From 20 to 22 September, the Flormart fair took place in Padova, Italy. While the Italian ornamentals sector is very happy with its sales figures, the fair is trying hard to restore the glory days.
Sicilian-based Piante Faro, a 700-hectare nursery claiming to be the largest in Europe, aimed at wholesalers, mega projects and landscapers, was not the only giant with a presence at the Padova Flormart. Another was Vivai Laurentiis, the Apennine-based company which claims to boast the most mechanised nursery in Italy, where pruning and tree stabilisation, among other activities, are performed mechanically.
Vanucci Piante in Pistoia, Toscana is in no way inferior to its peers. This family business has about 600ha in production, according to the owner, Vannino Vannucci. In season, it delivers 50 to 70 trailers per day to landscapers, municipalities and garden centres in 60 countries. The company, which has its own training campus, employs 350 to 400 permanent staff and roughly 300 workers on temporary contracts. Transportation at the nursery takes place by golf cart.
