In an example
of successful pan-European collaboration, an eco-friendly product made here in
the UK has helped towns and cities across Belgium bloom throughout the summer –
while conserving water.
Self-watering
planters made by Derbyshire based manufacturer Amberol can be found all across
Belgium in public spaces, parks and shopping centres, helping to create some
eye-catching floral displays.
However,
because the planters only need watering once a week even during the hotter
months, councils and horticulturalists in Belgium have saved time and money on
upkeep. The containers also help save water and are made from recyclable
polyethylene, providing a great sustainable solution for the future.
Xavier Duhem,
sales manager at Sanac, Amberol’s distributor in Belgium has been selling
Amberol products for around 20 years. Xavier explains why the self-watering
containers are proving so popular.
“Many cities
across Belgium are beginning to catch on to the idea of self-watering
planters,” he says. “They realise that not only do they create the very best
conditions for growing flowers and edible plants, but they also reduce the need
for maintenance and conserve water all at the same time. Our customers have
used them to create some truly stunning displays.”
The British
made self-watering containers can be found across Belgium including the cities
of La Roche in the west, La Louvière in the south east and Koksijde by the
North Sea. Regions of the Belgian capital of Brussels, most notably
Anderlecht and Uccle, have also been brightened up by displays of ‘modern urban
flower integration’.
The
self-watering planters have a built-in water reservoir with a series of
capillaries to ‘suck up’ the water which is dispersed via an expander pad.
Because the water is stored under the soil, it doesn’t evaporate whatever the
weather conditions.
“The most
popular products this year include the cup and saucer hanging baskets and the
tiered planters which our customers like because they are easy to plant and
have a large water reservoir, making them really easy to maintain even when the
weather is hot and dry as it has been this year,” adds Xavier.
Sanac’s
largest customer in Belgium is Bota-Concept. The company’s mission statement is
‘Together, let’s transform our cities into gardens’. It offers turnkey projects
to cities aiming to increase the amount of green space in urban areas. The
self-watering tiered fountains and floor standing planters are very popular
amongst the company’s city council clients. In fact, the company has planted up
around 200 self-watering containers this year, including 150 tiered beehive
planters.
Bertrand
Pettiaux from Bota-Concept explains: “We plant up the tiered fountains and
floor standing planters in our nursery and send them out once they are fully
grown. We have had up to 45 degrees in the nursery early this summer and
even in these extreme conditions we only watered them once a week.”
