AHDB Horticulture and British Protected Ornamentals Association encourage growers to join a week-long study tour to the USA and Canada on the 19-27 February 2017.
The focus of the study tour will be on the production of seasonal plants by a range of different sized nursery businesses and the marketing strategies employed by various retailers.
Wayne Brough, AHDB Horticulture Knowledge Exchange Manager, said: “Having the opportunity to view a range of businesses and examine and learn from other production processes and systems is an important method of developing and improving one’s own business. When those businesses are located on another continent, the opportunity to see something novel which will add real value to your own business is also increased.”
The nurseries hosting the visit produce a range of different crops including bedding plants and patio plants, herbaceous perennials and young/plug plants. On each site the different technologies employed in the production process will be viewed and discussed directly with the owners and managers.
AHDB Horticulture and BPOA have been working with contacts in the USA and have identified a number of key growers including:
- Terra Nova Nurseries, one of the leading plant breeders in the world introducing 700 new plant varieties and revolutionising the genera Heuchera, Tiarella and Heucherella
- Smiths Gardens, consisting of 10 ha of glass producing annuals, hanging baskets and planters
- Northwest Horticulture producing a wide range of plug plants including perennials, grasses and ground cover species on over 200 ha of production space
- DeVry Greenhouses and Rainbow Greenhouses which both produce a range of bedding plants, seasonal plants and baskets.
Mike Smith from WD Smith and Son, said: “I have no doubt that this will be an invaluable experience, giving us the opportunity to see how the American and Canadian commercial horticultural industry is evolving with regards to growing, marketing and management techniques to find their way in the ever changing horticultural markets.”
“To see all these businesses with a group of UK growers is a fantastic opportunity for networking and discussion. The last AHDB/BPOA study tour to the USA in 2015 was a great success with extremely positive feedback, I’m excited at the prospect of building on this.”
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