The last time we met, your hair was pink, is it still pink? 
Rucar: Yes! And surprisingly, many people ask me advices to know how to get this color. It is quite simple once you dare to do it!

That must mean something - and it&#39;s not for nothing that your theory is: the colours are coming back. 
Rucar: Yes! After the pandemic and quite a depressing mood between the Ukrainian war, energy shortage and the rise of all the current expenses. People still want to dream. Disneyland Paris has registered records, the number of passports is rising and the colors are coming back! People do not want to be depressed! They want to -still- enjoy life, even if it is sometimes quite hard for everybody.

As a trend researcher, what key trends do you see in garden design? 
Rucar: It is paradoxical between very enjoyable products, and timeless ones. On the one hand, consumers want to enjoy their garden sometimes with vivid colors for pots, sun shades, cushions and lights, but on the other hand, long-lasting products are very important with timeless design and materials. So to sum things up, lets say that the market has to provide a joyful experience with ready-to-use products, and a more sustainable range for outdoor furniture, structures and materials. And generally speaking, all the signals reveal that the market is facing a need for better quality products, especially for the furniture, lights, garden toys and fabric.

After Corona, we noticed that many people are again placing more value on their own garden. Will this trend continue? 
Rucar: Yes, from now on, lots of inhabitants have understood (because they faced it!) the importance of having their own safe private eden. It is socially speaking, a very big change to understand for our market. The garden is not an accessory, we collectively have understood that it brings us a safe space to face some difficult times. It can be for mental health, leisure or just to relax. It can be in a lush green jungle or in a very graphic mineral garden.

Our main theme this year is Social Gardens - places of encounter. What is your opinion on this? Are we in line with the trend? 
The theme has so many meanings and it is very interesting because the garden industry is not only dedicated to the retail, DIY and garden centers but also for the landscape contractors for exemple. Urban architects are asked to build parks and green spaces to enable people to meet, to have a rest and even to work. In the garden, people take time! In different countries, the outdoor space has different functions. For example, in the UK, you often find something at the back of the garden and a very nice and tidy lawn in the middle. The back of the garden is more and more used as a second terrace with a gazebo or a firepit to meet the neighbors or family. In the eastern european countries, the garden is often full of toys for the kids, not only for the family but also for friends and the neighbourhood. In the northern countries of Europe, the garden can be very disturbing (for Americans for exemples) beaucose sometimes there are no fences! No limits between your space and the one of the closest houses. The way they share space and even facilities can be a great example for all of us!

Let&#39;s look at the next five years. What do you see? 
The answer has to be adapted for each country and even for each area, but if we make a comparison between markets, something very interesting emerges: We have seen very strong and overly normalised business models over the years, but now young entrepreneurs, artists, craftsmen with a high level of study and a desperate need to find meaning for their professional life by doing something that is important for nature and people and linked to strong values are coming in. They build new models, they start flower farms, concept shops, solar-powered tools, slow living. It&#39;s very difficult to describe because they are numerous, they are not organised in associations or organisations, they are just many, many individuals building very small and local empires. Suppliers have started to reach out to them with online wholesalers and I think that will increasingly be the future.

How much are you looking forward to coming to spoga+gafa in cologne? 
I am very excited to come to each edition for many years now! It is THE place where you can have an overview of quite all the products in a few days! Who else can do that! For me it is very exhaustive because there is so much information to gather! Our team takes more than 1000 pictures a day to build our report, it is just amazing. There is no website in the world where you can see all this diversity, so even if the nights are short, the trip is definitely worth it!

Interview with trendhunter Manuel Rucar about trends and the spoga+gafa 2023

FEATURE: BIOPHILIC DESIGN

Published on&nbsp;24 November 2020

While traditional construction is based on the idea to protect the human from the outside, biophilic buildings focus on connecting us with nature. The intelligent concept of the glass constructions enable&nbsp;a &lsquo;cooperation&rsquo; with the natural elements like sun, wind and water. The result is a healthy micro-climate for the people who live, work or shop there. Garden Centre Owners embracing biophilic construction make a strong statement towards the growing group of environmentally conscious customers.

