Garden Media Group and Royal Anthos renew strategic alliance to elevate U.S. bulb sales

Garden Media Group and Royal Anthos — a Dutch trade organization that represents the trade companies in flower bulbs and nursery stock products worldwide — have solidified their ongoing partnership by entering into a three-year strategic alliance to to expand the use and sales of European bulbs in the U.S. market.

The partnership, in place since 2017, aims to educate consumers about flower bulb gardening while promoting American-grown cut flowers like tulips and lilies grown from European bulbs. 

The campaign, "Flower Bulbs from Europe Make the United States Bloom," presents opportunities for retailers to capitalize on the growing demand for flower bulbs in the U.S. By leveraging the educational campaign, expanding product offerings and engaging with consumers, retailers can enhance their bulb sales and strengthen their position in the market.

The program is backed by a €1.9 million budget, with a European Union grant that Royal Anthos secured funding 80% and Royal Anthos contributing the remaining 20%. This is the second grant Royal Anthos has secured from the EU for this purpose.

The 2023 National Gardening Survey reported an increase in bulb sales of 36% from 2021 to 2022. The U.S. is the largest flower bulb importer in the world and the largest importer of European flower bulbs.

"We have seen a marked increase in sales since our first EU promotion," says Royal Anthos Director Mark-Jan Terwindt.

"Drawing on our 35 years of strong connections with a wide array of premier influencers, reputable gardening platforms and distinguished garden editors across the country, we aim to surpass the impressive reach of our previous EU campaign," says Garden Media President Katie Dubow. "Our strategy attracts a larger audience to flower bulb gardening as a hobby, significantly boosting retailers' ability to sell their bulbs."

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Leading Garden Media's team is Peggy Anne Montgomery, a horticulturist and previous long-time resident of the Netherlands.

"I'm thrilled to continue my work with Royal Anthos. My dream job is sharing my love of flower bulbs and knowing home gardeners will be successful growing them. I'm so proud to represent this amazing group of European bulb growers and exporters," Montgomery says.

Visit flowerbulb.eu (a promotional agency for the flower bulb sector) and flowerbulbs.com for updates or anthos.org for more information.