Sources of plants

Where do the plants that interior landscapers use come from?

In most countries where there is an interior landscaping industry, plants are obtained from specialist growers and nurseries who then supply interior landscaping companies.  The main production centres for indoor foliage plants are the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Florida, California, Hawaii, Costa Rica, Guatemala, South Africa and Malaysia.  Other countries such as Denmark, South Korea, Cuba and Japan have a number of small producers, often specialists in particular species.  Australia and New Zealand also have a few foliage plant growers, some of whom are interior landscaping companies as well.

Small plants

Small foliage plants (generally up to 2 metres tall) are usually propagated and grown by specialist nurseries.  The production takes place in large glasshouses, often fitted with sophisticated computer controlled climate management systems.  Light, temperature, humidity, irrigation and fertilizer application can all be managed from a desk-top personal computer.

The production cycle varies in time from a few months to several years, depending on the species being produced.  Modern propagation methods, such as tissue culture, and the use of controlled environment growth chambers has accelerated the process.  This has resulted in new varieties being introduced to the market at a greater rate than in the past.

Many growers contract the production of some stages of the cycle to nurseries in Central America.  There is a thriving industry in Costa Rica and Guatemala where small plants can be grown quickly out of doors.  They are then shipped to final stage growers who keep them for a short period of time to acclimatize them to low light levels and prepare them for the market.

Producers of small foliage plants often specialize in one or two types of plant, or plants of a certain size.  They might then sell their produce to other nurseries specializing in growing larger plants or they will market their plants to interior landscapers, garden centres, florists or through an auction system such as the famous Aalsmeer auction in the Netherlands.

Large plants and trees

The production of large plants is somewhat different.  Florida is the home to many nurseries specializing in the production of big trees and palms.  The industry there has flourished due to the combination of benign environmental conditions and the technical excellence of many growers.

Trees and palms from Florida are shipped all over the World where they are used in building atriums, shopping centres and other large indoor spaces.  However, getting them from out of the ground in Florida to a shopping centre in Britain is a task that takes great planning and time.  More details on the timescales involved can be found in section 2 of this module.

The Kentia palm: a special case

The Kentia Palm (Howea forsteriana) is the World’s best selling decorative palm.  It is native to just one tiny island; Lord Howe Island, some 700 km north-east of Sydney. It is in this unique and isolated environment that the species thrives.

Lord Howe island was settled in the early 19th Century and acted as a supply station for the whaling industry. As whaling declined, a new source of income was required. To begin with, the islanders tried to sell their produce, but it was the local palm that they used to thatch their houses, which saved them.

Lord Howe Island has a mild, balmy climate and this allowed the Kentia to evolve into a plant that can tolerate indoor conditions. It is also a very beautiful and elegant species and it is this combination of hardiness and looks that caught the attention of European plant specialists over 100 years ago. The species first reached Europe in 1772, thanks to the efforts of the Forsters, a father and son team of German naturalists who sailed with Captain Cook on his second voyage to the Pacific islands.

How the plants are grown
Until the 1980s, only seeds of the Kentia palm were sold to commercial growers around the World. Now, however, only small trees and pre-germinated seeds that have been grown and nurtured on Lord Howe Island can be sold. This means that all the plants sold commercially around the world are grown from seeds gathered from wild plants that have been growing in their natural environment. Each mature palm on the island can produce as much as 7 – 8 kg of seeds a year.

Once collected, the seeds are germinated in the island’s nursery in sterile conditions. Each growing unit is sealed to protect it from pests or diseases before it is ready to be exported.

Within 1 day of packing and certification, the palm seedlings are flown to commercial nurseries all around the World where they are grown to full size before being sold to interior landscapers, gardeners, florists, etc.  Click here to find more information about the Lord Howe Island Kentia Palm industry.

You can find out more about the Kentia palm by using the a - z of plants in the Specifiers' guide.