IPM Essen in Germany

Well they say better late than never..... apart from a few exceptions like receiving a bill.

In any event another year has passed and as usual the team at Tesselaar faced the usual challenge of dragging ourselves off the beach and overcoming the post Christmas wish that our holidays were longer to make our annual pilgrimage to the mecca of Horticulture - IPM Essen in Germany.

This year’s show, like those in the years preceding it, was a source of inspiration that continues to surprise me each year with the innovation, presentation and sheer beauty of the industry I am lucky enough to work in.

Despite the seasonal challenges (it’s cold and snowy and certainly not the best time to be showing plants), working with perishable items and constant changes in fashion and peoples preferences; each year the displays and the presentation of material continue to motivate us to do that little bit more and continually improve our offerings.

Attached are some images that I couldn’t help pick out of the thousands of pictures I took for their creativity, colour and sometimes fun way of presenting plants and how they can be used to brighten our lives.

A few comments about the images chosen:

Clogs on the wall – the ultimate way to make sure discarded items find a second life / use in beautifying surroundings or brightening someone’s day.

Kombi Classic – who said “Flower Power”, had gone after the 60’s; it was just waiting for its chance to be reborn as retro fashion.

Mother in Laws are not all bad - An old favourite used innovatively and I don’t know what goes into braiding or plaiting succulents; (especially as a father who struggles to do his daughters hair and encourages her to wear caps when Mum is away) but these simple succulents have a wow factor.

Blocks of Colour – this was my personal favourite display from IPM. It was simple, cheap to construct and added so much fun and the ability to block colour and cross merchandise for retailers in a way that had instant pick me up appeal. This is something that would even have me buying horticultural products without an industry discount.

Hedge trimmer’s nightmare – As a gardener who has large hedges surrounding my property andEnglish Box hedge borders throughout, I could not begin to contemplate the amount of work that goes into making the beetle and maintaining it.

Not something for everyone but it certainly has its place and carried the galloping horse qualification e.g. you had to stop and admire it. Well that is it for another year and hope you find the inspiration from the images to get gardening and look at ways to brighten your surrounds for the year ahead.

Well that is it for another year and hope you find the inspiration from the images to get gardening and look at ways to brighten your surrounds for the year ahead.

Planting and care tips for Tropicannas

David Epstein tells you how to plant and take care of both the Tropicanna Canna & the Tropicanna Gold.

Have a watch here for some very useful tips http://food.sustainablelivinginhawaii.com/2692/planting-canna-tropicanna-in-containers/

Alstroemeria Rock & Roll® Scoops Silver at Plantarium

AUSTRALIA has produced many fine rock artists from INXS and AC/DC to Jason and Kylie, but now a new musical sensation from Down Under is topping the charts in the Euro horticultural hit parade.

The Alstroemeria Rock & Roll® took its bow to the European horticultural industry at the renowned Plantarium 2011 show in the Netherlands where it hit all the right notes with the judges.

This striking new plant by Tesselaar International based in Victoria, Australia, scooped a silver medal at the 29th staging of the prestigious international trade show for the tree-nursery industry, which featured more than 300 worldwide exhibitors.

A delighted Anthony Tesselaar said: “It is a fantastic achievement. We have received a really strong response from everyone who saw the plant, with plenty of interest shown from consumers wanting to grow the variety. In particular, there was really strong interest from Dutch consumers who normally don’t like variegated plants, but in this instance they clearly did!
“The overall quality of the Plantarium stands was way up on last year, and I think both our stand and theme created some great comments.
“You know when your stand is getting attention because when we went to pick up our show tickets from the stand office and we mentioned Tesselaar, the lady said ‘love your stand’!”

Those comments were music to the ears of the triumphant Tesselaar International team as visitors recognised how Rock & Roll provides a stunning addition to any garden display.

Its yellow variegation matures to white with a green edge, and combines dramatically with dark red flowers which are produced repeatedly through to autumn, making a long-lasting cut bloom.

Rock & Roll’s growth, which reaches an eventual height and spread of 90cm x 60cm, is compact and clump forming.

With a sensational, eye-catching display of flowers and foliage which stand out in any surrounding, the Rock n Roll sits in horticultural harmony either in a garden, a pot or when used as a cut flower.

