Brussels, May 25th 2023

Press release

ELCA calls for nominations ELCA Green School Yard Award 2023

The European Landscape Contractors Association (ELCA) calls its member-associations to nominate a project that can compete for the ELCA Green Award 2023. With this award, that is presented every two years, ELCA wants to highlight the innovation in green projects made by professional gardeners and landscapers. Besides that, it supports the ever-growing network of the ELCA Committee of Firms. In 2021 the Award was handed over for the first time. Theme of that year was Green Park. The Green Award was won by Brouwers Groenaannemers for their Spoorpark-project in Tilburg (The Netherlands). This year the theme is Green School Yards.

Greenery can no longer be considered as decoration anymore. Today we are aware of its benefits for climate, biodiversity and health of people. With these benefits in mind, professional gardeners and landscapers design, create and maintain private gardens, public parcs and buildings with green roofs and facades. Nowadays we see more and more interest in the creation of green school yards, where children can play with and learn about nature. Scientific research has shown that children, after playing at a green school yard, can concentrate better on their learnings in the classroom, are more creative, have a better physical development and are more sociable towards other children. Besides these positive effects, the green schoolyard is also a place where there is room for biodiversity and that contributes to social cohesion in the residential area where the school yard is located. ELCA wants to highlights these benefits by showcasing innovative and state of the art projects. These projects are a good example of what greenery can do and what our professional gardeners and landscapers are able to deliver.

The ELCA member-associations are asked to nominate one green school yard project for the competition. Members of the ELCA Committee of Firms can vote in September on their favourites, which will be presented then on the ELCA-website. The ceremony of the announcement of the results and the hand-over of the trophy, in cooperation with the French association UNEP, will take place at Paysalia 2023 in Lyon.

France wins second edition of the prestigious European Green Cities Award

After the city of Beringen in Belgium in 2020, Nantes in France wins the second edition of the European Green Cities Award, organised by the European Nurserystock Association (ENA) within the framework of the promotional project ‘Green Cities Europe’.

Le Jardin Extraordinaire, from old stone quarry to lush park with stunning views

Le Jardin extraordinaire or 101st garden of Nantes has become an attraction. The former Miséry stone quarry has been transformed into an extraordinary, lush garden. Thanks to an incredibly rich plant palette with amongst others tree ferns, century-old ivy and banana trees, an exotic atmosphere is created, adapted to the pre-existing micro climate on site. Moreover, a promenade with seven stunning viewpoints links the park to Nantes’ bustling Chantenay district.

Spoorpark Tilburg with Landscape Contractor Brouwers Groenaannemers,

VHG member in the Netherlands, win the ELCA Green Award 2021!

The Green Park competition 2021

The ELCA Green Award is a competition to promote living green by and with landscape contractors. Develop an ever-growing platform with and between the companies of the ELCA Committee of Firms.

The ELCA Green Award is presented to the VHG President, the association that introduced the winning project, at the ceremony of the ELCA Green Award for The Green Park competition 2021. The announcement of the results in collaboration with UNEP – France takes place at the professional fair PAYSALIA 2021 dd 1 December 2021.

Press release_ELCA Green Award_Paysalia 2021

VHG speech Green Award 2021

Excursions abroad sound nice, but can they help business?

Some 200 landscapers from 22 countries are members of the Committee of Firms that is part of the European umbrella organization ELCA. The firms, ranging from small family businesses to large internationals, make excursions and meet at green conferences all over the world. Making such trips sounds rather nice, but do they a positive impact on your business? We asked three members of Dutch landscapers’ association VHG.

Figurehead Henrik Bos, President of ELCA

“Green has no borders”

Figureheads green sector

VHG collects ‘figureheads’: people who have a special significance for the green sector. Because of their profession, experience, expertise, vision or special activities they contribute significantly to the value of green in our society. We would like to share their insights and ideas with VHG members. We hope their stories will be able to inspire and add to our theme ‘green makes for happiness’. In the first issue of this year, we speak with Henrik Bos, president of ELCA, the European umbrella organization of which VHG is a member.

