By James Wall
Hortivations is an industry only event, but I will take you a little bit behind the scenes.
Ball Australia are the Australian arm of an international plant breeding company called Ball. Their head office is in Chicago and they are responsible for many of the plants that we see in the nurseries today. Once a year they host Hortivations in their glasshouse at Keysborough in Melbourne, Victoria.
Its not just Ball that puts on the show. There are a number of other partners displaying products ranging from plants to pots and everything in between. Together these companies combine to inspire and encourage the rest of the industry.
Another highlight are the overseas guests that participate to convey their knowledge and experiences in other coutries. Thanks to this event, Autralian horticulture is truly on the world stage.
This year the show was put on in a newly constructed greenhouse. It was a relocated structure, once upon a time used by Van Wyk flower growers just down the road. It must have had a rich history of cut flower carnations, roses, gerberas and lilliums. It was massive effort by the Ball team to rebuild this magnificant structure and they did a pretty good job for their first show in it.
Here are a few pics of some inspiration that I got from Hortivations 2011.