New Variety: Agapanthus Lady Series (Lady Lauren & Lady Lay)

Within the expanding range of Agapanthus selections, the Lady series holds a clear position. The series has been developed with a strong focus on three key traits: exceptionally long flowering (over 100 days per year), a high number of flower stems, and healthy, robust foliage.

This directly addresses three important market demands: extended retail shelf life, strong visual impact on the sales bench, and reliable garden performance. Within the series, Agapanthus ‘Lady Lauren’ and ‘Lady Lay’ are two key representatives, each with its own identity but based on the same genetic foundation.

The Lady series is globally propagated and commercially distributed by three specialised growers: Gootjes-AllPlant, Deroose Plants and Vitro Westland. This ensures scale, continuity and international availability.

Grower’s Pride: Acer palmatum ‘Atropurpureum’

Acer palmatum ‘Atropurpureum’ is one of the most widely recognised cultivars within the range of Japanese maples. The variety is valued for its deep purple-red foliage and elegant growth habit, characteristics that have made it a long-standing favourite in gardens and landscape design. At Hoogenraad Handelskwekerijen the cultivar is grown with a strong focus on uniformity, plant quality and professional market supply. Its distinctive colour, manageable size and consistent performance make ‘Atropurpureum’ a reliable product for garden centres, landscapers and export markets.

New Variety: Buddleja ‘Birthday Cake’ by Van Vliet New Plants

With Buddleja ‘Birthday Cake’, a compact butterfly bush enters the market that stands out for its abundant flowering and long ornamental value. The purple flowers appear stacked above the plant, creating an effect reminiscent of a layered birthday cake. This gives the plant a full and eye-catching appearance.

A practical advantage is that the flowers turn brown much less quickly during the fading stage compared with many other varieties. As a result, the plant remains visually attractive for a longer period at the garden centre.

Young plants of ‘Birthday Cake’ are exclusively available through Florensis, which markets the variety internationally to professional growers.

Grower’s Pride: Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Little’ (Little XS) by Van der Peijl Tuinplanten

Within the segment of compact hydrangeas, demand is steadily increasing for varieties that naturally remain small without intensive pruning. Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Little’, also known as Little XS, responds directly to this development. The plant is a proprietary breeding of Van der Peijl Tuinplanten and forms part of the company’s Little concept, which focuses on compact hydrangeas for smaller gardens. Little XS was developed to offer a recognizable hydrangea that stays compact while maintaining the classic ornamental qualities of Hydrangea macrophylla. The cultivar is available in five flower colours: white, red, blue, purple and pink, allowing growers and retailers to present a varied and attractive colour range.

Grower’s Pride: Cordyline ‘Charlie Boy’ by Van der Peijl Tuinplanten

Within the range of structural garden plants, Cordyline ‘Charlie Boy’ occupies a distinctive position. This selection combines a strong tropical appearance with surprisingly good suitability for European gardens. At Van der Peijl Tuinplanten, this cultivar is deliberately cultivated for professional markets such as garden centres, landscapers and export channels. Its compact growth, striking foliage colour and clear recognisability make ‘Charlie Boy’ a distinctive addition to the segment of architectural garden plants.

Grower’s Pride: NewGen® Buxus

Boxwood has faced significant pressure in recent years. Pests such as boxwood leafminer have damaged confidence in the crop, both at nursery level and in the end market. At the same time, demand for evergreen, formable structure plants has not disappeared. NewGen® Boxwood responds directly to this tension by introducing genetically selected cultivars developed for improved tolerance to boxwood blight and strong resistance to leafminer.
Within the program, two cultivars stand out: NewGen® Independence (‘SB108’) and NewGen® Freedom (‘SB300’).

Grower’s Pride: Cornus alba ‘Nightfall’

With Cornus alba ‘Nightfall’, Boomkwekerij Verpaalen introduces a distinctly dark-leaved selection that adds new depth to the traditional Cornus alba segment. Whereas most Cornus alba cultivars are valued mainly for their winter twigs, 'Nightfall' adds intense purple-black foliage (featuring a greyish-velvety haze on the underside) during the growing season. This dual ornamental value creates year-round appeal and offers clear commercial potential for growers looking to strengthen and differentiate their shrub assortment.

