Garden and Landscaping Middle East to feature environmentally friendly gardening products and trends

Changing trends in the gardening and landscaping industry are being seen across the region and will be reflected in Garden and Landscaping Middle East 2010, the international trade exhibition for the gardening, landscaping and outdoor living industries.

Introduced plants and foliage in gardens, such as the quick-growing Eucalyp-tus, tend to be extremely draining on water resources and need a far greater use of fertilizers to encourage their growth. There is an increasing swing to-wards the use of native vegetation that has evolved over time to local condi-tions, in order to conserve resources and preserve the environment.

"Awareness is increasing about the harmful effects that some introduced spe-cies of vegetation can have on the Middle East's extremely sensitive envi-ronment," said Mr Wilbert Heijmans, Group Exhibitions Director at Epoc Messe Frankfurt, organiser of Garden and Landscaping Middle East.

"While many non-native species may look good and take root extremely quickly, they are often resource heavy. Increased use of local or regional, drought-resistant plants are now becoming more and more common here," he added.

New lawns require only a loose fraction of an inch of a fine-textured mulch to allow the grass to push its way through. Organic mulches decay towards the bottom where they meet moist soil. This benefits the soil through the release of nutrients and materials that help make the soil surface crumbly and recep-tive to moisture. The mulch also helps by insulating the soil against extreme temperature changes and rapid drying.

The combined use of native plants and mulches can lead to considerable sav-ings in water use, a growing concern in the arid surrounds of the Middle East region.

Garden and Landscaping Middle East 2010, which will be held at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre from October 31st to November 2nd, will bring together leading manufacturers, suppliers, distributors and professionals in the gardening and landscaping fields under one roof. This year the event will feature the latest trends, innovations and products that are currently the rage in the industry worldwide and will provide local profession-als an opportunity to adapt these to the particular needs of the region.

On display at the exhibition will be products ranging from garden machinery, tools, furniture, water features, pond accessories and fertilsers, right through to swimming pools, landscaping tools, architectural landscaping and irrigation systems.