15 September 2010

XVIII The International Exhibition “Green is Life”  

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XVIII The International Exhibition "Green is Life"  

The eighteenth edition of the International Exhibition “Green is Life” took place on 27-29th August in Centrum EXPO XXI in Warsaw. Its motto was “Symphony of Colours”. The exhibition was organised by Polish Nurserymen Association and Agencja Promocji Zieleni.

This year’s edition was attended by 302 exhibitors from 12 countries - Poland, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Spain, The Netherlands, Lithuania, Germany, Czech Republic, Hungary and Italy. Foreign firms constituted 28% of all exhibitors and occupied 21% of the total exhibition area.

For the first time exhibition stands were located not only in 3 EXPO halls, but also outside. The area ordered by exhibitors increased by over 20% compared to the 2009 edition and grossed 12 850 m2.

Guests

The exhibition was visited by 16,600 people – including over 5300 professionals. The main addressees of the Exhibition were the “green industry” professionals: plant traders (33%), landscape architects, garden and public green contractors - 28%, nurserymen and gardeners (16%), local authority investors and officials responsible for public green - 7%, products and services suppliers and scientists.The professionals came from all over Poland, including its most distant parts. Foreign guests represented a dozen of European countries, as well as North America and Asia. The most numerous groups of customers came from the Russian Federation, Ukraine, Lithuania, Belarus, Germany, The Netherlandsand Belgium.

Official guests of the Exhibition who participated in its official opening were: Minister Marian Zalewski – undersecretary of state in the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Professor Alojzy Szymański, the rector of Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgiumand a representative of the Government of Flanders in Poland.

Guests at the Exhibition were also Counsellors for Commerce and Agriculture from embassies of a number of EU countries. They represented Belgium, The Netherlands, Spain, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Finland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Greece and Bulgaria.  The official opening ceremony was also attended by the Chairman of the Agricultural Market Agency, chairmen of sector associations – Association of Gardening Engineers and Technicians, Polish Garden Centre Association, Landscape Architecture Association, representatives of governmental and capital city offices and members of parliament.

Plants – the dominant sector

50.5% of the exhibition area was occupied by plant producers (167 companies). Exhibition stands presenting plants occupied the entire larger EXPO hall (5250 m2) and more than a half of the new hall (Hall 4).  Poland was represented by 96 nurseries and garden farms. As many as 68 of them were members of the Polish Nurserymen Association. The area occupied by Polish nurseries increased by 40% in comparison to last year. The quality of displays was also much higher this year; exhibition stands were carefully designed and varied. There were 71 foreign nurseries represented at the Exhibition. These were chiefly Dutch, German, Belgian, Italian, Czech, Spanish and French companies.  Rich assortment of plants, variety of forms, numerous novelties, as well as innovative displays made the biggest impression not only on the new, but also on the permanent guests of this biggest presentation of ornamental plants in Poland and in this part of Europe.

Technical novelties

The second largest department at the Exhibition was devoted to nursery and green areas Methods and Technologies. This time there were 76 companies presenting their products.  Exhibitors were presenting new and well known machines, equipment, tools and technologies for nursery production, as well as a wide assortment of growing media and substrates, watering systems, packaging and labelling systems, fertilizers and other means necessary for plant growing and care.  In this sector, one could observe, apart from Polish exhibitors, companies from Germany, The Netherlands and Austria.

A Well Equipped Garden 

Every year “Green is Life” attracts more and more exhibitors presenting garden equipment and decorations. This year there were 41 companies exhibiting their products. The products included: ornamental pots, accessories for water features, paving materials, furniture and small architecture products. Target groups for these products included wholesalers and distributors, designers, but also the end-users – retail customers. Moreover, the exhibition was also attended by all major publishers from the green sector displaying a wide variety of magazines, specialised books, guides and catalogues.

An Attractive and Rich Programme

The Exhibition was accompanied by numerous events. The programme was suited to meet varied needs of visitors. Professionals met already on Thursday on a conference on public green. The two-day meeting entitled “Green City – a Harmony of Space” was attended by 140 public green managers and creators from Polish cities and municipalities. The seminar “Riding the Wave to Success in Your Garden Centre” hosted by John Stanley, a worldwide known management and marketing “guru” and expert, was intended for garden centre owners and salespersons.  His first conference in Poland attracted 350 listeners.

A programme of open shows, lectures and free advice was organised for amateur growers – owners of gardens and allotments.Visitors showed great interest in florist shows, shrub training shows, bonsai training shows, as well as lectures on creating water features and gardening art trends.

Green workshops, garden fun and competitions were prepared for children accompanying their parents.Rare and new plants could be bought at a fair accompanying the Exhibition.

Symphony of Colours in a Garden

The leitmotif of the Exhibition – A Symphony of Colours – was reflected in the concept of the ShowGarden placed in front of EXPO halls. The garden was divided into small parcels by means of islands and screens of colourful plants. The arrangement created a colourful mosaic on a beautiful clinker brick paving. The arrangement was made lighter by trellis woven of white wicker. Black pines and birches overlooked the arrangement. The garden was designed and built by landscape architects Bartłomiej Gasparski and Sebastian Kochel of Palmett Markowe Ogrody S.C. 
Plants were supplied by  Szkółka GRĄBCZEWSCY,

Awards and Laurels

Three competitions were finalised during the Exhibition. 

