The International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH) members consist of thousands of growers of flowers and ornamental plants around the world who are together united by one essential goal – promoting the place of plants in people’s lives.
AIPH hosts several conferences, webinars and events such as the International Grower of the Year award throughout the year. Read about these along with the latest news about the association’s activities.
AIPH’s key aim is to stimulate demand for ornamental trees, plants and flowers worldwide. We are committed to supporting growers in achieving this by protecting and promoting the interests of the industry.
Plantarium|Groen Direkt 2024 offers a treasure trove for plant lovers
An absolute cream of the crop: Clematis ‘Pistachio Cake’.
Plantarium|Groen Direkt 2024 is a treasure trove for plant lovers. Show organiser, Green Retail Events hosted the autumn edition of the AIPH-approved Plantarium|Groen-Direkt show, held between 21-22 August 2024 at the International Trade Centre in Hazerswoude/Boskoop, Netherlands. The show’s most coveted prize for excellence in plant selection and breeding is the KVBC Award (read: medal) for Best in Show. Below is a run-down of what FCI thinks are the most distinctive novelties. It’s certainly not exhaustive. There was a lot more to discover at this year’s show, but it gives an idea of the show’s wide-ranging appeal. Here are our favourites.
Clematis featuring striped petals with wavy edges
Clematis ‘Glorious Surprise’.
Botanically speaking, Clematis ‘ZO24010’ (Glorious Surprise), bred and submitted by J. van Zoest BV, classifies in the viticella group, native to Southern Europe and including deciduous, free flowering, vigorous and hassle-free Clematis.
This new, semi-double variety features slender pink and white striped petals with wavy edges.
The eight- to ten-diameter flowers appear from June to September, and the plant reaches a height of 300 cm.
This Clematis is claimed to be very robust and resistant to wilt disease.
Cornus alba ‘Verpaalen 03’ (NIGHTFALL); nearly as dark as night
Nightfall is a striking shrub with dark purple leaves that offers a colourful Autumn display. In the spring, the foliage is dark green, becoming darker as the year progresses.
Cornus alba ‘Nightfall’ prompted true garden lovers to consult the Cornus bible of Andre Gayraud to check whether a dark-leaved dogwood is an absolute first. Gayraud, in his Cornus compendium, describes dark red leaved Cornus sanguinea species and cultivars such as Cornus x rutgeriensis ‘Rutlan’, which only turn into spectacular crimson red in autumn. But the book gives no firm proof of widely existing dark-leaved Cornus.
Nightfall is a striking shrub with dark purple leaves that offers a colourful Autumn display. In the spring, the foliage is dark green, becoming darker as the year progresses.
The underside of the leaves has a grey, velvety sheen, which contrasts beautifully with the dark plant.
The red branches stand out in winter, making the plant attractive outside the growing season. The plant has an upright growth habit, is hardy down to -30°C, and can grow in full sun and partial shade. ‘Nightfall’ is suitable for hedge or screen and background planting. Regular pruning promotes the formation of new branches and enhances the colour contrast. The plant reaches up to 1.5 metres in height and width without pruning. The plant was bred and submitted by Harrie Verpaalen from Zundert and is protected with PBR.
Long awaited: the thornless Rosa rugosa ‘Take it Easy®’
Take It Easy® is a new double bloom and thornless Rosa rugosa.
Nothing rivals the beauty of garden roses, but everyone knows that they are high maintenance. Expect from Rosa rugosa, which thrives effortlessly in seaside locations, slopes and banks.
These rugged roses” are also known for their strong, fragrant scent and colourful hips that appear in late summer. Yet, no flower is perfect: their prickly stems may well be ideal for hedging or warding off wildlife or intruders; they are a true nightmare when pruning them.
Take It Easy® is a new double-bloom Rosa rugosa variety that enchants with its profuse blooms in bright crimson. As its name evokes, it is easy to care for as it has no thorns, making it easy to handle.
It blooms repeatedly throughout the summer and fills the garden with heavenly fragrance. The rose is easy to grow; plant it in well-drained soil and full sun for best results. With low maintenance, this rose is ideal for adding colour and fragrance to your garden. The added value of this plant is that it is thornless, has compact growth, and has lots of flowers. Rosa rugosa ‘Take it Easy®’ is marketed by Hinrichs Pflanzen from Edewecht, which also sent the plant in for testing.
Super food, super flowers, flower power
Ugni molinae is a bushy, upright, evergreen shrub with leathery leaves, nodding, bowl-shaped, fragrant white flowers, and edible berries.
Ugni molinae ‘Pretty Berry’ is a new easy-care product from FlorAmor. Its name raised a few eyebrows as we had never heard of Ugni Molinea. Also, you usually find no more than seven plant genus under the letter U in plant encyclopaedia.
