Preparing and transporting palm trees to exhibit at an international plant show in Essen, Germany

Abstract

According to a 2005 nursery and landscape industry impact report by Haydu and Hodges on Florida’s economy, nursery grower sales were $3.07 billion. These sales were fueled by the need for landscape material for new construction homes in cities such as Port St. Lucie Florida, where newly constructed homes totaled 10,000 in 2005. However, fast forwarding to 2009, building upstarts have dropped 80% to 2000, with a negative growth rate projected for the next two years. This troubling trend propelled one St. Lucie County nursery grower to search out global markets through an international plant trade show known as IPM Essen located in Germany. IPM Essen is one of the largest shows of its kind with approximately 110,000 square meters of fl oor space, 16 contiguous exhibition halls and attracts 60,000 visitors from over 90 countries, and 1,447 exhibitors from 47 countries.