Waltham Abbey-based plant wholesalers Classiflora Zelari attracted hordes of buyers from across the country this week on two cold but generally sun-soaked open days. Business was brisk and the nursery was widely applauded for the quality of this year’s offer.

 “Customers have been telling us they have never seen the nursery looking so good,” said marketing manager Andrew Dayes. “They can see how we’ve changed in recent times. We’ve gone from being just an importer of Italian nursery stock to a truly European nursery. The core offer is still from Zelari but we now source plants not only from all over Italy but from Holland, France, Portugal, Sicily, Belgium and here in the UK. We have a comprehensive range that can meet most retailers’ and landscapers’ needs.”

 Wednesday was the busiest day, with numbers only slightly down on last year, while Thursday saw a steady stream of buyers throughout the day.

 The nursery’s ‘Shelfies’ promotion was going down well when GTN Xtra called in. “We’ve had loads of orders for our competitive shelf deals on a range of popular plants for immediate delivery,” Dayes confirmed.

 Buyers were encouraged to choose one of three purchasing options to suit their business – direct shipments from Zelari selected on one of their ‘Fly & Buy’ visits to Tuscany (minimum order value €10,000); shipments from Zelari (with ‘Fly & Buy’ visit)  via Classiflora (minimum €5,000); or ‘Little and Often’ ordering from the Classiflora site (minimum £500 carriage paid, average two trolleys).