EFSA member&nbsp;<a href="https://www.smiemansprojecten.com/en/aboutus/knowlegde-based-builder/biophilic">Smiemans</a>&nbsp;Projecten&nbsp;is a certified specialist in biophilic design and construction. Owner en managing director Jeroen Smiemans, explains the growing demand and the benefits of this forward-looking design.&nbsp;

What does biophilic design mean?

The word Biophilie originates from the greek language and means&nbsp;Love for Life&nbsp;or&nbsp;Love for the living.&nbsp;Biophilic design focuses on human&#39;s innate attraction to nature and natural processes.&nbsp;Our physical and mental health profits from &lsquo;biofhilia&rsquo; when we are outside. Nature has a healing effect on our health.&nbsp;

What are biophilic buildings?

A biophilic building is an inspiring healthy place where you can sense nature on all kinds of ways. You can feel the connection with nature: see and sense the natural light, smell the pure air and even sense a wind flow. .&nbsp;There is no other building where nature is so perceptible/observable as in a glass construction.

Smiemans is specialising on biophilic development and construction.&nbsp;What type of customers request this type of design?

Our clients realize that people do not function well when they are indoors all day. Everyone prefers to stay in a light and fresh environment rather than a dark and musty surrounding. The use of glass automatically increases the size of the building, one does not feel trapped in a space. We have already built many projects for healthcare, now we also see an increase for offices and meeting centres. Actually, it&#39;s better for everyone..

Can you construct biophilic buildings anywhere or are there certain requirements a location has to fulfil?&nbsp;

Generally, it can be done anywhere. The best thing is of course a location such as the Bomencentrum in Baarn. The extraordinary pavilion we built is surrounded by trees. . A row of amber trees on the south side of the complex act as a sunscreen in the summer and in the winter the bare trees allow the sun to heat the building.. The adjacent water feature also makes an important contribution to the cooling of the property. On top of the wooden construction there is an ultra-modern glass roof that gives the new pavilion a natural yet stylish appearance.&nbsp;We also realized a biophilic greenhouse construction for Planon&#39;s head office that is used as a workshop, recreation room and showcase for their products. The design of EdenParks, where the connection with nature is central, is operating energy neutral.

Why should Garden Centre owners go for biophilic design of their store?

Because in addition to the many benefits for the visitors, it also has many financial benefits for the owners themselves. Think of a green roof, this ensures, among other things, water retention, heat regulation and energy savings. A biophilic glass construction also reduces the energy requirement indoors, especially in the areas of lighting, ventilation and temperature control.&nbsp;All excellent financial incentives for a biophilic design approach.&nbsp;But there are more benefits. A glass construction is also functional, affordable, technically advanced, durable and above all beautiful to see!

There has been a rising demand for biophilic architecture in the past years. Why do you think this is?

The lack of nature in our lives. Especially in urban areas one lacks the connection with nature. We either have less time to indulge in it or we simply live too far away from nature. We are more and more indoors. Especially in winter when the days are short, you see that this has a negative impact on the well-being of people.&nbsp;This is reinforced by the arrival of the Corona virus. Especially now ventilation and air quality are more important than ever.

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More information about biophilic glass constructions&nbsp;can be found at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.smiemansprojecten.com/en/aboutus/knowlegde-based-builder/biophilic">Smiemans</a>

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FEATURE: Biophilic design

Marianne Guedin is one of today&rsquo;s most in-demand designers and scenographers. Having grown up on the Burgundy countryside, she graduated from &Eacute;cole nationale sup&eacute;rieure des Arts D&eacute;coratifs and got her design career underway in Paris in 1998. She now specialises in vegetal scenographies, artistic creations and designing objects.

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You have a broad artistic spectrum. Where does your heart most lie?

