Since I wrote my last post, I have been blessed with regular work in both the retail seed sector and ornamental plant supply. Lockdown was an especially busy period for seed sales; changes to import rules from 2021 have been dealt with; and more recently, a return to frequent visits to growers, and an increasing focus on plant health measures, peat reduction and removal and sustainability reporting and compliance, particularly around greenhouse gas emissions. On a personal level I’m very pleased and proud to have been elected as Chair of the Eastern Branch of the Chartered Institute of Horticulture.
First year nearly complete!
The old saying that ‘time flies when you’re having fun’ has certainly been true of my first year running Floreus. The variety in my work- including crop inspections, audit and other technical support, training, event support, range planning and brand strategy- has not only been enjoyable for me but also provides a broad perspective and an up to date view of the industry which I hope benefits all of my clients. I’m excited for the coming year, with further new opportunities in view.
In the meantime, an image from the Royal Cornwall Show which I attended recently and a reminder that, whilst we are often focussed on quick results in horticulture, there’s also still a place for older, quietly maturing plants (and people too!)
A new association
I’m very pleased to be working with Westland Horticulture as a Category Manager covering a number of areas of their Marshalls and Unwins mail order catalogues, including vegetable seeds and plants, flower seeds and some larger ornamental plants. This is going back to my roots, but also fits in well with my work for other clients supplying multiple retailers.
Out and about...
I had every intention of keeping my posts up to date- my excuse for not doing so is that I have been travelling most weeks. Since the last one in October, I have been occupied with crop inspections in the UK- below on one of many Poinsettia grower visits- and in Holland, Belgium and Italy.
Since Christmas, I’ve been checking crops in the Albenga, Pistoia and Sicily regions of Italy and establishing robust plant health protocols.
In between I have been occupied with packhouse quality support in the run-up to Christmas, and audits on plant and cut flower growers. Last week was one of the highlights of the horticulture calendar with the IPM show in Essen, Germany. This is a brilliant place to meet contacts old and new and see a wide cross-section of plants and products from across Europe.
Are you ready for changes in plant health and movement rules?
If you’re not already making preparations for the various changes- some possible, some definite- that will affect plant health and plant movements in the next year or so, please keep close to developments and start planning (you can keep your fingers crossed too!) These include:
-the replacement of plant passports with phytosanitary certificates for movements between the UK and EU countries, possibly from 29 March next year, if there’s no Brexit deal (and if they’re moving other than by air, you’ll need to give 3 days’ notice of shipments under current rules)
-possible delays at ports or awaiting inspection of consignments (APHA seem keen to minimise this but circumstances might be outside their control)
-the introduction of a new UK plant passport scheme for movements of plants currently requiring passports within the UK, if there’s no Brexit deal
-the likelihood of tariffs on plant movements (5-8%?) and changes on cross-border VAT rules, if there’s no Brexit deal
-the extension of the plant passporting scheme to cover ‘all plants for planting’ from December 2019 (definitely happening- and a big workload)
-other possible impacts such as changes affecting travel / driving in the EU, regulation of plant protection products, and plant variety rights (I’m deliberately keeping out of issues such as labour availability, exchange rate movements, etc)
-the hopeful introduction of the new Plant Health Assurance Scheme to help protect the trade from the ever-increasing number of plant health risks (fact- and nothing to do with Brexit!)
The story so far...
September has been a busy month for Floreus: crop inspections for Christmas and winter / early spring 2019 plants; work on Sedex and supplier databases; and providing temporary cover for a client while their Technical Manager was out of the business.
This work continues into October, with more trips to Holland and Belgium and also to Italy; audit preparation work; and keeping close to changes in plant health rules and other possible outcomes from Brexit.
On Wednesday 3 October the Chartered Institute of Horticulture held its AGM and conference, with ‘Life After Brexit’ as its theme. Gearing up for this is vital for all horticulture businesses in, and trading with, the UK. Floreus is able to provide support to clients on this and also the latest on plant health rules- more to follow after next week’s APHA Plant Health Day.
Ready to Grow!
The seed of the idea was planted 7 months ago, the roots are established and the growing season is now fully underway. Floreus Horticulture Consultancy is officially open for business, offering support throughout the industry with accreditation and audit work, crop inspection, training, trials, promotion, interim support and so on.
Having done my own induction yesterday, I'm on the road again from today and looking forward to meeting up with breeders, growers, packers and retailers in the UK and elsewhere, under the Floreus banner.
If you think I might be able to support your work, whether it be preparing for an audit, ensuring you meet all of your retailer customer requirements, getting ready for the Christmas peak, dealing with plant passporting, or starting a technical project, please get in touch.
(Looking forward to getting back on the road- as here earlier in the year at FN Kempen, Mijdrecht, NL.)
Ball Colegrave Trials
Ball Colegrave have done a fantastic job as usual in staging their annual display of all that's best and new in their ranges of patio, bedding and perennial plants, together with themed displays to inspire and help make consumer choice easier. The hot weather is a real test of performance and shows what makes the grade in our seemingly ever more challenging weather extremes.
After all of these visits in the last month or so, there's no shortage of material and ideas for 2019!
RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show
The show is as good as ever this year, offering lots of really practical ideas and designs for the garden and a marquee with a fantastic range of indoor and outdoor plants to inspire, compare and buy. All of this is in a beautiful setting- and as for the weather...!
Personal favourites: Hydrangeas (so many great new and recent varieties); Roses (with their own pavilion, hopefully enjoying a resurgence of interest); Dahlias (a riot of colour and again with many newer introductions); and Orchids (a stunning display by Vacherot & Lecoufle).
HTA National Plant Show
The annual trade showcase for UK growers opened today at Stoneleigh Park, including awards for new bedding plants, perennials, shrubs and climbers- more ideas for 2019!
Also today on the same site was the BOPP (British Ornamental Plant Producers) Technical Seminar, including an update on scheme accreditation and how it is benchmarked against other industry standards; the latest from APHA on Xylella and other plant health issues; and the HTA's current thinking on government and industry policy and a potential plant health assurance scheme.
Floreus can provide you with general updates, or search reports on specific plants and topics including management of plant health issues such as Xylella.