Yesterday was the first day of the third autumn edition of Plantarium | Groen-Direkt. Fortunately, the temperature in the exhibition hall was not too high this year. Visitors from all over Europe, but even some visitors from Asian countries visited the exhibition floor in Hazerswoude-Dorp in the Netherlands.
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According to Sandra van Tol of Groen-Direkt: "The number of visitors is good and the exhibitors are happy, we only get positive reactions. At 7:00, when we opened, it was busy right away. We are glad that the fair looks so beautiful with so many nice stands." The Green Retail Awards were also presented this morning, Groundbreaker Hydrangea was one of the winners.
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At the fair, growers and suppliers can see many novelties. It is the place to network and stock up on new products. Some companies sell young plant material to each other. Others have plants ready for direct sale to garden centres. These are not only Dutch garden centres. For instance, there is a team from a Swedish chain visiting the fair. They are given a tour by Michael Perry, a real 'plantfluencer' from the United Kingdom, who also goes by the name 'Plant Geek'. He also shows his favourites at the fair by placing a 'plant geek picks' frame on a number of flowers and plants.
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Hans Uittenbogaard of Montis was incredibly busy all morning, he says. "From 9:30 to 13:30, I was interacting with customers, new and existing ones. I even haven't had time to eat a sandwich," he laughs. "It's an excellent fair, there's a lot of interest and the catering is good too."
A striking feature of this fair is the large amount of peat-free cultivation. More and more nurseries are making their cultivation more sustainable, peat-free cultivation is clearly part of this process. It has become a necessity for growers who export to the United Kingdom as peat-containing products that will be banned from 2026 onwards.
All in all, the participants were positive about the fair. According to them, there was a lot of trading and networking. It's worth repeating, they say.
KVCB medals
The day before the opening of Plantarium|Groen-Direkt, the KVBC (Royal Boskoop Horticultural Society) inspection committee held its novelty inspection. They inspected 35 of the 42 submitted plants. Twenty of these received a medal. The committee awarded three gold, four silver and thirteen bronze medals.