Plants, labels and sustainability
Great Britain (GB) was partner country of this year's International Plant Fair IPM in Essen. The Commercial Horticultural Association (www.cha-hort.com) invited visitors to its joint stand to get to know the British exhibitors. In addition to plant suppliers, label manufacturers were represented several times.
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Tyne Moulds & Machinery offers UK-made custom-printed tags and labels, binding systems and other small parts useful to the horticultural industry, made from more than 90% recycled plastic. Bluepoint Tags & Labels supplies the horticulture and other industries with a variety of labels and tags. The aim of the IPM participation was to increase export business. Expectations were far exceeded, with Joe Higgins and Iain Pringle meeting numerous potential new customers. Jeremy Watkinson, Director of PPC Labels, scored with the offer of even very small quantities of labels.
Roses, Clematis and Agapanthus
The well-known company David Austin Roses aimed to meet licensees and other international customers with its participation in the fair. The Brexit was hardly noticeable for the business, since an existing network within the EU can be relied on.
Founded in 1984 by Raymond Evison, Guernsey Clematis supplies about 15 to 20 % of all clematis young plants worldwide. Guernsey Clematis reported significantly longer export times since Brexit. Today, export times are around ten days, compared to just two days before the Brexit. Documentation has become much more complicated and expensive, he said. Despite this, the company is seeing increasing sales within Europe, said owner Raymond Evison. Shipping flowering plants is a major problem, as it is for the IPM booth.
Agapanthus specialist Patrick Fairweather, owner of Fairweather's Nursery, exports about 30% of his young plants to Europe. On offer are special varieties that bloom a second time from summer into fall. Fairweather also reported significantly higher administrative costs for the export business since Brexit, which means a small price surcharge for customers but little impact for large shipments. The biggest problem, he said, is customers' understanding of this. Nevertheless, the export business is growing faster than the domestic business.
Green murals
Greeningup from Manchester showed its traveling wall systems for potted plants, which are offered including complete installation. These wall systems are used primarily in offices and other interiors used for business purposes.