More info: Henrik Bos_ELCA President_VHG_EN 

The VHG press article in Dutch - in het nederlands: 12269-VHGMagazine 2021-Boegbeeldinterview 

VHG receives the Royal designation - Branchevereniging VHG ontvangt predicaat Koninklijk 

Branchevereniging VHG mag zich vanaf vandaag ‘Koninklijke Vereniging van Hoveniers en Groenvoorzieners’ noemen. Zijne Majesteit Koning Willem-Alexander heeft deze eretitel toegekend aan de branchevereniging die dit jaar 100 jaar bestaat. Voorzitter Rien van der Spek en directeur Egbert Roozen namen het bijbehorende predicaat in ontvangst uit handen van Hans Oosters, commissaris van de Koning in de provincie Utrecht en burgemeester Gilbert Isabella van de gemeente Houten.

Press release: Branchevereniging VHG ontvangt predicaat Koninklijk 

‘SoGreen unites the green world’ Henrik Bos (president of ELCA)

On 20 November 2020, Henrik Bos, president of the European Landscape Contractors Association (ELCA), has launched the SoGreen movement, a global stakeholder group that unites all green industries. ‘To start this international sector organization for the global green industries has been one of the biggest goals during my time as president of ELCA.’

ELCA, European Landscape Contractors Association starts European platform for urban greening

Together with partners in Denmark, Finland, Romania, Spain, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands, ELCA will be building a European Platform for Urban Greening in the coming years.

Increase knowledge and skills of green professionals.

The European Platform for Urban Greening aims to increase the knowledge and skills required to address biodiversity, climate adaptation and well-being in the urban, green living environment, and to broaden the expertise among professionals in Europe. The educational institutions from the mentioned countries work closely with business partners and governments in order to match the educational offer with regional needs.

Press release 20200914_New European platform for urban greening_press_release

GaLaBau findet erst 2022 wieder in Nürnberg statt – Alternativkonzept 2020 in Planung.

Nach zahlreichem Feedback von Kundenseite hat die NürnbergMesse in enger Abstimmung mit dem Bundesverband Garten-, Landschaftsund Sportplatzbau e.V. (BGL) entschieden, die GaLaBau 2020 nicht wie geplant durchzuführen. „Diesen Schritt gehen wir nicht unüberlegt und erst nach reiflicher Prüfung“, so Petra Wolf, Mitglied der Geschäftsleitung, NürnbergMesse. „In unsere Entscheidung, dass die GaLaBau erst 2022 wieder wie gewohnt in Nürnberg stattfinden wird, flossen maßgeblich die Wünsche unserer Aussteller und Besucher mit ein. Unser Angebot an die Branche ist nun, für 2020 ein Alternativkonzept vor Ort und virtuell auf die Beine zu stellen. Gleichzeitig ist dies aber nun der Startschuss für eine erfolgreiche GaLaBau 2022,“ so Wolf weiter.

GaLaBau will resume in Nuremberg in 2022, plans for alternative concept in 2020.
Based on extensive feedback from its customers, NürnbergMesse has decided, in close consultation with the Federal Association of Horticulture, Landscaping and Sports Facilities (Bundesverband Garten-, Landschafts- und Sportplatzbau, BGL), not to hold GaLaBau as planned in 2020. “We have considered the matter very carefully, and this is not a decision we take lightly,” says Petra Wolf, Member of the Management Board of NürnbergMesse. “Our decision to wait until 2022 before holding GaLaBau in Nuremberg again as usual was substantially informed by the wishes of our exhibitors and visitors. What we are now proposing to the sector is to prepare an alternative concept on-site and at a virtual level for 2020. At the same time, it will be all systems go for a successful GaLaBau in 2022.”

Need for extraordinary measures to support the flower & live plants sector survive the COVID-19 crisis.

