup, there is a clear trend toward more sustainable plants. "The focus, for example, is on large, open flower bells that are easily accessible to bees and other insects. By developing healthier, hardier varieties, we have also halved our need for crop protection products in recent years. Currently, we are working on new varieties that require less light to grow, which will, in turn, also reduce our energy requirements for early crops."
Claes Bastrup, Anett Madsen, Steen Jensen, and Merih Tesfamicael.
With a 100,000 square meters greenhouse, Gartneriet PKM A/S, under the management of Anett Madsen and her son Poul, specializes in the production of Campanula, Rhipsalidopsis, Gentiana, Helleborus, Lavendula, Thymus, Crassula, and Berry Bux for the trade, retail, and DIY markets in Germany, France, and Scandinavia. The plants are marketed under the brand name "Fairytale Flowers®." "The demand for campanula develops quite differently depending on the country. In general, we are currently observing an increasing demand for lower-priced, smaller sizes," explains Claes Bastrup, who, as Sales Manager at PKM, is also responsible for sales.
Campanula is versatile for the green sector - whether in outdoor plantings, interior workpieces or as part of attention-grabbing product presentations, Landgard says. For Mother's Day, therefore, campanulas are well displayed in their "Super Mom" sales concept. "The bright colors of the bellflowers perfectly match the comic look of the concept - turning the already attractive campanula into an even bigger eye-catcher."
And when talking about Mother's Day at PKM, they are pleased so far. "Mother's Day is going well so far. The demand this year is like other years, and the sales are good; we are totally booked and sold out. So perfect so far. We hope it will continue."
For more information:
Landgard
www.landgard.de
Claes Bastrup
Gartneriet PKM A/S
Tel.: +45 2710 7808.
Emaill: [email protected]
www.pkm.dk