210 exhibitors from 11 countries, including 144 plant producers from Poland and abroad, a larger exhibition, a new visitor route and professional visitors from 37 countries. The 33rd edition of the GREEN IS LIFE International Trade Fair, held in Warsaw on 3-5 September, confirmed that the changes introduced to the event format worked well. Plants remained at the centre, while the new spatial layout made it easier for visitors to reach the full range of exhibitors. Around the plant offer, the wider market came together: producers and retailers, landscape designers and contractors, green space managers, local authorities, and suppliers of technologies and solutions for the industry.
“This year, as many as 82 nurseries affiliated with the Polish Nurserymen Association presented their offer at GREEN IS LIFE. I am very pleased about this, because together with Agencja Promocji Zieleni we organise this trade fair specifically for the industry. We are part of it and we want to have an impact on its development. Cooperation between different sectors of the market is also important to us, and the trade fair offers something that is difficult to find elsewhere: the opportunity to meet and talk directly in one place,” says Andrzej Kujawa, President of the Polish Nurserymen Association.
Plants at the centre
Plants were the strongest element of this year’s exhibition. The stands featured nursery stock at different stages of production and in a wide range of sizes and specifications: deciduous and coniferous trees and shrubs, climbers, perennials, ornamental grasses, roses, heathers and fruit plants. Alongside young plants, large trees for gardens, development projects and public green spaces were also presented.
For professional visitors, the trade fair is more than a showcase of products. It provides an opportunity to see the actual plant material, assess its quality and specifications, and then talk directly to the producer about availability, applications and opportunities for cooperation. Such conversations do not always result in an order placed at the stand. Equally important are enquiries, new contacts and post-fair visits to nurseries, which can open the way to cooperation in the months and seasons ahead.
The plant offer was complemented by machinery and technologies for nursery production, growing media, fertilisers, containers, as well as products and solutions for the establishment and maintenance of green spaces.
More international visitors
GREEN IS LIFE welcomed 8,939 visitors this year, including 5,221 professionals. The largest group of trade visitors represented plant production (35%), followed by landscape designers and contractors (22%) and trade representatives (18%).
In practice, these roles often overlap, particularly in the nursery sector, where producers are also buyers of plant material for further production or to supplement their wholesale and retail offer.
The geographical reach of the event increased markedly. International visitors came from 37 countries, compared with 26 a year earlier. The most strongly represented foreign markets were the Netherlands, Lithuania, Italy, Ukraine and Germany, followed by Latvia and Hungary. The Hosted Buyers Programme also supported international business contacts, targeting professional buyers interested in the offer of Polish plant producers.
The international character of the event was also strengthened by exhibitors from other European markets. GREEN IS LIFE is therefore increasingly connecting Polish producers with buyers, partners and companies from abroad.
Cyrille Schweizer and Bożena Bochenek – Embassy of France in Poland, and Anita Sowińska
New plant introductions, awards and solutions for the industry
The trade fair remains one of the most important venues for presenting new plant varieties. This year, 26 varieties of trees, shrubs, perennials, ornamental grasses and fruit plants qualified for the Plant Novelties Competition. All were presented together in the main hall of EXPO XXI. The jury selected the following winners:
- Gold: Rosa MATKA POLKA, submitted by ROZA Sobieszek
- Silver: Diervilla ×splendens KODIAK® MIXX, submitted by Szkółki KUROWSCY
- Bronze: Pinus thunbergii GIFUTO, submitted by Szkółka NOWACZYK
The jury also awarded four distinctions:
- Clematis PINK HORIZON, submitted by CLEMATIS Źródło Dobrych Pnączy Sp. z o.o. Spółka komandytowa
- Philadelphus PETITE PERFUME PINK, submitted by Szkółki KUROWSCY
- Cercis canadensis GARDEN GEMS® AMETHYST, submitted by PLANTLINE B.V.
- Salix candida ICEBERG ALLEY®, submitted by Szkółka SZMIT
Winners of the Plant Novelties Competition
Philadelphus PETITE PERFUME PINK also received the Journalists’ Award, while Cercis canadensis GARDEN GEMS® AMETHYST won the social media public vote.
The Honorary Laurel of the Polish Nurserymen Association was also presented during the trade fair. The award recognises individuals and institutions that have made a particular contribution to the development of the nursery industry and the wider plant community.
This year, the distinction was awarded to the Polish Dendrological Society for its contribution to dendrological education, dissemination of plant knowledge and integration of experts and green-industry enthusiasts, as well as for consistently raising tree protection standards, contributing expert knowledge to the development of good practice and promoting a responsible approach to nature conservation.
Plant introductions were complemented by technological solutions presented in the Green Laurel competition, aimed at professional horticulture, nursery production, garden retail and the green space sector.