Joint letter to Mr Janusz Wojciechowski, EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development.

Union Fleurs – International Flower Trade Association

ENA - European Nurserystock Association

ARELFH - Assembly of European Horticultural Regions

VAL’HOR - the inter-branch organisation for ornamental horticulture in France

VBN - the Association of Dutch Flower Auctions

CIOPORA - the International Association of Breeders of Asexually Reproduced Horticultural Varieties

ANTHOS - the Royal Trade Association for Nursery Stock and Flower Bulbs

ELCA - the European Association of Landscape Professionals.

BALI Registered Contractor Ground Control has been awarded the British Association of Landscape Industries’ (BALI) prestigious Grand Award at the 43^rd BALI National Landscape Awards 2019, sponsored by BALI Registered Affiliate and Headline Sponsor of the Awards Green-tech. Ground Control’s project, The Children’s Garden, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew was entered into the Community and Schools Development category.

Le jury de l’édition 2019 du Carré des Jardiniers, présidé par Jean Mus, a rendu son verdict le mercredi 4 décembre, dans le cadre du salon Paysalia.

Découvrez qui a remporté le titre convoité de « Maître Jardinier 2019 »  dans le communiqué de presse.

The jury of the 2019 edition of Carré des Jardiniers, chaired by Jean Mus, delivered its verdict on Wednesday, December 4, during the Paysalia trade show.

Find out who won the coveted title of "Master Gardener 2019" in the press release.

“We take care for a green and liveable Europe”

At this moment we are facing big challenges in keeping our world liveable. Climate is changing. Heavy rain and drought will lead to all kinds of damage. More and more plants and animals are disappearing. This will affect  in the end also our food chain. It is to be expected that in future the majority of people will live in cities. How do we keep cities a sustainable place to live and work in? All this kind of topics are related to greenery. The time that greenery was decoration, is over. Greenery offers important benefits for the quality of our lives.

ELCA stand - A greener environment with ELCA

Henrik Bos has been elected as the new ELCA-President

The European Landscape Contractors Association (ELCA) is continuing its successful expansion course with its new President Henrik Bos at the top.

Henrik Bos zum neuen ELCA-Präsidenten gewählt

Die European Landscape Contractors Association (ELCA) setzt ihren erfolgreichen Expansionskurs mit ihrem neuen Präsidenten Henrik Bos an der Spitze fort.

Henrik Bos a été élu au poste de président de l´ELCA

L’European Landscape Contractors Association (ELCA) continue sa voie d´expansion et de succès avec, à sa tête son nouveau président Henrik Bos.

Redesigning the landscape: 
Environmental technologies between restoration and reclassification of urban and extra-urban areas. 

It takes more greenery to save the world. The undersigned, in an ideal manifesto "Green will save the world" launched in recent days at an international meeting in Milan, the Italian representatives of Assoimpredia (National Association for the Defence and Environmental Protection Association) and the delegates from all over Europe of Elca (European Landscape Contractors Association), ie professionals, landscape architects, designers, managers of green companies and entrepreneurs who ask institutions, but also citizens, to change behaviours and directives, thinking back to cities, suburbs and more generally to the landscape that characterizes the Belpaese. 

Green Dream’ and ‘Circl’ win ELCA Trend Award 2018
The international professional judges committee has decided to pick two Dutch projects as the richly deserved joint winners of the ELCA Trend Award 2018 from the four nominees, all of which were Dutch projects. The winners were announced at the festive award ceremony at the international GaLaBau trade fair in Nuremberg, Germany, on Wednesday 12 September. The joint winners are ‘Circl’, developed by the landscaping company Donkergroen on behalf of ABN AMRO Bank in Amsterdam, and ‘Green Dream’, developed by the designer Iverna Zaalberg and the gardening and landscaping company Herman Vaessen Tuin Boom Groen on behalf of Geelen Counterflow in Haelen (Dutch province of Limburg).