Many European countries have embraced the Green City concept.  In Germany, it’s Die grüne Stadt, in France it’s Cité Verte and de Groene Stad in The Netherlands.   Whatever the name however, the Green City concept is similar from country to country and promotes the numerous environmental, financial and societal benefits to be realized through the planting of more trees, shrubs and flowers in our urban environments.

Nursery managers are starting to notice that the growing Green City concept is definitely good for business.  Notes nursery grower Jan:  “ Sales from municipalities are definitely on the increase.  And it’s not just an increase in tree plantings.  More and more, citizens are calling for their towns and cities to provide them with more color.  Aesthetics is becoming increasingly important.”

Acknowledging that the 20 percent increase in sales from municipalities was not likely to continue into the near future given the state of the global economy, Jan also noted that “We deal with today’s realities today, but we always have our eye on the future and right now, we’re focused on the post-recession situation.  And the Green City," he adds, "will definitely play a large role."

Production advice — of interest to Growers

In The Netherlands, allowable nitrogen levels for nursery production are relatively low.  It is therefore important to use the allowed quantities as efficiently as possible.  As well as type of fertilizer, quantity, timing, application method, and soil type must all be taken into consideration.