Impressive variety and innovative ideas from Denmark.

62 years ago, Henrik Christensen's parents founded GC Planteskole in the small Danish village of Hedehusene. At first, they mainly cultivated ornamental plants in the open spaces. After relocating to Fjenneslev, which is about 50 km away, not only the company's cultivation area increased but even its product range grew steadily. After Henrik Christensen and his wife Lotte took over the plant nursery, they decided to focus more on the sales of potted plants. With great success: today the assortment comprises more than 1,200 different plant varieties. The large open spaces and greenhouses of the nursery are home to potted edible plants such as strawberry and rhubarb plants, numerous herbs, but also magnificent flowering shrubs. "This variety keeps us very busy", says Henrik Christensen with a smile on his face.

The excellent quality of Christensen's crops and ornamental plants quickly spread among customers. Now, GC Planteskole not only supplies garden centres throughout Denmark, but also far beyond the country's borders. Even customers in southern Sweden are delighted about the friendly service and the high quality standard.

In order to supply only strong and healthy plants, Henrik Christensen and his team rely 95 percent on purely biological plant protection. Bio-stimulants, abiotic agents, fungi and bacteria ensure healthy plant growth and keep pests at bay. "We want to show both our customers and end consumers that we don't just focus on the production of excellent plants, but also keep an eye on the whole system – to the benefit of our private consumer and, of course, the environment", says Christensen. In order to make this visible, the plant pots are provided with an attractive label indicating that the plants have been grown organically.

More and more plant species from all over the world can be bought locally in our region. The diversity of species is impressive, however, it often poses a problem, as these plants are not tested in the northern European climate before being sold. This results in disappointed end consumers because their plants often end up dead. Henrik Christensen's innovative solution is an experimental garden, in which plants, e.g. from the USA, are tested for about two to three years to see whether they can tolerate the local climate. This allows Henrik Christensen and his team to ensure that only high-quality products are sold. Another advantage: the experimental garden serves as a source of inspiration to many customers for their next orders when visiting the company.

When potting the plants, Henrik Christensen focuses on innovative products and effective work processes: he is extremely satisfied with the plant pots by Pöppelmann TEKU®, which he has been using for more than 10 years. Thanks to trouble-free destacking, the potting machines are able to work flawlessly. The sturdy rim makes it easy for the forks of the Space-O-Mat system to pick up the pots and it also ensures a stable and secure hold.

GC Planteskole will bring a new brand to the Danish market. With his head full of ideas, but somewhat uncertain about their implementation and design, Henrik Christensen gave us a spontaneous call. "It was great to see that the TEKU® employees were as excited about the idea as ourselves and they presented us with numerous design ideas and different self-marketing options", says Henrik Christensen. "The individually designed pots were delivered within no time. We have even invited our customers to a small event so that they can take a first look at the new pots in advance."

With regard to the question about how he would describe the collaboration with Pöppelmann TEKU®, the Dane replies: "Reliable, solution-oriented, extremely fast and creative. To say it all in one word: innovative!"

You can find all episodes here: www.poeppelmann.com/de/teku/in-einem-wort/