Japan reigns supreme at inaugural Floriade Awards Ceremony

ALMERE, Netherlands: Japan is the supreme winner at the first of 13 scheduled awards ceremonies at the AIPH-approved international horticultural exhibition Floriade Expo 2022.

The awards recognise and promote the very best in ornamentals production undertaken by Dutch growers and their counterparts abroad, judged by a panel of expert judges and public votes.

Tulipa Otome No Dress won the Floriade Gold Award.

The inaugural Floriade Awards Ceremony coincided with the official opening of what, over the coming 180 days, will be the home of 13 alternating flower and plants shows: the Green House. The awards are a celebration of the high standards that have been achieved by growers worldwide who, by participating in the Floriade contests, demonstrate their commitment to quality flower and plant growing.

The Expo’s giant, Crystal-palace inspired glasshouse kicked off on Thursday, 14 April, with a combined flower show featuring the cream of the crop in bulb flowers, spring blooms, miscellaneous and forced spring shrubs. Marco van Zijverden, the former CEO of the Dutch Flower Group, was at hand to present the awards.

In the bulb flowers category, Toyoma Prefecture scooped up the bronze and gold trophies for Tulipa ‘Kitsurugi’ and Tulipa ‘Otome No Dress’, respectively. In the same category Allium ‘Dancing Tancho’, submitted by JA Group Kumamoto Allium Technical Committee, won silver.

In the spring blooms, the miscellaneous category again took out all trophies. Bronze went to Astilbe ‘Light Blue’ grown by JA Nagasaki, silver to Actinotus helianthi ‘Fancy Marie’ submitted by Gifu Agricultural Research Centre and gold for Ranunculus asiaticus ‘Wataboushi’ from Nagano-based Flower Spirit Ltd.

Finally, in the forced spring shrubs category, Dutch grower Jan ten Hoeve from Aalsmeer-based www.seringen.nl dominated the competition, winning bronze, silver and gold for Syringa vulgaris ‘Monument’, Syringa vulgaris ‘Edith Braun’ and Syringa vulgaris ‘Lucie Baltet’ respectively. Ten Hoeve also snatched up the Floriade Excellence Award, sponsored by Stimuflori.

Via his mobile phone, Ten Hoeve excused himself for not being present as he is in the mid of the peak sales season. However, Marco van Zijverden home-delivered all four trophies later in the evening.

Ranunculus asiaticus ‘Wataboushi’.

The next Floriade Awards Ceremony is set for 30 April, with spray and Santini Chrysanthemums, cut Cymbidium and flowering houseplants occupying pride of place.

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