Groen van bij ons, Flemish campaign ‘Groene planten, vaste klanten’

Groen van bij ons has launched a campaign in Flanders to inspire garden owners to start working with green perennials. With the slogan ‘Groene planten, vaste klanten’ ('Green plants, steady customers), the Flemish Centre for Agro- and Fisheries Marketing (VLAM) aims to convince consumers to choose perennial outdoor plants, which they can enjoy all year round.

The full range of ornamental products, interwoven with surprises

AVBS stand at the Floraliën becomes one big journey of discovery. That, in a nutshell, is what the stand of the professional organisation of ornamental growers and green contractors, AVBS, will look like. Unlike previous editions, where each houseplant grower or tree nursery more or less had ‘their own little corner’ within the group stand, the plants are now presented where they can look their best, helping to tell the overall story of the stand. Architects Wouter François and Kris Van Cauter are creating an experience here. In the past, visitors were sometimes overwhelmed by the total impression at once, they are now creating a journey of discovery. “Visitors will experience a walk full of stimuli, emotion and experience, in which their connection with what they see is deepened layer by layer,” Wouter explains.

Azaleas, camellias and a touch of tea: how Italy conquered a niche market

The professional cultivation of acid-loving plants in Italy has a long history. As early as the second half of the 19th century, on the Piedmont side of Lake Maggiore, some gardeners who worked in the parks of the majestic villas in the area, thanks to their experience and realizing that the demand for these plants was very high, helped by their families, set up their own businesses, growing azaleas, rhododendrons and camellias. These plants were the most suitable for the area, given the acidic nature of the local soil. Very old specimens can still be found in parks and gardens in the area, which sometimes are now used as mother plants to reintroduce ‘ancient’ varieties to the market.

Water Insight: from measuring to managing water at field level

Water has long ceased to be a given for tree nurseries. Dry summers, wet winters, dry summers with wet periods, wet summers with dry periods, and increasing pressure on groundwater mean that growers must increasingly think about what is happening on their fields. But managing water starts with insight, and in practice that insight is often still lacking.

Tree Nursery Hergo: steering on precision in a changing cultivation practice

In an industry where labour is becoming scarcer and pressure on chemical crop protection continues to increase, Tree Nursery Hergo deliberately chooses a different approach. Over the past few years, the company has developed into a practical example of how technology and craftsmanship can strengthen each other in tree nursery production. Not simply by increasing scale, but by organising production in a smarter and more precise way.

“Technology should not be interesting because it is new, but because it actually works in the field.”

Nursery De Weimer spreads risks with a wide assortment and invests in container production

Nursery De Weimer, owned by Corné Leenaerts and located in Zundert, the Netherlands, is not a typical specialised nursery. The company combines forest and hedge plants, shrubs, potted roses and container production. This diversified structure developed over the years, but has now become a clear strategy: spreading risks and serving different markets. At the same time, the nursery is investing in container production and greenhouse cultivation to reduce dependence on field production and gain more control over production planning.

Brasserie ROOTZ adds a new dimension to Business Centre Treeport

In 2024, the multidisciplinary knowledge centre for the tree nursery industry at Business Centre Treeport, ROOTZ, opened its doors. ROOTZ functions as a living laboratory, testing environment and meeting place, matching what the name stands for: Ruimte voor Onderzoek en Ontmoeting met Treeport Zundert (space for research and collaboration with Treeport Zundert). The main focus of the knowledge centre is to facilitate activities related to the tree nursery industry. This includes plant research, vertical farming, research into active substances, education, robotics, energy and biobased construction, soil and water analyses and much more. Sustainability is the guiding principle. Naturally, an innovative design was chosen for the building, including water collection and a green roof. The exterior façade is fitted with special wall panels made from residual wood streams and will partly be covered with living greenery.

Circulation plan in place to manage fuel tourism traffic

At the business parks Hazeldonk, Meer and Business Centre Treeport (BCT) along the E19 in Meer, a circulation plan will be introduced to prevent through traffic from ending up in traffic jams caused by fuel tourism. Many international drivers come to Belgium to purchase fuel, as prices there are significantly lower than in the Netherlands.