Alstroemeria Rock n Roll fact file

· Suggested uses - Mass plant in the home garden or in decorative containers. Ideal as a potted gift in spring / summer

· Growth habit - Compact, bushy and clump forming from underground shoots

· Flower size - 60-70mm

· Mature height - 80-100cm

· Mature width - 50-70cm

· Spacing - 50cm spacing

· Hardiness - Frost tender and deciduous in cold climates

· Flowering period - spring right through until early autumn

· Number of flowers - Masses of stems each with 6-12 individual flowers

· Flower Colour - Dark red

· Fragrance - None

· Foliage - Variegated green and yellow, with the yellow ageing to pure white

· Pruning/Pinching - Pull expended flower stems from ground to refresh foliage and promote new growth and flowers

· Light needs - Full sun to part shade

· Soil needs - Free draining friable soil, will perform best with plenty of organic matter incorporated

· Water needs - Average to moist, not boggy or very dry

· Disease tolerance - No specific diseases

· Pest issues - Susceptible to snails and slugs

· Special care - Protect in very cold and hot climates. Monitor shade levels as sun intensifies

· Botanical name – Alstroemeria

· www.tesselaar.com for more information

Fairy Magnolia Blush featured in NZ Woman’s Weekly

It was great to see the Fairy Magnolia Blush appear in New Zealand’s Woman’s Weekly magazine.

See an extract of the article below.

“Fairy Magnolia Blush is another of Mark Jury’s babies and the first release of a new range of compact-growing cultivars with increased flower colour and size.

If left to its own devices, it will grow to about 4m high x 2m wide. It’s fast growing, making it ideal for screening and hedging.

Being amenable to clipping and training, it’s also suited to topiary and espalier.

Fragrant flowers open from pink buds in spring and appear randomly until late autumn.”

Ohio Short Course show 2011

Another Ohio Short Course show has come to an end and as usual I was surprised by the continued innovation that appears at this show – it must now be one of the major shows on the calendar for most in the Horticultural Industry with attendees from around the globe visiting to see what is new or doing well in the US market.

Imagine my surprise to see a number of our Bonfire series either in mixed arrangements; used in promotional pieces for the Daniels Plant Food company that adorned pillars throughout the show and even in the mixed planters outside of our hotel – the Bonfire series continues to prove to be an extremely versatile product with multiple uses and certainly is the benchmark of all the Boliviensis varieties that suddenly appeared after Bonfire was released.

The merchandising displays this year hit a new level with fierce competition between entrants to show how best to display plants at retail.

Despite continually improving showcases of plants by the various companies exhibiting at the show - my vote for the best display overall was a display that greeted all on entering the show which had the attractive butterfly mix seen in the attached images.

I look forward to next year’s show and hope that the exhibitors continue to put the effort in developing showcases that demonstrate what can be achieved with the great new introductions many of us are releasing into the market.

Getting ready for a HOT selling season!

Check out the start of the new Tropicanna campaign…
http://www.tytyga.com/product/Tropicanna+Canna+Lily+Bulb

(don’t forget to scroll down to the bottom too)

Success at the Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show

Well what can I say to fully describe another successful great year at the Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show.

This is still ranked in the top five flower shows in the world and continues to excite – it was especially nice to see our fabulous Tropicanna resplendent in the surrounds of Carlton Gardens as part of the normal planting palette.

Tropicanna continues to draw plenty of interest from gardening enthusiasts around the world and I think we sometimes forget how versatile this plant is i.e. it performs with low water conditions right through to boggy wetlands, and can be used in mass plantings in the landscape or as a feature in containers all with dramatic effect.

The images taken of the Tropicanna at the show should by all accounts not be looking their best in the Southern Hemisphere; but as no doubt you will agree they look stunning! The Show will be entering its 17th year in 2012 and is regarded as the largest and most successful horticultural event in the Southern Hemisphere.

Featuring the best landscape and floral talent that Australia has to offer alongside an extensive array of garden products this show is a celebration of Australian lifestyle and our great outdoors and I hope some of you may be inspired to visit next year. If you do, please make sure to look us up.

To see this years winners at MIFGS 2011, click on the link below:

http://www.melbflowershow.com.au/Award_winning_displays