In the Innovation category, the award went to FibriAgri® peat-free rooting substrates by AC sp. z o.o. – AgroCare In the Proven Solutions category, Probiotechnology by ProBiotics Polska Sp. z o.o. received the award. A distinction in the Innovation category was presented to the 360° rotating tree gripper by Van Tuijl Innovations B.V.
The awarded solutions reflect key directions of change in professional plant production and care: reducing peat use, developing biological solutions and mechanising work with large nursery stock.
“An award helps a plant, product or solution stand out from the extensive trade offer and attracts the attention of professional buyers. It brings prestige which, as award winners confirm, also translates into sales,” says Joanna Filipczak, President of Agencja Promocji Zieleni and Director of the GREEN IS LIFE trade fair.
Knowledge close to the market
Seminars, conferences, workshops and discussions shared a practical approach and examined the same challenges from different sides of the market.
During the Knowledge for Trade and Producers seminar, Michael Perry (Mr Plant Geek) spoke about a new generation of customers, their expectations and ways of communicating with them, while Hubert Lamański discussed the importance of emotions in communication with the end customer.
Marek Bartosiewicz, co-owner of Hortorus Garden Centre, used his own company as an example to show how to run social media activities, measure their effectiveness and assess their impact on sales. Landscape architect Oktawia Wasielewska presented plant selection from a designer’s perspective, highlighting the practical value of displaying plants according to the functions they are intended to perform in a project. A panel of producers and garden centre representatives pointed to the need for better exchange of knowledge, information and experience between the two sides of the market.
Oktawia Wasielewska, President of the Association of Landscape Architecture, at the Knowledge for Trade and Producers Seminar
Other issues were addressed during the Green City Conference, focused on urban green spaces. Considerable attention was devoted to trees, from the quality of plant material and appropriate selection to planting conditions and reducing the risk of costly mistakes. Using the Dutch city of Alkmaar as an example, Paul Weidema showed how to move from a vision of a greener city to concrete action and then consistently replicate successful solutions in subsequent projects.
Paul Weidema at the Green City Conference
Another important part of the conference was the panel “Nurseries: Partners in the Green Space Design Process”, which brought together representatives of nurseries, design, contracting, investors and green space management. The discussion showed that much can be improved without waiting for systemic solutions: through earlier dialogue, better exchange of information and greater use of producers’ expertise already at the design and project preparation stage.
Panel discussion at the Green City Conference
The Garden Creators Meeting turned attention to the garden, soil and people. Dr Marta Znajmiecka translated knowledge from the psychology of gardening into practical solutions that can be applied by designers and contractors. Other presentations highlighted the importance of microorganisms and other organisms living in the topsoil and ways of supporting the natural processes taking place there. Plant enthusiasts who run gardening blogs and channels also shared their knowledge and experience.
Knowledge also moved beyond the conference rooms. The “Therapeutic Garden in the City” show garden demonstrated in practice how greenery can create spaces that respond to users’ needs. In this way, it complemented the topics discussed during the Garden Creators Meeting concerning the impact of gardens and contact with plants on people.
These were only selected examples from the three-day programme, which also included training sessions, design workshops, discussions with authors and experts, as well as the second edition of the Plantis & GREEN IS LIFE meeting for online creators. This year’s edition was held under the theme “A Heart for Greenery: Business and Algorithms.”
Cut flowers were another strong feature of this year’s exhibition. At The Blooming Collective joint stand, coordinated by Flower Circus, international producers and breeders presented their offer. This part of the market was complemented by the “Autumn Inspirations” demonstration by Tomasz Maksymilian Kuczyński, winner of the World Cup Floral Art 2025 in The Hague, combining practical ideas for the autumn season with an artistic perspective on contemporary floristry.
“Autumn Inspirations” floral show by Tomasz Maksymilian Kuczyński
500 plants for cities: from knowledge to a specific plant
A common thread running through many events was the List of 500 Plants for Cities, prepared by the Polish Nurserymen Association. It is a practical tool supporting the selection of species and varieties for contemporary urban conditions, taking into account, among other factors, climate change, water shortages, the urban heat island effect and requirements related to the subsequent maintenance of green spaces.
The list featured both in the Green City Conference and in the Knowledge for Trade and Producers seminar.
At the trade fair, the List of 500 became the basis of the Green System, which connected expert knowledge with exhibitors’ offers. Stands of producers offering recommended plants were specially marked. Visitors could therefore move from a recommendation to a specific plant, see the material for themselves and talk to the producer about its specifications, availability and use.
Larger scale, the same focus
The 33rd edition of GREEN IS LIFE showed that as the event grows, its main point of reference remains unchanged: the plant and the professional market built around it. The stronger presence of producers and international visitors, dialogue between different sectors of the industry and a programme addressing specific challenges also highlighted areas for further development.
The trade fair ends after three days, but many of the conversations started there are only just beginning. Further meetings, nursery visits, orders and new business contacts will show their effects in the months ahead. The value of bringing the entire industry together in one place is best seen in what happens afterwards.
