Ten plants have been nominated for the Show Your Colours Award IPM 2025. All exhibitors of IPM with woody plants and perennials could submit plants or plant concepts for this award. Ten plants/plant concepts were eventually nominated from the entries. The Show Your Colours Award will be presented on Thursday 30 January 2025 at 15:00 in the BIZZ Holland stand, hall 8, stand number 8A30-4.
The Show Your Colours Award IPM was introduced to encourage trade fair participants to put their products with a plus in the spotlight. With added value in the form of a label, beautiful pot, clever concept or simply telling a bit more about the plant, a plant can generate extra attention.
Nominations
From the entries, in alphabetical order, the following ten plants/plant concepts have been nominated for the Show Your Colours Award IPM 2025.
Dino Snack - Mediflora Lehrhuber GmbH
Dino Snack' is a plant line for children that teaches them about plants and dinosaurs in a fun way. The main character is Flora, a curious dinosaur girl and plant researcher who meets her five new friends.
Each dinosaur presents its favorite plant in a colorful, child-friendly cover. The plants are in 14 cm pots so children can integrate the plants into their play and care for them themselves. The concept has a Dino Snack website where they can dive even deeper into the world of Flora and her dinosaur friends. Displays are available for on the sales floor showing the dinosaurs and the plants and a QR code to the website for more information. To attract children's attention, a Medisaurus figure is available that can serve as a photo wall. A child's head fits perfectly through Flora's eye, aiming to allow customers to take funny dinosaur photos and making shopping an experience.
Fragaria x ananassa Duch Queeny - ABZ Seeds
Fragaria x ananassa Duch Queeny is suitable for placing as a snack fruit alongside other herbs in the kitchen. Queeny is early-flowering, upright growing, and shy runnering. The plant has pink flowers and is everbearing and the fruits are red in color.
"If Queeny is placed in a sunny window spot and watered regularly, you can enjoy the delicious strawberries for a long time. If the plant grows larger and is placed outside on the balcony or in the garden, the harvest continues throughout the summer and into autumn."
Helleborus 'Winter Sparkle White' - Colour your Season
"Helleborus Winter Sparkle White has large, star-shaped flowers (larger than 8 cm) in a pure white color with a subtle pink edge, making it the eye-catcher in the dark months. From December to April, the plant brings sparkle to the garden or terrace thanks to its rich blooms.
The large star-shaped flowers in abundance contrast beautifully with the dark green leaves, making the flowers stand out even more. Moreover, this Helleborus is known for its hardiness, making it able to withstand the coldest winter conditions."
Hydrangea arborescens 'BAIful' EUPBRAF - FlowerWOW - First Editions (Bailey Nurseries International)
" Hydrangea arborescens ´FlowerWOW´ lives up to its name. With two to three times as
many flowers compared to other H. arborescens, the plant is a standout. The leaves are
deep green and healthy throughout the season. In addition, the plant has sturdy, straight
upright branches that do not fall over in wind and rain.
FlowerWOW is disease-resistant, low-maintenance, and grows compactly with a height of 0.90 to 1.20 m to 1.5 m wide. This makes it very suitable for both small gardens and large plantings. This snowball hydrangea is a real flowering machine with a long flowering period. The flowers slowly turn green and retain this color until autumn."
Hydrangea paniculata 'Groundbreaker Blush' - Diderk Heinje Pflanzenhandelsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG
"Hydrangea paniculata 'Groundbreaker' is the world's first groundcover hydrangea. With a maximum height of only 30 cm, it grows compactly and is ideal for both landscaping, as a border or as a container plant. 'Groundbreaker' has a long flowering period, lasting up to 100 days and running from July to September. During this period the flowers show a fascinating color change, from white to delicate pale pink to bright pink.
'Groundbreaker' is very robust and resistant to extreme conditions. It tolerates dry
periods well as long as it receives sufficient water and can also withstand heavy rain. Its
cold resistance is particularly remarkable: it can tolerate temperatures down to -30°C.
