Wednesday, 12th March, 2008
Diary dates
West Midlands area meeting
Saturday, April 26
Join us on a tour around Evesham Vale Propagators and Avoncross Ornamentals in the heart of one of the UK's best-known horticultural growing areas, in Worcestershire.
Francis Mizuro took over Evesham Vale Propagators three years ago and has done wonders with the extensive range of conifers grown in all sizes. Avoncross Ornamentals is an outstanding bedding plant nursery producing for the multiples. Email ipps@paston.co.uk for a booking form.
IPPS GB&I study tour
A tour is being planned to Denmark in the first week of July where GB&I now has several members. To register your interest, please contact the office on ipps@paston.co.uk
IPPS GB&I conference 2008
October 8 to 11
Venue: Falmouth, Cornwall
The theme is 'Making the plants fit the market' and will include speakers from Proven Winners, Majestic Trees, and Readyhedge. Visits will include an optional day on Tresco in the Isles of Scilly.
IPPS International conference
Friday, May 9 to May 22
Venue: New Zealand
The pre-conference tour, open to all but places are limited, starts in South Island and ends in Auckland on North Island. The tour, which visits a number of key attractions as well as gardens, botanis gardens and nurseries, is followed by New Zealand Region's annual conference May 22 to 25. Among the conference topics will be lavender propagation, bromeliads, clivias, Mediterranean firs, and plant collecting in Mexico. For more details, visit the website at www.ipps.org.
Wednesday, 2nd January, 2008
IPPS study tour to nurseries in Belgium and Germany and to IPM Essen, January 2008
IPPS member David Hutchinson is organising a study tour by coach to nurseries in Belgium and Germany and to IPM Essen, from Thursday January 24, returning Sunday, January 27.
The coach will leave from Shirrell Heath in Hampshire, UK, but delegates will also be able to pick up en route by arrangement at the Travelodge at Ashford in Kent. The price will be about £195 per person.
This offers you an unrivalled opportunity to visit nurseries selected by David as being well worth seeing and also to spend a day at the International Plant Fair where exhibitors from more than 40 countries take part.
For a programme and more details, please email the IPPS office.
Grafting workshops, January 2008
Following on from the successful grafting workshops in 2007, IPPS has organised another two for January 2008. One takes place at New Place Nurseries in West Sussex, on January 15, the other at RBG Edinburgh, Scotland, on January 30. Both events are led by IPPS members with extensive practical experience in grafting. They will introduce a variety of grafting methods with the focus on knife work and cutting technique before participants try out various grafts for themselves.
An added extra at the New Place Nurseries' event will be bench grafting onto pot-grown rootstocks, led by Chris Lane. There will also be an opportunity to look at the nursery's hot-pipe callusing technique and to tour the Pulborough site.
At RBG Edinburgh there will be an optional tour around the horticulture unit towards the end of the day.
Whether you are new to grafting or just want to brush up your skills, these events are not to be missed. Both events are open to non members. Please email the IPPS office for a booking form.
Wednesday, 1st August, 2007
IPPS rewards innovative growers
Across Britain and Ireland, both nursery staff and college students are running small-scale projects testing innovative ideas in plant propagation and production - the kind of innovative ideas that are essential in the continual drive for improved efficiency and quality in horticulture.
The IPPS Richard Martyr Award is seeking out the most interesting and innovative of these projects, to reward individuals who can demonstrate the value of their ideas and who are willing to share them with colleagues in the true spirit of the IPPS Seek and Share motto.
The prizes are £800 cash to the winner, £500 for the runner up, and £200 for the third prize winner. Each of the three finalists receives a free place at the IPPS 2007 Conference at Bransford, Worcestershire (see the conference page), and a year's free IPPS membership. The Award is sponsored by specialist horticultural supplier Avoncrop and nursery consultancy Dove Associates.
Eligible projects could include anything from a trial to study the effect of varying CRF rates or watering regimes; an evaluation of different growing media ingredients; or a look at propagation timings to the evaluation of a new propagation set up or irrigation system for a nursery. It could be something that improves production efficiency, product quality or aids marketing. Entrants do not have to be IPPS members and entries are welcome from students working on a practical project as part of a college course, as well as from employees working on a nursery and undertaking a project aimed at introducing a new production practice or product line. Entrants must be resident in the UK or Ireland, however.
Any project started after September 1, 2005 and completed or scheduled for completion by July 31, 2007 is eligible. The closing date for all entries is August 31, 2007. Entry forms are available by contacting the IPPS Office on 01747 861265 or email ipps@paston.co.uk.
Wednesday, 27th June, 2007
Plant breeding workshop, Monday, July 16
A plant breeding workshop on Monday, July 16, organised by IPPS GB&I, will give aspiring breeders an insight into the UK and European Plant Breeders' Rights trials at NIAB.
The PBR system, which demands tests on the distinctness, uniformity and stability of new varieties, will be explained by Elizabeth Scott of NIAB, while other speakers will describe the impact on the industry of ProVar, a new organisation established to market and manage new protected plants in the UK, and PlantNet UK, a grower network set up to find, grow and sell new plants.
The workshop will take place at NIAB, Cambridge and bookings must be received by July 6. For a booking form, email ipps@paston.co.uk