My work is based around plant life, that&rsquo;s what most inspires me. I grew up in the countryside. My mother did landscaping in our back garden and my father was a doctor &ndash; and also a magician! They both inspired me in my early years. I would say my heart is primarily energised by flowers, followed by contemporary art in all its forms.

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You have achieved a lot of success with your artistic glass creations. What is the idea behind these?

I create blown glass vases particularly for presenting flowers. They are simple in form and reflect our collective memory, in the timeless way inspired by the Medici Vase and Brancusi&rsquo;s &ldquo;The Kiss&rdquo;.&nbsp;

<img alt="" src="https://www.efsa.com/files/images/Marianne%20Guedin%2004.jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

What are the ingredients of your success?

The ingredients of my success are a comprehensive education in the decorative arts of Paris, a formidable team, strong endurance and a continually burning passion. I look for excellence in every detail.

You design vegetal scenographies for prestigeous fashion houses and top-level brands. Is this interest in plantlife a hype or an environmental concern?

Flowers are part of our cultural heritage and lifestyle. The French don&rsquo;t see them as a trend, but as a symbol of good taste. Now, my work just happens to bring all this together. For my customers&rsquo; shows and events, I stage plants, flowers and fruit to communicate emotions and get their message across. My profession is both creative and physical. Creatively, I develop moodboards to specify materials, colours and flowers. Physically, I am heavily involved on-site, selecting and transporting products, as well as assembling and dismantling displays. The viewer only sees the elegant side. I&rsquo;ve stopped counting the number of buckets of water I move in a day! I also design objects &ndash; vases, candles, candlesticks &ndash; which brands distribute under my name.&nbsp;

Sustainability is a major topic throughout the economy, not just in the horticulture sector. Does this affect your work?

More and more customers are concerned about what happens afterwards to the plants used in their decoration. There is increasing demand for potted plants, and cut flowers are now sometimes given away instead of being thrown away, but it is quite rare. We do try to use seasonal, locally grown flowers as much as possible, but if a bride wants peonies in December, I have to source them from Colombia...

You used to work for nelly rodi, who is efsa&rsquo;s trend partner. Do you still work with seasonal trends or hypes?

Of course, to please the greatest number of people, you must be in fashion. The colourful harmony must correspond with the desires of the moment. The same applies to how compositions are styled. I always take pictures of my flowers together, they make great patterns. I evoke the value we hold for our wonderful nature by incorporating lots of foliage, even weeds, in my compositions in an attempt to reproduce nature&rsquo;s wildness. Nelly Rodi gave me some pointers on how to anticipate trends. And my art studies showed me how to create the future.&nbsp;

<img alt="" src="https://www.efsa.com/files/images/Marianne%20Guedin%2006.jpg" style="width: 50%;" /><img alt="" src="https://www.efsa.com/files/images/Marianne%20Guedin%2002.jpg" style="width: 50%;" />

On the subject of hype: monstera leaves have been in our face for a few years now. How long will this go on and what is the next &lsquo;hot plant&rsquo; or big thing?

Calathea leaves will certainly replace Monstera. These come in a great variety of shapes and colours, and have a very graphic, sometimes even surreal appearance.

Expert interview: Marianne Guedin

While EFSA has been busy showcasing sustainable ideas and innovations at spoga+gafa, our members have spent years investing in new products and technologies designed to protect the environment. To them sustainability is not a trend, but an integral part of their corporate mission.

CAPI EUROPE - Time to prepare the world for truly sustainable products

Made with recycled materials

Sustainability is something nobody can ignore any longer. Especially those of us in the gardening industry, where we have such a close connection with nature. At Capi, we started by creating recyclable planters via a sustainable process and are now expanding the collection with a biodiversity range (rain Barrels, bee hotels, bird houses). However, this is not enough. We now are now capable of producing 100% biobased planters made from sugarcane, but consumers are not yet ready for them. It is therefore time for us to increase awareness, so we can work on a better and more sustainable future for ourselves and for future generations.

