Sometimes, you have to see something big in order to realise just how small the world really is.

Take the sun for example. Don’t you think it’s amazing that, as the Disney song ‘It’s a small world’ famously said, “there is just one moon and a golden sun”? Everywhere around the world, people look at the same sky and their plants grow under the same sun.

And if you want to see some of those many plants, sometimes nestled together in the same bouquet, then the place to see them is IPM Essen, the largest garden show in the world. In 2014 there were 1554 exhibitors from 45 countries, and 44,000 visitors, nearly 40% of which were from outside of Germany.

If you missed it, then fear not: 99roots was there to pick out some of our favourite displays.

Top Image: 

• Left: Unknown
• Top Right: Bärbel Grzenia, Blumen Nienhaus, Südlohn
• Bottom Right: Beate Ballnus, Casa Calla, Detmold, Category: Bouquet

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• Blumen aus aller Welt wachsen zusammen – or ‘Flowers from all over the world growing together’ by Daniel Siebers of Blumen Kränzer Düsseldorf shows us in floral format how beautiful it can be if different parts of the world come together.
• Also combining interesting combinations of textures and flowers is this beautiful white entry from Julia Dieker at Blumen Jung, Sigen, under the theme of Now growing together. One for the wedding mood board...
• Jennifer Frank, (Trainee), Nord Event, Hamburg

• Nina Martens, Floristmeisterschule Hannover
• They say opposites attract and it’s no different in the plant world – we loved Textur im Kontrast or ‘Contrasting Textures‘, an entry by Tanja Wittenberg from Florist Meisterschule Hannover in the container planting category
• Andrea Klostermann, Blumenhaus Ehling, Velen, Winner of Category: Container Plants

​But whilst we love the opportunity for different people and unusual combinations of plants to come together at events like IPM Essen, there are also some universals out there. As the song says, “a smile means friendship to everyone” – and we think that no matter where you are in the world, a classic bouquet will brighten up your day. So three of our favourites are the ones from Beate Ballnus of Casa Calla, Bärbel Grzenia from Blumen Nienhaus Südlohn and Jennifer Frank of Nord Event.