Cube-shaped fruit trees & air plants in skeletons

Day 2 at IPM Essen 2023 - part two!

Dear reader, I love this industry. Fresh from last nights AIPH awards night and the camaraderie within that hall, from right around the world. It gave me an epiphany! Right there, on a chair usually used at weddings.

There’s just SO much opportunity in our industry and there’s always a buzz. We work with an amazing, beautiful product - so it’s no real surprise! But I’ve been in this industry for all my working life and wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. Eek!

(PS have you actually seen my careers showcase that I built on my website? Click here if you’d like to see the range of jobs that are in hopscotch, and the range of people that they attract…)

Emotional part over. Let’s get on with the next report from the IPM Essen..

I also must point out, I’m writing this from my bed, and I’m very bleary eyed.

I’ve only woken up about six minutes ago. Being at a tradeshow for a week is very full on, and you barely have a spare moment, simply because you want to see everything, and why not!

So… what delights did I see after I was fuelled up by the frikadel? Well…

Despite trying to do the halls in any type of orderly manner. I simply criss cross, many times over, making sure I see everything. It’s difficult to walk in a straight line because you often see something that catches your eye, or somebody that you know.

Anyway, I had a taste of France with the amazing creations at Pepiniers Chatelaine, where they displayed 19th century methods of growing and pruning apple trees. Check them out!

I also paid a quick visit to Delbard, to give their roses a sniff. They do amazing work with classic looking, but strong, modern roses. And the fragrances are always so complex and layered, in fact, they invented the fragrance pyramid to explain all the different tones.

I also passed by the most beautiful alstroemeria, and of course the cyclamen at Morel, which you could read more about in a recent Substack, as I was invited down to the south of France.

Although IPM Essen is an international show, it feels even more so this year. There are countries exhibiting that I can’t remember seeing so prominently in the past. Fruit from Serbia, plants from Turkey, even Albania is represented. I’d like to drop by and tell them all about my great grandma, who came from there. Although I’ll probably end up looking like a crazy guy! Like when I insisted blue frangipani existed to an Italian supplier yesterday, then subsequently couldn’t find a picture on my phone… I think I was getting a bit tradeshow fever like by the end of the day lol!

A quick pass through Denmark, and I really enjoyed the Live Trends plant company, who were very honest about saying they invented some of their products specifically for the TikTok generation. Check out their creations here.

It turns out, I was also sitting next to the CEO on the plane across from Heathrow!

Also of note in the Danish zone was the cute Crassula Rosularis. This is proof that there are always species to discover that already exist, it’s not always about flashy, new breeding. Very stylish, can’t wait to get my hands on some of these.

Next, I was having a stroll through the Polish section, and caught up with some good friends at In Vitro Kusibab, where we discussed what could be the next big fruit… Rokitnik, anyone?

I also met Szmit nursery, who have an impressive inventory of plants, and a showcase of brand-new trees and shrubs. You have to check out their Quercus!

It was past four, and I needed a bit of a rest before the awards that evening, but I couldn’t resist passing by the Spanish hall. It was citrus heaven in there, with some rather terrifying giants, and some really gorgeous bougainvillea!

The Italian companies had really hit on the right trends with a coffee table made of cactus, and the super cool creations of Cactus Mania, which looked just like succulent bonsai!

But I still wasn’t done, I had to walk through “the Netherlands” in Holland, admiring the professionalism of Schoemaker, a fine hydrangea company that I will be working with later this year, in a superhero outfit no less! And I enjoyed seeing a few Buxus alternatives, this is a really important market, especially for the UK. ILEX-IT seems to be the front runner; I can’t help feeling that name is a little bit close to the bone for a few English people, LOL.

Blimey, I don’t know if these reports are too long for you or not? But, I just have to tell you about so much cool stuff. If your brain feels fried, imagine how mine feels?

I actually escaped into the Grugapark - right by IPM Essen - for their nighttime light display, before I needed to head to the AIPH awards event…

Til later today, or tomorrow, ciao!