<img align="left" alt="" height="149" src="https://www.efsa.com/files/images/Toine%20van%20de%20Ven.jpg" style="height: 149px; width: 100px; float: left; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px;" width="100" />

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Toine van de Ven - Director Capi Europe

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ESSCHERT DESIGN - Nature inspires us to act responsibly

Esschert Design was actively engaged in socially responsible practices long before it became fashionable. Since 2009, we have been employing youngsters and people with disabilities in all kinds of roles. We currently have a group of twelve such people undergoing a training programme specially designed to help them integrate better in society. Because our products are inspired by nature, we also think about our role in preserving it. One of our new products is the cleanup tool, designed to help keep beaches and other natural areas free from litter. In 2020 we will be cooperating with large retailers to promote this tool during World Cleanup Day on 19th September.

<img align="left" alt="" height="149" src="https://www.efsa.com/files/images/Arend%20Mosterd.jpg" style="margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; float: left; height: 149px; width: 100px;" width="100" />

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Arend Mosterd - Director Esschert Design

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DIJK NATURAL COLLECTIONS - Our Teak Collection: Sustainable &amp; unique

Teak root wood is a hardy, natural, weathered material. We reclaim old teak roots by carefully digging, cleaning and drying them, before hand-carving them into sculptures and home decoration items. Thanks to the individual artistic carving and finishing of each piece, Every one is completely unique. Because ongoing de-forestation is wreaking such devastation on both our planet and the communities who live in the affected areas, we support sustainability together with these communities by assisting the replanting of trees in areas where teak roots have been dug. Choosing sustainably sourced products shows a commitment to being eco-friendly. It also brings nature right into your living area.

<img align="left" alt="" height="149" src="https://www.efsa.com/files/images/Wim%20Dijk%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; float: left; height: 149px; width: 100px;" width="100" />

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Wim Dijk - Founder / Co-owner Dijk Natural Collections

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PHOENOX TEXTILES

Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the future Phoenox Textiles has been developing and creating environmentally friendly products for over 10 years. We strive to embed sustainable practices in every part of our business, while creating products that are practical and efficient, due to having a long and useful life, so thereby do less harm to the environment. Our products are made from recycled cotton, plastics and water and our factories are powered by renewable energy. We are proud to be a zero to landfill company and working towards becoming carbon neutral by 2022. Giving back is also hugely important, so we sponsor Plastic Oceans UK and work with several environmentally conscious charities.

<img align="left" alt="" height="150" src="https://www.efsa.com/files/images/Liz%20Mosley%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; float: left; height: 150px; width: 100px;" width="100" />

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Liz Mosley - Director Phoenox Textiles

Member portrait: Sustainability

Today&rsquo;s consumers are showing increasing interest in surrounding themselves with plantlife. The same is also happening in restaurants, shops and hotels. While green roofs and walls, via vertical gardening, are becoming very popular, garden centres and other plant retailers have numerous opportunities to benefit from this trend. Yet it appears these are not being taken as much as they should be. EFSA members and experts Kees de Haan, Ben Boon, Edwin Meijer and Jeroen Smiemans talk about what &ndash; from their point of view &ndash; retailers need to do to capitalise on the trend.

EDWIN MEIJER<img align="right" alt="" height="294" src="https://www.efsa.com/files/images/Edwin.jpg" style="margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; float: right; width: 200px; height: 294px;" width="200" />

Marketing Director at Garden Connect&nbsp;

Successful retailers are focussing on solutions rather than products. Do customers actually want a plant, or a nice patio? Are they looking for a container, or do they want to cheer up their living room? Offering ready-to-use solutions is a necessity. You can&rsquo;t afford to just be a warehouse full of products. Garden centres need to offer easy solutions, like Hello Fresh does in the food industry. Most garden retailers are still focusing on individual products while startups are trying to disrupt the industry. Bloomon is offering a subscription-based bouquet service. Plantsome is selling plants with a useful service app that tells you how to look after them.