However, it soon turned out that Ugni moline is also known under a more familiar-sounding name: Myrtus ugni, or strawberry myrtle. This bushy, upright, evergreen shrub features leathery leaves, nodding, bowl-shaped, fragrant white flowers followed by edible berries. It also goes by the moniker Chilean guava. We believe that in the current era of superfoods, this shrub has good potential in the market.
Pretty Berry is drought-resistant. Its inflorescence and fruits have beautiful visual ornamental value and delicious edible berries. FlorAmor from Lochristi (B) markets the plant and also submitted it for judging. There are 10,000 plants available for the coming months.
The Goldilocks in Hydrangea petiolaris
Hydrangea petiolaris ‘Bright Side’ is a golden-leaved form of the well-known woody climbing vine, Hydrangea petiolaris.
Hydrangea petiolaris ‘Bright Side’ is a golden-leaved form of the well-known woody climbing vine, Hydrangea petiolaris.
In spring, the plant sprouts very striking yellow leaves. In summer, the leaves retain a yellow-green colour. The large, lacecap white flowers bloom from early to mid-summer. This climber is very suitable for a north-facing wall or fence. For good results, do not plant in a sunny location. Huisman Nursery selected this plant from Boskoop, and plant breeders’ rights protection has been applied. Huisman Boomkwekerij has submitted this golden-leaved Hydrangea for the novelty test and is also marketing it.
Sweet and innocent
Rubus Sugarleaf® ‘Innocent’ is a remarkable raspberry because its edible leaves can be used to sweeten food.
Rubus Sugarleaf® ‘Innocent’ is a remarkable raspberry because its edible leaves can be used to sweeten food. The leaves are claimed to have a higher sweet content than sugar: 1 gram of dried leaves is equivalent to 15 grams of white sugar.
The leaf is reminiscent of that of Cannabis, but it is not, of course.
Sugarleaf® ‘Innocent’ is not a mainstream fruit-bearing raspberry but an independent Rubus species from Asia, Rubus chingii var. Suavissimus.
The plant is very hardy and has tremendous vigour, growing to about 250 cm tall. However, by topping the shoots at a height of 50 cm, the plant branches well and grows less tall. The plant comes with a large photo label, is available in sufficient numbers, and is immediately deliverable. Rubus Sugarleaf® ‘Innocent’ has been submitted by Joh. Stolwijk en Zonen Boomkwekerijen B.V. of Boskoop, the Netherlands.
A never seen before Clematis
Clematis ‘Pistachio Cake’ is unique in featuring vintage-coloured, filled flowers outlined with soft pinkish edges and a green centre.
Clematis ‘Pistachio Cake’ is truly unique in that it features vintage-coloured, filled flowers outlined with soft pinkish edges and a green centre. This two-toned hardy Clematis is already sure to make every head in the garden turn, as there is no comparable species or hybrid with this colour combination.
The plant is bred by Szczepan Marczynski of Poland and protected by EU PBR. Propagation by other companies is not allowed. From now on, the plant will be available in a tall 80 cm C2 pot tied to a stick with a large photo label. Joh submitted the PBR for Clematis ‘Pistachio Cake’. Stolwijk en Zonen Boomkwekerijen B.V. of Boskoop, which also markets this plant.
A new chaste tree
First Editions® Vitex agnus-castus ‘Queen Bee’ produces masses of lavender-blue flowers arranged in graceful, elongated clusters.
For inhabitants of Crete and other parts of the Mediterranean, Vitex agnus-castus, aka chaste tree or monk’s pepper, is nothing new, as it grows wild practically everywhere. First Editions® Vitex agnus-castus ‘Queen Bee’ produces masses of lavender-blue flowers arranged in graceful, elongated clusters.
The flower clusters grow to about 25 cm long and are true magnets for pollinators. The product details say that Queen Bee has prolonged flowering starting in June (in the Netherlands, Vitex usually begins flowering in August).
The leaf is palmate and consists of five to seven lanceolate leaves. The leaf colour is grey-green. The plant has an impressive drought, heat and cold tolerance compared to other Vitex varieties. This shrub can reach a height of 2 to 3 metres, depending on growing conditions and pruning.
Queen Bee is ideal for creating a colourful hedge or a striking focal point in the garden. The PBR-protected plant was bred, submitted, and marketed by First Editions® licensed growers in Europe and the UK, supported by Bailey Nurseries. In Bailey’s stand at Plantarium
Bailey Nurseries is a fifth-generation family-owned wholesale plant nursery celebrating 120 years in business in 2025. Operating from sites in Minnesota (where John Vincent Bailey Jr. established J.V. Bailey Nursery in 1905 on the same land where the company is headquartered today in St. Paul), Oregon, Washington and Illinois, the company’s combined growing space spans approximately 5,000 acres of greenhouse and field production. With more than 1,500 plants sold as bare root, liners, and half-finished and finished plants, the company’s range of products is extremely wide.
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