GREEN LAUREL was awarded to:

for the best garden and green areas product to QUICK-MIX Sp. z o.o. for GaLaKreativ – stone and ornamental aggregate binder

HONOURABLE MENTIONS:

  • AVANT – Polska Sp. z o.o. for compact, efficient four wheel-drive vehicle AVANT Seria 200
  • KiK Krajewscy Sp. J. for AQUAplus – flower soil

GREEN LAUREL for the best nursery product was not awarded

HONOURABLE MENTION:  INTERMAG for Hortiform Ultra fertilizer

In the PLANT NOVELTIES CONTEST, the Jury gave awards to the following out of 35 competitors:

GOLD MEDAL

  • Liriodendron tulipifera “Edward Gursztyn” from Szkółka Drzew i Krzewów Ozdobnych GURSZTYN

SILVER MEDAL

  • Heuchera “Southern Comfort” from PLATNPOL Produkcja i Hodowla Roślin Ozdobnych
  • Pinus nigra ‘Oregon Green’ from Szkółka Roślin Ozdobnych DAGLEZJA

BRONZE MEDAL

  • Buddleja 'Blue Chip' from Szkółka Krzewów Ozdobnych Bogdan HAJDROWSKI
  • Clematis alpina ‘Stolwijk Gold’ from CLEMATIS Szkółka Pojemnikowa Szczepan Marczyński, Władysław Piotrowski

HONOURABLE MENTIONS were granted to:

  • Acer ORIENTALIA ® ‘Minorient’ from Pepinieres MINIER S.A.
  • Clematis ‘Nina’ from CLEMATIS Szkółka Pojemnikowa Szczepan Marczyński, Władysław Piotrowski
  • Sorbus ‘Rubinovaja’ from Szkółka Drzew i Krzewów Ozdobnych Joanna i Bronisław SZMIT

HONORARY LAUREL

The Polish Nurserymen Association awarded its traditional Honorary Laurel to MS. Anna Słomczyńska – journalist and producer of MAJA W OGRODZIE (TVN) (“Maja in the Garden”, a TV show) for “constantly inspiring and developing gardening passion among the public”.

The MOST ATTRACTIVE STAND competition

The most attractive plant stand category

GOLD MEDALS

  • SZKÓŁKARSTWO OZDOBNE ULIŃSCY
  • BRACIA DĘBSCY SZKÓŁKI DRZEW, KRZEWÓW I BYLIN
  • SZKÓŁKI KUROWSCY
  • GOSPODARSTWO SZKÓŁKARSKIE ŁAZUCCY
  • SZKÓŁKA DRZEW I KRZEWÓW - KAROL J. PIĄTKOWSKI

SILVER MEDALS

  • VITROFLORA
  • GRĄBCZEWSCY - HURTOWA SPRZEDAŻ ROŚLIN
  • PARK-M Sp. z o.o.
  • GOSPODARSTWO SPECJALISTYCZNE PANEK
  • CLEMATIS Szkółka Pojemnikowa s.j. Sz. Marczyński, W. Piotrowski
  • ARTPLANTS Sp. z o.o.
  • GOSPODARSTWO OGRODNICZO-SZKÓŁKARSKIE GARDEX
  • SZKÓŁKA DRZEW I KRZEWÓW OZDOBNYCH J.i B. SZMIT
  • DUET SP.J. KONOPKA, PEŁKA
  • ARBOR NURSERIES N.V.

BRONZE MEDALS

  • SZKÓŁKA ROŚLIN WRZOSOWATYCH MAGDALENA I MAREK MAJEWSCY
  • KWIACIARSKI ZAKŁAD DOŚWIADCZALNY ISiK Nowy Dwór Sp. Z o.o.
  • GOSPODARSTWO SZKÓŁKARSKIE KAPIAS
  • VAN POECKE & ZN BVBA (Belgia)
  • VAN DER AUWERA BVBA (Belgia)
  • PLANTPOL Sp. z o.o.
  • SZKÓŁKA KRZEWÓW OZDOBNYCH Maciej, Mateusz MILCZYŃSKI
  • T.J.FOSZCZKA – OGRODNICTWO
  • KORDUS SZKÓŁKARSTWO OZDOBNE

The most attractive stand in other categories (“non-plant” category)

GOLD MEDAL

  • INTERPLAST PLASTIC PRODUCTS Sp. z o.o.
  • DRAGO Tomasz Więcek i Wspólnicy Sp. J.
  • MODIFORM B.V.

SILVER MEDAL (ex aequo prizes):

  • PORTAL PRZYJACIÓŁ OGRODÓW WWW.ARCHITEKTURAKRAJOBRAZU.INFO
  • COMECO Jerzy Komosiński
  • SCOTTS POLAND Sp. z o.o.
  • TERRA BOGUSŁAW ALBINOWSKI
  • KIK KRAJEWSCY Sp. J

BRONZE MEDALS (ex aequo prizes):

  • JAGODZIŃSKI Sp. z o.o. i Wspólnicy, Spółka Komandytowa
  • HARASIMOWICZ Architektura Krajobrazu
  • TAMARK S.A.
  • BRUK-BET Sp. z o.o.
  • AGRO-SUR Wojciech Surowiec

More information and many photographs are available at: www.zielentozycie.pl