PLANTARIUM|GROEN-Direkt provides an insight into the market for garden plants

On 21 and 22 August 2024 they will find a complete, up-to-date range of outdoor plants, novelties and innovations from the Netherlands and other countries.

“Besides the beautiful products of our exhibitors and the range of directly available plants of GROEN-Direkt’s sample fair, the fair has a lot more to offer to its visitors. There will of course be an attractive presentation of the plants submitted for the Green Retail Awards, and also the Wall of Fame featuring award-winning novelties, the Green Future Hub with the latest information on certification, a Bricks example presentation, and on the second day Hortibizz Newsradio will be broadcasting live from the fair,” says fair manager Marjolein Wieckardt. “So all in all plenty to see and experience.”

International

Exhibitors from outside the Netherlands now also flock to the fair. So far, around 20% of the registered exhibitors come from abroad, one of their main reasons for participating being the professional visitors. Baumschule Wil Swinkels from Geldern (D), for example, hope to generate more attention for their relatively new product Euonymus japonicus GREEN WONDER as an ideal alternative for boxwood. “Sales are supported with an attractively illustrated label, posters and container banners. The fair offers us a good opportunity to show visitors this,” says Danny Swinkels.

Many people won’t have heard the name of the new exhibitor 'Bruno Nebelung GmbH' before, but one of their brands – Kiepenkerl – probably will ring a bell. Although the names sound German, the company has a strong international reputation. It supplies seeds, bulbs and plants to retailers, growers and landscape gardeners all over Europe. Many of their products are language-independent or available in many languages. Eike Jöddicke, product manager at Bruno Nebelung: "At the fair we present seeds and bulbs, but also what we have to offer in the field of themed benches of vegetable plants. We opt for PLANTRIUM|GROEN-Direkt because we hope to meet buyers of garden centres and retail chains here. The fair’s focus on garden plants and retailers appeals very much to us".

Biological Youngplants will be presenting their organically certified stock of native perennials. “We expect a lot of interest from landscape gardeners, garden centres and growers because our products offer an answer to the shortage of certified perennials observable in the context of biodiversity,” says Wim van Marrewijk.

Green Retail Awards

With the Green Retail Awards, the fair organisers aim to boost developments in the field of innovation in the range. They are therefore of course delighted to see international retailers and retail experts being more than willing to form part of the jury selecting the Best Market Innovation, one of the categories of the Green Retail Awards. The jury members will evaluate the plants submitted in this category under their chairman Luc de Bruyne of Astima B.V. The Best Market Innovation jury members are:

• • Martin Brijs, Bell Brothers Nurseries Ltd, United Kingdom
• Johanna Nordenskiöld, Plantagen/Plantasjen, Scandinavia
• Manuel Rucar, Chlorosphère, France
• Helmut Follrich, Bellaflora, Austria
• Harald Van Meurs, All-Green, the Netherlands
• Niels Feller, Intratuin, the Netherlands
• Brenda Horstra, Tuinbranche NL, the Netherlands
• Luc de Bruyne, Astima B.V., Belgium

The other categories are the Best Novelty (inspected by the KVBC (Royal Boskoop Horticultural Society) jury) and the Visitors’ Favourite (chosen by the visitors). The products submitted for the inspections are presented at the website. The closing date for registering plants for the Green Retail Awards via the website is 11 August.

Groups of visitors

PLANTARIUM|GROEN-Direkt’s visitors are always treated to a very warm welcome, with free parking, coffee, tea, soft drinks and sandwiches. Every year the fair is assured of a large range of international visitors, from individual persons to groups representing garden-centre organisations and purchasing combinations such as the Dutch Intratuin chain of garden centres. They organise their meetings, presentations and team assemblies at PLANTARIUM|GROEN-Direkt and enjoy making the most of the possibility of guided tours of the fair, to turn their visit into a valuable, inspiring experience.

Every year the fair is assured of a large range of international visitors. © Nils van Houts

About PLANTARIUM|GROEN-Direkt

Along with GROEN-Direkt’s Autumn Fair, PLANTARIUM|GROEN-Direkt, the Green Retail Fair, is the ideal place for suppliers and everyone else professionally involved in the green sector to meet one another. The fair also pays lots of attention to novelties and innovations. The next edition will take place on 21 and 22 August 2024. The fair will take place in and around GROEN-Direkt’s hall at the International Trade Centre in the Dutch town of Hazerswoude/Boskoop. Next to the permanent fair building will be a spacious, light, airconditioned marquee surrounded by large patios for indoor and outdoor catering. So whatever the weather, the fair will offer you a perfect, attractive environment in which to meet and talk to people, conduct negotiations and generally have a great time. For more information and to register your participation or visit, go to the website: plantariumgroendirekt.nl.