This time we will go on a whirlwind tour of Chelsea (not the Football Club!), Holland and discuss Brussels. Due to my involvement with a Garden Centre marketing and buying group I have been fortunate enough to be involved in some interesting and informative visits. In April I was invited to travel with a Dutch trade mission to look at developing trade We all associate the Dutch with tulips, and visiting the Keukenhof and a grower of tulips straight after was totally enlightening. We then moved onto the biggest orchid grower in the world, a family run nursery near Gouda. This nursery really showed how horticulture has embraced mechanised production in recent years: 10 million orchids are produced annually with conveyor belts, mobile benches and magic eye cameras, meaning that the plants are only touched by human hand when initially potted and packed for despatch. Not good for employment levels, but absolutely fascinating. The famous Dutch flower auctions in Aalsmeer cover an area the size of Monaco and to see the clock working, the plants moving and the sheer scale of Dutch horticulture was truly jaw dropping. For those that have seen the movie Monsters Inc., the inspiration behind the scenes when the monsters were riding on the doors in the door storage unit must have come from the Dutch flower auctions. Amazing! Tania and I also had an invitation to the Chelsea Flower Show from the company that produces Miracle Gro. The Dutch may have the edge when it comes to production horticulture, but nobody else could ever create Chelsea and the inspiring gardens and displays that the Brits do so well. We didn’t see many gnomes, the Gardens all seemed a bit industrial for our liking as many were celebrating the centenary of Chelsea with historical exhibits, but the execution of the plant displays, the detail involved in the Gardens and the sheer enthusiasm of the exhibitors was as infectious as ever. I included Brussels in my opening sentence as, once again, the EU has caused divisions and a certain amount of controversy in the horticultural chemical market. In recent years, the bee population has been steadily dropping and there has been considerable research into why. One of the suspected causes was a group of insecticides used in horticulture (and agriculture) called neonicotinoids; despite the UK research indicating that under normal use bees were not harmed, the EU members voted fifteen in favour of a ban and eight (including the UK) against. Going with the majority meant that further chemicals are now restricted for sale. It does As we are committed to working with our local community, we have lots going on here this BOSWORTH’S Nurseries & Garden Centre OPEN: Mon-Sat: 9am - 6pm All Credit Cards Accepted NOT JUST A GARDEN CENTRE |