12/21/2011
What's Europe Buying?
Chris Beytes
Horti Fair is primarily about greenhouse technology, while IFTF covers the world of new varieties, especially in cut flowers. But if you’re looking for take-home trend ideas, look no further than FloraHolland, where local growers exhibit their best products and packaging ideas. Here’s a sampling of what’s hot in Holland.
Objet Naturel
The solution to the biodegradable pot problem: shells and nuts as planters. “Snaily” plants, from Kwekerij Zeurniet, get their start in Thailand. The “Nutty Collection” is from La Pura Vida. Snaily is off to a fast start, having taken second place in the FloraHolland Award “Concept” category.
Live and Let Dye
Certainly dyed and glittered plants are a love-hate proposition, but the Europeans aren’t afraid of putting them out there to let consumers decide. And they like them: Paul Splinter of EuroCactus told us 70% of their holiday succulents are dyed and/or glittered. And that number is still 30% the rest of the year. Check out the full selection of their “Rainbow” line at
tinyurl.com/eurocactus.
Support Your Local Orchid
While some go for the natural look with orchid spike support—bamboo, raffia and other camouflage—we noted Dutch grower Wooning Orchids celebrating their flower supports with colorful, architectural shapes.
Natural Tendencies
Despite all the color, the natural look is still hot. Here are two examples in Smit Kwekerij’s “Made by Nature” line. We especially like the quality detail of the tiny plant pick, which proves that small doesn’t have to mean plain.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Boxwood: One quart or three gallon. That’s the typical selection at a typical nursery (to use the old and now illegal descriptions for these pots). But in the Netherlands it’s all about variety. Such as TopBuxus, which offers eight different sizes of boxwood (9 cm, 10.5 cm, 12 cm, 13 cm, 15 cm, 17 cm, 19 cm and 23 cm), plus a boxwood fertilizer.
It’s a Primary Color
First it was the Blue Mystique orchid. Now somebody has applied the same secret technology to create blue anthuriums and blue kalanchoes. Again, like the dyed echeveria, this proves that you don’t have to like the look, you just have to like giving your customers what they like. (Oh, there’s a yellow anthurium, too.) The anthurium is from Rijnplant and the kalanchoe is from KP Holland.
Can You Handle It?
Convenience is always in style in Europe. They’re good at making easy-to-carry impulse products featuring handles, such as these two handle pack examples.
Meow
Hello Kitty is a widely known consumer brand, and now horticulture has a piece of it, thanks to Clayrton’s, a French marketing firm. Clayrton’s has licensed the ubiquitous kitten from its owner, Japan’s Sanrio (at a very high cost, we were told) and is now sublicensing the brand for grower use. First to take part is a FloraHolland group of 10 Dutch growers. Want to bring Hello Kitty to North America? Contact Olaf Janssen, Clayrton’s sales manager, at
ojanssen@clayrtons.com. Be sure to have your Hello Kitty checkbook out.
GP