From the 4th to the 6th of October 2023 the 33rd edition of International Tree Nursery Trade Fair GrootGroenPlus in Zundert will take place. Amongst the 255 participants, Plantipp will present over a dozen innovative novelties to governments, institutions, housing corporations, project developers, architects, landscapers and nurseries from all across Europe. 

 

Starting with a new all-time favourite that has been listed as My Favourite Plant at this year’s trade show: Ficus carica Little Miss Figgy ('LMF01'PBR). A game-changer with a very compact dwarf-size habit that grows about 90 cm high and wide: smaller and more cold hardy than other figs. This impressive landscape plant produces abundant fruits, has deeply lobed, dark green foliage and short internodes and is perfectly happily planted in a large patio pot or garden. 

 

Growers’ favourite this year is Physocarpus opulifolius Little Ninja (‘GRDark01’): more compact and black than ever. The attractive, glossy, dark black-purple foliage combines nicely in a bushy, well-branched habit. A highly winter-hardy shrub that thrives in any type of soil, it is easy to grow and ideal for landscape design, public installations or mass planting. 

 

Ligustrum lucidum Green Screen ('Bokrascreen'PBR) is ready to bring hedging to a new level with a very dense habit and upright growth. The glossy green leaves, bronze-coloured new shoots in spring and striking red branches create an astonishing display. Ligustrum Green Screen is easy to prune, evergreen and perfect for hedges or shrub borders. 

 

New to the market are Astilbe ‘Dark Side of the Moon’, the most striking Astilbe with chartreuse young leaves with a burgundy margin that turn into dark chocolate-purple as they age. A unique colour combination in a dark-leaved Astilbe. Hibiscus syriacus Flower Tower Ruby ('Gandini van Aart Ruby'PBR) grows in a narrow column, making it ideal for drawing the eye upwards in smaller gardens – especially courtyard gardens where the sky’s the limit. 

 

Popular Sarcococca hookeriana Purple Gem ('PURPLERIJ1'PBR) will also be displayed at the Plantipp booth. An elegant, bushy, wonderfully scented Sarcococca with a well-branched habit, strong root system and deep purple-red stems. 

 

Visitors will be amazed by the spectacular Lavandula intermedia series Sensational! ('Tesseract'PBR), Exceptional ('Hillav'PBR) and Phenomenal ('Niko'PBR). Lavandula that stand out with extremely large flowers that appear abundantly from early summer until autumn. These Lavandula are appreciated for their incredible garden performance, high tolerance to leaf spotting and root disease, uniform growth and flowering habit, strong branches and impressively strong root system. 

 

Panicum virgatum ‘JS Buffalo Green’ is stronger, sturdier and tougher than ever seen before. Famous for its striking fresh green foliage and sturdy, upright habit - which means no flopping for this Panicum. Pennisetum orientale ‘JS Dance with Me’ will amaze with fuller and whiter flower plumes than other Pennisetum, whistle Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘Tiny Twinkler’ stands out with slightly taller flower stems, allowing even more flower panicles to emerge high above the foliage. It’s compact habit makes it ideal for borders and patio pots. 

 

Pyracantha coccinea ‘Orange Star’ offers performance and colour to the landscape with its thorn-free winter beauty. Not only is this evergreen Pyracantha thornless, it also grows vigorously, making it a unique breeding success that gives the range a new image and excites customers. 

 

Last but not least: the Green Grand Prix. The Green Grand Prix specifically aims to judge the (growing) performance, and the judges (all well-known specialists) will inspect the plants in this competition on the 4th of October. Up for the Green Grand Prix this year is Buxus Giant ('HER2008114'PBR), who has all the good looks of Prunus lusitanica and Osmanthus, with the top-notch qualities Buxus is known for. Joining Buxus Giant is Taxus media Eleganza ('Her2009T01'PBR), a Taxus with a uniform, bushy, habit and very fine needles, and Prunus laurocerasus Bonaparte® ('Flippi01'PBR), an evergreen shrub that impresses with striking orange-red young shoots and a dense, slender habit.