At the point of sale, Hydrangea paniculata 'Groundbreaker®' is presented in an eye-catching printed pot with a matching label."
Hydrangea serrata 'Magic Pillow' - Plant Select
" Hydrangea serrata 'Magic Pillow' is a unique hydrangea that covers the ground. Magic Pillow grows 70-90 cm tall and blooms profusely on annuals, depending on the acidity of the soil, with flat soft pink to purplish-blue flower heads.
Flowering is early in spring, starting with flowers in late May and early June until late summer. In autumn, the leaves turn dark red. Magic Pillow comes in two colors, pink and blue. The color is clearly shown on the photo label. The photo label clearly indicates the groundcovering property ('Groundcovering Hydrangea'). In addition, a one pager/poster is available for this species."
Nordic Garden Beauties - Gebr Seuren Kwekerijen B.V.
'Nordic Garden Beauties' concept includes 24 different roses that are suited to the cold Nordic climate. These 'Nordic Garden Beauties' consist of a series of Th-Hybrid, Polyantha, Shrub and Climbing Roses. " They are strong roses that bloom well until winter arrives.
These plants excel between zones 2 and 9 and they naturally like to be sunny or half-day in the sun."
Rhododendron Hybrid 'Maximus' en Rhododendron Hybrid 'Hercules' - Leybaert bv
Under the PWR plant brand, Leybaert introduces two Rhododendrons: Maximus and Hercules. "Maximus has large, firm red flowers and blooms early from April. Hercules flowers from late April/early May, with enchanting lilac flowers and glossy, leathery foliage. Both varieties can withstand extreme temperatures and thrive in a variety of climates. They flower for 4-5 weeks and retain their attractive foliage throughout the season.
The plants show stronger and greener growth than current varieties, resulting in sustainable development. Their natural resilience reduces the need for pesticides and growth regulators, making them an ideal choice for sustainable gardens and terraces. In addition, the plants contribute to the ecological value of gardens and landscapes through their nectar, which attracts plenty of bees. Thus, they make a valuable contribution to biodiversity."
Rosa Hybrid Sweet Home Roses - Roses Forever ApS
"Rosa Hybrid Sweet Home Roses is a series of compact roses that are great for making an early summer appearance on the terrace, balcony or in a small garden. The series consists of 10 varieties with strong colors and the same growth characteristics. The idea behind this concept is to have flowering garden roses in the shop before the garden roses bloom outside. The plants are grown in the open ground for 2 years and then finished in pots. The grower can store the rooted roses in cold storage and thus precisely plan the sales weeks (about 6-10 weeks after potted). Sweet Home roses can be grown in both warm and cold greenhouses."
Sarcococca hookerinana 'Winter Gem' - Kwekerij Roos
"Sarcococca hookerinana 'Winter Gem' is a winter jewel in the garden, known for its fantastic fragrance. From February to April, the entire shrub is covered with dark red buds and pure white flowers that spread a wonderful scent. The plant is evergreen and its leaves are a glossy dark green. Both these characteristics, the glossy leaves and the strong sweet scent, make Sarcococca 'Winter Gem' an indispensable element in the winter and early spring garden.
The sweet boxwood is not susceptible to diseases and requires hardly any care. Pruning is not necessary. 'Winter Gem' branches well and forms a bushy shrub. It grows in both sun and shade and in any type of soil."
Judging
The nominated plants will be presented in the Show Your Colours presentation in Hall 8 during the exhibition days. On Tuesday 28, Wednesday 29 and Thursday morning 30 January, all visitors will be able to vote for their favorite plant using tokens. On Thursday afternoon, the plants and their stories will be judged by an expert jury. The jury's verdict, together with the visitors' votes, will ultimately produce a winner. The results will be announced at 15:00 at the BIZZ Holland stand, Hall 8.
For more information:
IPM Essen
www.ipm-essen.de