These are small initiatives. But most big brands were small when they first started. It might sound difficult, but successful retailers are the ones who dare to do things differently. What&rsquo;s your unique selling point? Why should I buy from your garden centre and not from Amazon? How do you deliver a top-notch experience both online and offline? Focusing helps retailers to become successful. Only 1% of retailers manage to get everything 100% right. So turn your mind to ask yourself what solutions you can offer your customers. How can you help them online and offline? What makes you different from Amazon? Find the answers and you&rsquo;ll be on your way to achieving your ambitions.

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BEN BOO<img align="left" alt="" height="294" src="https://www.efsa.com/files/images/BEN%20BOON.jpg" style="margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; float: left; width: 200px; height: 294px;" width="200" />N

Sales and Marketing Manager at Thermoflor 

As the leading garden centre builder in Europe, our job is to visit many stores and speak with gardening industry business owners. Our discussions cover everything from buildings and facilities to industry trends and developments. After all, buildings have their part to play in changes to retail behaviour and trends, and should contribute whenever possible. We try to design buildings that are trend-proof for the foreseeable future. A trend I&rsquo;m currently encountering is the establishment of larger stores with even more entertainment, to counteract the cold, sterile nature of online shopping.

Two decades ago we were talking about garden centres being &ldquo;an afternoon out&rdquo; or even a daytrip. This has taken on a new relevance in 2019. Consumers need a good reason to come to your store and business owners have to offer it. Alongside this, you absolutely have to pay attention to what&rsquo;s going on in the hospitality industry, where the coffee machine has been replaced by the WMF, a cup of coffee has become a Latte Macchiato and a ham sandwich is now a carpaccio baguette. Furthermore, the store must be beautiful and needs to feel good. Everything has to be right: staff, products, interior, hospitality, social media, advertisements and... the plants of course. Plants have to return to being the common thread in the garden store. These&nbsp;are the heart of the industry and where garden centres must be dominant. Possessing drive and having the ability to create a good store set-up are prerequisites for a successful retailer. But the willingness and ability to respond to changing circumstances are also essential. If you continue to do the same as 10 years ago, you may not last much longer. Embracing change is the key to being future-proof.

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JEROEN SMIEMANS

Director at Smiemans Projecten BV <img align="right" alt="" height="294" src="https://www.efsa.com/files/images/JEROEN%20SMIEMANS.jpg" style="margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; float: right; width: 200px; height: 294px;" width="200" />

Continuing growth in the garden retail market suggests that garden centres have a promising future ahead. This isn&rsquo;t just down to favourable weather conditions. A significant increase in social awareness about climate change and environmental issues means consumers are feeling a greater need to preserve nature and surround themselves with it. It is now an established fact that having more plantlife around us improves quality of life. So all this adds up to enormous opportunities for garden centres. Successful garden centres make customers feel close to nature. Achieving this starts with how the buildings are constructed. An innovative glass construction can create complete awareness of nature and its processes, with people being able to feel the natural ventilation, see the movement of the clouds and experience the seasons.

Smiemans calls this nature-inspired design &ldquo;biophilic building&rdquo;. The term derives from the word biophilia, meaning a human affinity with nature, and the practice adds 5% to a building&rsquo;s value. Integration of plantlife leads to intelligent solutions such as natural climate control and better water management. Natural, biophilic elements inside a store evidently create a feel-goodexperience. By offering a sustainable, pleasant and prosperous environment, owners encourage customers to stay longer in store. Garden centres are currently getting bigger and more diverse, incorporating restaurants, florists, local farm shops, areas for indoor and outdoor plants and more. All of these open up opportunities to make stores more entertaining and exciting, without compromising on comfort and retail space. For example, you could have a &ldquo;convertible&rdquo; greenhouse with a corridor in which customers can make an &ldquo;extra and cheaper connection with nature&rdquo;. That&rsquo;s a physical connection that not even the most advanced virtual store can offer.

News: interview

Interview with trendhunter Manuel Rucar about trends and the spoga+gafa 2023

FEATURE: Biophilic design

Expert interview: Marianne Guedin

Member portrait: Sustainability

The future of the garden centre