Belgium’s cities blooming thanks to Derbyshire manufacturer

An eco-friendly product made in Derbyshire has helped towns and cities across Belgium bloom throughout the summer – while conserving water.

Self-watering planters made by Alfreton-based manufacturer Amberol can be found all across Belgium in public spaces, parks and shopping centres, helping to create some eye-catching floral displays.

However, because the planters only need watering once a week even during the hotter months, councils and horticulturalists in Belgium have saved time and money on upkeep. The containers also help save water and are made from recyclable polyethylene, providing a great sustainable solution for the future.

Xavier Duhem, sales manager at Sanac, Amberol’s distributor in Belgium has been selling Amberol products for around 20 years. Xavier explains why the self-watering containers are proving so popular.

“Many cities across Belgium are beginning to catch on to the idea of self-watering planters,” he says. “They realise that not only do they create the very best conditions for growing flowers and edible plants, but they also reduce the need for maintenance and conserve water all at the same time. Our customers have used them to create some truly stunning displays.”

The British made self-watering containers can be found across Belgium including the cities of La Roche in the west, La Louvière in the south east and Koksijde by the North Sea. Regions of the Belgian capital of Brussels, most notably Anderlecht and Uccle, have also been brightened up by displays of ‘modern urban flower integration’.

The self-watering planters have a built-in water reservoir with a series of capillaries to ‘suck up’ the water which is dispersed via an expander pad. Because the water is stored under the soil, it doesn’t evaporate whatever the weather conditions.

Amberol’s managing director Patience-Atkinson-Gregory said: “We work with a lot of councils and businesses across the UK but it is always satisfying to work with partners in different countries and to see Amberol’s influence spread.”

The most popular products in 2017 include Amberol’s cup and saucer hanging baskets and tiered planters. “Our customers like these containers because they are easy to plant and have a large water reservoir, making them really easy to maintain even when the weather is hot and dry as it has been this year,” adds Xavier Duhem.

Sanac’s largest customer in Belgium is Bota-Concept. The company’s mission statement is ‘Together, let’s transform our cities into gardens’. It offers turnkey projects to cities aiming to increase the amount of green space in urban areas. The self-watering tiered fountains and floor standing planters are very popular amongst the company’s city council clients. In fact, the company has planted up around 200 self-watering containers this year, including 150 tiered beehive planters.

Bertrand Pettiaux from Bota-Concept explains: “We plant up the tiered fountains and floor standing planters in our nursery and send them out once they are fully grown. We have had up to 45 degrees in the nursery early this summer and even in these extreme conditions we only watered them once a week.”