In Australia and New Zealand, we work closely with Tasmania-based Plants Management Australia. Anyone who has worked with Chris Sargent and his team will know that they run a first-class operation that effectively promotes new plants and carefully looks after the interest of plant breeders. To see that recognised in the 2011 Telstra Business Awards is fantastic and a just accolade for PMA.

You can see more information on the awards and watch Chris give not one, not two, but THREE acceptance speeches here.

This is not only great recognition of PMA, but a boost for horticulture in general (so often seen as a small, backward business that lacks innovation) and for plant variety rights management as a profession. Thank you PMA, it is a pleasure to work with you.

Further to that, customers should note that the Plants For Europe office will be closed for the following days:

• Friday 22 April – Good Friday
• Monday 25 April – Easter Monday
• Friday 29 April – Royal Wedding (we’ll be at the party on the village green!)
• Monday 2 May – May Day
• Monday 30 May – Spring Bank Holiday

During these holidays, email and telephone messages will not be checked, although we will do our best to respond to you as soon as we can.

EDIT: Tuesday now looks pretty full; Wednesday and Thursday are filling fast! Act now to make an appointment!

Members of the LinkedIn Plant Breeders and Agents Group are reminded that there will be a networking event for members in the Saal Rheinland meeting room at Messe Essen on Tuesday 25 January, starting at 4.30pm.

As usual, if you want to meet Graham at the exhibition, please contact us to arrange an appointment.

We wish that this event was a week later – it falls too close to the first days of the school term, clashes with the Flormart event in Padua, Italy, and also coincides with the Jewish holidays so that many of our Israeli friends will not be attending.

The full job specification can be found by clicking here.

We shall watch this closely to see who is appointed and will then speculate wildly to try and second guess what the appointment will mean for the future of the CPVO and European PVRs.

One of the best features was the new plant competition. It was great to see more than 50 entries covering all types of garden plants. A few creases need to be ironed out (why were some Nemesia varieties classed as annuals whilst others were classed as perennials? Surely it would be better to have a “patio and bedding” class instead) but overall our impression was positive. We’ll be looking to support this further in coming years.

This year, five PFE-managed varieties were in the competition. It is a reflection of the quality of output from our breeders that four of these plants were given awards:

• Nemesia Framboise (bred by Martine Tellwright) – GOLD
• Leucanthemum Real Galaxy (Richard Read and Keith Lintott) – SILVER
• Geum Totally Tangerine (Tim Crowther) – BRONZE
• Nemesia Mirabelle (Martine Tellwright) – BRONZE

For details on any of these plants, please contact us.

• Tuesday: Hendrik ido Ambacht
• Wednesday: Westland
• Wednesday afternoon: Hillegom
• Thursday morning: Honselersdijk
• Thursday afternoon: Aalsmeer
• Friday morning: Düsseldorf area
• Friday afternoon: Gensingen

If you would like to meet up with Graham, then contact us directly. His diary is very full, but there are a few gaps available for meeting growers and breeders.

The Flower Trials are one of the most most important events in the horticultural world now. Several varieties managed by PFE will be on display there, so be sure to take your camera and notebook!

You may have heard about social networking on the internet – you may even be a social networker yourself already. We take a dim view of jargon at PFE headquarters, but we do recognise the usefulness of a system that helps one to meet and exchange information and ideas with other like-minded people around the world. That is why we use LinkedIn which is really social networking for grown-ups, a genuine professional resource. You can see Graham’s profile here.

In particular, Graham is the owner of a “group” on LinkedIn for Plant Breeders and Agents. This group is open to any LinkedIn user who works with new plant introductions, both agricultural and horticultural. This includes plant breeders and biotechnologists, breeders’ agents (like us!), lawyers, growers of new plants, marketers and those working in support industries such as IT and specialist recruitment.

The Group now has over 300 members and has recently announced its first meeting, which will be held at IPM 2011 – thanks to generous support from the IPM organisers, Messe Essen. This will be a great opportunity for people working in our industry to meet and network, share ideas, meet old friends and make new ones.

If you are interested in joining our Group, you can find out more here.

Plants For Europe is very pleased to have joined ProVaR. Graham Spencer, company director, said: “PFE has joined ProVaR so that selected non-exclusive varieties from the PFE portfolio can be licensed by growers through the ProVaR organisation. It allows us to reach many smaller and medium sized growers effectively and will give greater access to these varieties – which will certainly increase royalty revenue for the breeders.”

From 2010-11, growers will be able to obtain licenses for ten varieties from PFE through ProVaR, including varieties of Cytisus, Lysimachia, Phlox, Phygelius, Prunella and Pulmonaria. These are all first class plants that are deserving of a wider audience.

Charles Carr of ProVaR said: “It is exciting to see the ProVaR portfolio growing each year and we are pleased to welcome another well known member of the new plant community into the organisation.”

Please note that only selected varieties will be offered through ProVaR. All other varieties will be licensed exclusively by PFE in the UK and Ireland.