Flower Bulb Happiness

Whenever flower bulb growers enter a relatively calm season, they start to think of things to do when they get out of bed in the morning. We don’t do well without something to do during the day, so around this time of year, we often organise flower shows throughout the area. Lots and lots of varieties, new and old, that are grown by the local growers are kept apart and made to be in bloom around the end of February. Then, all flower bulb growers get together, figure out the best place to put them all, and then invite their friends and business acquaintances. Around the end of February, Flower Bulbs are shown throughout the area. 

But first, a meeting has to be held. At what time should we start, are we using Tuesday to set it all up, and then Wednesday as the first day for the public? Something else? Not really, who takes care of the cookies and the coffee? And after, are we all going for Chinese food? That is always the most important part, though not everyone would admit it. And when we’re all home, excited about the social part of the whole ordeal, and we forgot to ask how much space everyone thinks they need. But that’s what our chat group is for, so it takes minutes to solve, and then it’s also written down right away–win-win. Sometimes, the ladies want a table of their own at some of the locations. Naturally, this is always by far the prettiest table–these flower bulb farmers might know the best blooms, but to really make them shine, they need a little bit of help, and a feminine touch.

Tuesday morning, we arranged the flower bulbs, Wednesday morning, the doors opened for the public, and what do you know: there they were, colleague-growers, flower bulb traders, family and friends: everyone comes by to give their compliments, pick their favourites, and to ask which ones will be available, in what numbers, and how we expect those numbers to develop over the next few years. But basically, we spend three days chatting about flower bulbs, our favourite hobby (read: obsession), so above all, we just have a really wonderful time.The Fluwel exhibition

You had probably already guessed that this is not something we want to miss out on. Together with seven other growers in my area, we were given our space in the warehouse of our colleagues Vink (www.vinkholland.nl if you’re curious). It’s a relatively small effort, setting up a show like this, and the fact that all attendees get to see each other’s work is always nice. In my own warehouse, I have about 100 pots to go to the exhibition. Showing so much of your collection is a great indicator of where the interest of the buyers lies this year. There are years in which they gravitate to the varieties I expected, and there are years in which I am completely taken by surprise. Not that the shows are coming to an end, my own greenhouse is still overflowing with Daffodils. Last week, I told you I had hundreds of seedlings, and that I had to judge every single one of them to decide if I wanted to continue growing them or not. Whenever I choose Daffodils that are promising, I need to register them with the RHS in London, and give them their formal name. It sounds complicated, but it isn’t really: it’s mostly just a lot of work. Above, you see a registration form for new varieties. It asks for all kinds of identifying information for your new variety. In addition to a written description, there also need to be photographs attached to the document: one front view picture, and one of the flower’s side profile. Espresso in a flower pot: This isn’t something to rush, because the identifying information I told you about includes precise measurements of different parts of the new variety. The diameter of the flowerThe length of the cup and the length of the petal. I really make sure to do this as neatly as possible, as this information can be extremely important in the future, or when other people are trying to identify flowers of which they don’t know the name. 

I had one really pleasant surprise in my seedlings this year. There are very few Daffodils that have diameters over 12 centimeters. Daffodil enthusiasts know that there is an exception. That exception can, in the right circumstances, reach a diameter of 15 centimeters: The Godfather. Soon, this beautiful variety will be added to our Special Narcissus collection. But this new seedling, now referred to as F 2350, really caught me off guard. For the measurement of the diameter I use this caliper. It doesn’t work for this one: it only goes up to fifteen centimeters. So I had to use a ruler instead… 16,5 centimeters. Absolutely insane, this Daffodil might just be the largest Daffodil in the world, and she looks kind of cute, too. This is that variety in a flower pot in my greenhouse. There are about five of those enormous ones, with some smaller ones growing alongside them. That is usually good news, too: smaller extra flowers mean that there are already baby bulbs grown by the mother bulb, and being able to multiply is an important quality of a Daffodil you might want to sell in the future. 

As I am writing this, it is March 1, the day our father, Karel van der Veek, passed away 22 years ago. I will bring this pot to his and my mother’s grave this afternoon. I like to think that seeing the long-lasting, far-reaching results of all of their work hybridizing Daffodils makes them happy, wherever they are right now. But it’s time to go back outside, the sun is shining and I have some more things to do with my Daffodils today. I’ll see you next week. 

Kind regards, 

Carlos van der Veek 

And, before I forget: Spring is almost knocking on the door, and it is a good time to look at which Dahlias you might want to plant in your garden this year. Last week, I told you about preparing Dahlias in a flower pot before transferring them to the garden, and that got us some questions from readers. Next week, I’ll make a step-by-step guide telling you how to do this. There is no need to be afraid, if you follow the guidelines, I am sure you will be able to get results. Dahlia Feline Yvonne