Planters Horticulture, a specialist in the supply and maintenance of interior landscaping, is eyeing the growing Middle East market and hopes to attain manifold growth in the wake of property sector boom in the region, especially in the UAE.

The company - which has recently celebrated its 25th anniversary and boasts an installation range from smaller individual plants through to comprehensive themed landscapes - is rated among the largest interior landscaping establishments in the region.
Growing from strength to strength, Planter’s UAE operation currently holds 35 to 40 per cent of the local market and has attained a consistent growth of 15 to 20 per cent per annum.
“This growth is attributed to the dramatic rise in the number of commercial enterprises that have been set up in the region during the past few years,” says managing director David McBryde.
“We are expecting to continue growing in the foreseeable future as there are many new developments taking place including the Mall of the Emirates, Dubailand, and the 200 new hotels. With all of these building projects, Dubai has emerged as the forerunner of international design, making interior landscaping a serious multimillion-dollar business,” he points out.
Planters crossed another milestone in its operational history when it recently signed the 1,000th maintenance contract with Le Royal Meridien, Dubai.
“We have come a long way since we first started in 1979. Through hard work and quality service, we have consistently built up the number of maintenance contracts year on year. It is a great achievement to have reached this mark and it has now made us the largest interior landscaping company in the Middle East,” general manager Jonathan Pardoe says.
“Interior landscaping has now become a ‘must have’ in offices, hotels and shopping malls. Positive impressions are created through aesthetically-pleasing features which provide a more comfortable and relaxing environment to live, shop and work in.
“We have an edge over the competition as we not only offers superior services but can draw upon the huge experience that we have garnered over the years working on projects of very size and scale and through executing even the most complex of assignments. The company designs each installation to suit a given location and budget - no matter whether it’s a bank, office, shopping mall, hotel, or a royal palace. Every job has its own challenges and we spare no effort when undertaking an assignment no matter what the size or scale of the project is,” he points out.
Over the years, Planters has accumulated an impressive portfolio of clients and has a long list of projects to its credit that include: the UAE Armed Officers Club; the VIP areas at the Dubai Airshow 2003; most of Dubai’s five-star hotels such as the Royal Mirage, Le Royal Meridien, Le Meridien Mina Seyahi, Hilton Jumeirah and the Dubai Sheraton Hotel and Tower.
Most recently, Planters was contracted by Nakheel to landscape the interior of the recently-completed exclusive Ibn Battuta Shopping Mall.
“It is a great accomplishment to be involved in a project of this scale. The contract covers the supply and installation of preserved palms and replica trees throughout the shopping mall which extends 1.3 km,” Pardoe adds.
Dubbed to be the latest shopping and entertainment destination in the UAE, Ibn Battuta Mall’s interiors depict the travels of the Arab explorer, Ibn Battuta through Spain, Tunisia, Egypt, Persia, India and China. “The complexity of so many interior themes had posed a unique challenge and the landscaping encompasses over 65 preserved and replica plants, all of which have been specially flown in from Europe. Each section includes plants that complement the look and feel for each region as well as adding a natural element to the theme,” Pardoe says.
Another feather in Planters’ cap is the new BurJuman mall extension which certainly is the most ambitious interior landscaping project undertaken in Dubai - if not the entire UAE, according to him.
“This project is the first for a shopping mall in the Emirates, with live trees as tall as 6.5 m planted in the interior of a building. Trees of such height have not been used on this scale here before. BurJuman does not only have the usual potted greens and bushes, it also has a combination of two highly exotic tree species which have been used to offer two different effects,” he adds.
Planters has also taken a leading role in turning the interior of the Sheraton Dubai Creek Hotel and Towers into an exotic, contemporary and stylish environment as part of the recent refurbishment project.
The company was contracted by the Sheraton to execute the interior landscaping in one of the oldest five-star hotels in Dubai. Planters’ brief was to enhance the overall ambience and aesthetic sense of tranquility of the hotel with interior landscaping and entailed removing the existing planting in the lobby and replacing it with more interesting and colourful plants.
Pardoe explains: “In order to accomplish this we imported several types of bromeliad and codiaeum plants from top quality nurseries in Holland, as well as high-quality replica plants from Europe, to replace the displays currently in place.
“Careful planning went into the selection of the plants due to the challenge of the restricted lighting in the lobby, which is always a major consideration when choosing the appropriate plants. Low level planting was also required together with brightly-coloured plants to bring the displays to life.
“The planting arrangement now acts as a focal point that considerably lifts the atmosphere in the lobby and creates a positive impression for visitors.”
Planters have also landscaped the interiors of Emaar’s Marina Fitness Centre – Angsana Spa and Health Club, which consists of a state-of-the-art-gymnasium and exotic spa retreat for both men and women. The company has transformed this fitness centre into an exclusive retreat for gym and spa users – featuring a contemporary minimalistic design incorporating a combination of rocks, gravel and an exotic selection of colourful plants to help reflect the mood of fitness, workouts and energy and enhancing the overall ambience and experience for members.
Recently, the company has been awarded the distribution rights of Viridian for the GCC and Egypt. Viridian, a manufacturer of preserved and replica plants frequently used in interior landscaping projects, will now be readily available through Planters.
During the past two years, Planters has received impressive awards including the Dubai Service Excellence Scheme from the Department of Economic Development and two awards from the British Association for Landscape Interiors for its landscaping projects in the UAE Armed Officers Club, and the JW Marriott, Dubai, Pardoe adds.
“We aim to service the ever-expanding office, hotel and shopping mall market for interior landscaping. We are constantly looking for new innovative designs and concepts and through our own factory are producing the latest designs in contemporary planters which include ceramic, fibreglass and stainless steel to accommodate the trend with interior designers of an uncluttered minimalist look,” he concludes.