Horticulturists worldwide are invited to join a VIP tour of the spectacular Qingdao International Horticultural Expo and exclusive access to key plant and flower producers in China.

The International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH) and leading tour operator Wendy Wu Tours are providing week-long VIP tours for people with an interest in ornamental horticulture, commercial plant production, gardens and landscapes. 

The tour will offer:

• A grand tour of the AIPH approved International Horticultural Exposition 2014, Qingdao, which provides a global showcase for the world of horticulture featuring well over 100 gardens across 241 hectares. Themed ‘From the earth, for the earth’, the Expo includes a Flower Promenade, a Boulevard and twelve themed garden areas: Chinese Garden, Floriculture Garden, Caogang (Herbal) Garden, Children’s Dream Garden, Science Garden, Enterprise Garden, International Garden, Tea Garden, Agriculture Garden, Flower Garden, Blossom Garden and Mountain Garden.
• Exclusive access to Deroose Plants Co Ltd, Shanghai, one of the largest flower exporters in China exporting over 20 million plants per year, and specialising in production of Bromeliads, Nepenthes and foliage plants.
• A guided tour of Shanghai Flower Port, a 1 million square metre haven of tranquillity in the South Pudong area and home to an amazing annual tulip festival and other floral displays through the year.
• A visit to Shandong Oriental Floral Co. Ltd, Dongying – Qingdao, professional growers of flowers, nursery stock, young plants, and experts in landscape architecture, producing Phalaenopsis, pineapple, arrowroot, anthurium, Rieger begonia and cyclamen within 80,000 square metres of greenhouse.
• A beer tasting at Tsingtao Brewery, Qingdao - China’s second largest brewery, founded in 1903 by German settlers. Visitors will learn all about the brewery and taste a fresh beer straight from the production line.
• A visit to Beijing Botanic Garden situated between the Fragrant Hills Park and Jade Spring Mountain. The Garden covers a large area of 564,000 square metres and includes a dozen exhibition districts, halls and exhibition greenhouses for tropical and subtropical plants.

AIPH Secretary General, Tim Briercliffe comments: “AIPH is pleased to offer this exclusive opportunity with Wendy Wu Tours to enable horticulturists to share experiences and ideas with like-minded enthusiasts from around the world. The tour aims to deepen knowledge and understanding of China as a rising powerhouse of horticultural production, as well as increasing the awareness of what is going on in the world of horticulture”.

The eight day tour starts at £1,840pp (excluding international flights) and offers two travel dates - 19-27 September 2014 and 16-24 October 2014. There are also daily departures for groups for six plus.

For more details and to book reserve places on the tour visit www.horticulture-expo.com