Grower’s Pride: Carpinus betulus

Carpinus betulus – commonly known as European hornbeam – has been a stable cornerstone of the European forest and hedge plant assortment for decades. While trends shift and new cultivars enter the market, this species continues to prove its value through reliability, adaptability and strong growth. For Roelands Boomkwekerijen, Carpinus betulus is not a side product, but a structural element within the core assortment.

Grower’s Pride: Parrotia persica

Parrotia persica, commonly known as Persian ironwood, is steadily establishing itself as a core species within climate-resilient assortments. At Vormboomkwekerij Ruud van den Berk, this tree is purposefully cultivated in several high-quality shaped forms. The combination of technical reliability, strong ornamental value and broad applicability – as a multi-stemmed tree, standard screen form and low screen form – makes Parrotia a strategic species within the nursery’s assortment.

Grower’s Pride: Prunus laurocerasus ‘Otto Luyken’

Prunus laurocerasus ‘Otto Luyken’ has long been a cornerstone within the evergreen assortment. This compact cherry laurel combines a low, spreading habit with a striking spring bloom. For growers, it represents a dependable product with consistent demand in both landscaping projects and retail markets.

Grower's Pride: Taxus Baccata

Taxus baccata is one of the most consistent and durable evergreen products in the professional nursery assortment. While many species are influenced by trends and changing demand, yew remains a reliable cornerstone for growers focusing on quality, longevity and stable sales. The species combines technical reliability with long-term economic value. For Kwekerij Peter Verhoeven, Taxus baccata is therefore not a secondary crop, but a strategic foundation within the assortment, aimed at continuity throughout the supply chain.

Flora Toscana presented scented plants at Myplant

Grower’s Pride: Acer platanoides ‘Columnare’ (EN)

Acer platanoides ‘Columnare’ is a columnar Norway maple that addresses the growing demand for slender avenue trees in streets, residential areas and business parks. For tree nurseries, it is a typical project-oriented product with clear added value in urban environments.

Grower’s Pride: Thuja occidentalis ‘Smaragd’ (EN)

Thuja occidentalis ‘Smaragd’ is a classic within the conifer assortment and a stable cornerstone product for many nurseries. Its narrow, dense growth and long-lasting fresh green colour make this variety a key choice for hedges and linear plantings.

Grower’s Pride: Hydrangea serrata Living Red Velvet (EN)

Hydrangea serrata Living Red Velvet is part of a new generation of hydrangeas selected not only for colour, but also for winter hardiness and reblooming capacity. For nurseries, this series offers a distinctive story towards trade and consumers, with Living Red Velvet as a key colour highlight.

Grower’s Pride: Hydrangea paniculata ‘Little Lime’ (EN)

Hydrangea paniculata ‘Little Lime’ is the compact counterpart of ‘Limelight’ and fits perfectly with the growing demand for smaller, container-friendly hydrangeas. It allows nurseries and traders to serve small gardens, balconies and patios without compromising on quality or visual impact.

Grower’s Pride: Hydrangea paniculata ‘Limelight’ (EN)

Hydrangea paniculata ‘Limelight’ has become a standard variety in many nursery and trade assortments. Its combination of strong growth, reliable flowering and a highly recognisable look makes this panicle hydrangea a true backbone crop.

GROWERS' PRIDE: Hydrangea arborescens ‘First Editions® FlowerWOW’

The name says it all: ‘FlowerWOW’ makes an impression. This compact Hydrangea arborescens combines strong growth with abundant flowering. As part of the international First Editions® program, it is supplied in a distinctive P14 pot – ideal for retail. But the variety also offers advantages in production. Growers and buyers alike benefit from its uniform structure, strong genetics, and clear branding.

Small garden? These trees are perfect for this

You have a small garden and dream of enriching it with beautiful trees? Many believe that trees need a lot of space. But there are countless tree species that can thrive in even the smallest gardens. In this article, we will introduce you to some of them ideal tree species for small gardens and give advice on how best to care for them.

Prunus laurocerasus Bonaparte ® wins KVBC Award Gold

Adrian Stravers' Prunus laurocerasus Bonaparte® ('Flippi01'PBR), produced by co-owner Stef Verwaaij of SV Tuinplanten, was awarded KVBC Award Gold on 16 May.