Star Roses & Plants was completely focused on the American woody ornamental market, but since it’s part of Ball Horticultural Company, it’s also focused on Europe. „We expect a lot of growth here,” says Pete Kruger, Director of New Products and International Licensing.
According to Pete Kruger, Ball Horticultural Company is the largest ornamental company in the world. A family business that began in Chicago, Illinois in 1905 with cut flowers and then plunged into annuals and perennials. Since the turn of the millennium, Ball is especially known for its annuals. It also saw opportunities in woody ornamental plants and Ball has them since 2015 with the acquisition of Star Roses & Plants.
Star Roses & Plants is even older than Ball. It began in 1897 in West Grove, Pennsylvania as Conard-Pyle with mail order of bush roses. Roses still are the main topic for Star Roses & Plants. Knock Out Roses are the best-selling roses in the United States; there are more than 100 million sold according to the company.
What kind of business is Star Roses & Plants?
„We are not a production nursery; the production is being made by growers. We manage the breeding of plants; we develop new plants and we are also looking for new ones. We test novelties at 17 different locations; with woody ornamentals we have the most comprehensive tests in the US. After 3 to 10 years of testing, we have so much information about the value of use, that we are convinced bringing the novelty to the market.”
Which crop besides roses are you breeding?
„The biggest breeding programs we run ourselves are from Syringa, Hibiscus, Vaccinium – we have the BrazelBerries – and Hydrangea quercifolia. Not Hydrangea macrophylla; in this range we work with third parties: five breeders in Japan who all use different genes. New roses are still number 1 for our business. Number 2 is H. macrophylla and number 3 is Azalea/Rhododendron.”
Aren’t markets saturated with new roses, hydrangeas and azaleas?
„No, definitely not. Breeders still develop new Knock Out Roses and other roses for us, with disease resistance at number 1. In North America rose diseases are still a major problem. We are now investigating around 10,000 new hybrids.
With Azalea/Rhododendron we also work exclusively with breeders. They support each other more than they compete. And Hydrangea macrophylla? For new flower forms there is still place on the market.”
So we can expect more new hydrangeas in future?
„Yes, we have established close relationships with the breeders in Japan in the last 15 years. We represent them worldwide, but we mainly focus on the American and European market. For production Europe offers us a great advantage, because it is illegal to import cuttings from Japan in the US. New foreign plant material must also be quarantined in the US for two growing seasons. Therefore the Asian cuttings are rooted in Europe. From here we can build up better productions.”
Where specifically in Europe?
„Generally we are looking the most to the Netherlands and Germany, because companies in these countries belong to the most professional of Northern Europe. And because the climate zones fit well with the zones in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northwest States.”
What do you expect from growers here?
„For us it is important that we can work on long-term relationships. We don’t do anything for the short term. And of course, the companies just have to be good. The ornamental industry is a small community; if you need to know something about a company, you’ve quickly sorted it out.”
Why should a grower work with Star Roses & Plants?
„Because we are a company with strong brands and novelties that clearly distinguishes on the market from other plants. Knock Out Roses is now the best-known plant brand in the US, after Proven Winners, Monrovia and Jackson & Perkins. We are also financially strong. We don’t want to saturate the market, but marketed new plants strategically. It’s not standard policy, but usually we wait for licenses to be collected until the plants are sold.”
Should a grower use the marketing of Star Roses & Plants?
„We are quite flexible with the marketing of our products. One rule is clear: the label of Star Roses and Plants should be on each plant, with the correct botanical number on it and the PVR number. If a grower wants a new label for his customers, first he must get permission from us before it goes into production.”
Knock Out Roses is a consumer brand, are your other brands consumer brands too?
„Only L.A. Dreamin’ Hydrangea. All our other products are not trademarks for consumers; The names are mainly intended for business to business. For example, Dutch nursery Lendert de Vos markets our new Azalea under the name of Bloom Champion. We encouraged that nursery to do so.”
When you’re looking five years in future…
„Then we expect our business in Europe will be more than doubled. And sooner than five years: after two years. Because we grow strong here, because the products are already there, and because we put our best novelties on the market. Before the acquisition by Ball, we were only known in the US, but now we are also becoming more known in Europe. We are driving this by visiting Europe four, five times a year. Every year I’m visiting Plantarium in Boskoop and IPM in Essen.”
Strong growth, while the young generation of consumers is hard to get on plants?
„The young generation offers quite a lot of opportunities for us. The challenge is to market plants so that it affects young people. I think they even want to pay more for a plant, but then we have to make that plant cool and sexy. Social media clearly play an important part. We put photos of our products and what you can do with it, on Instagram. And instructional and promotional videos on YouTube. We must take those opportunities.”
Pictures: Arno Engels
