The Royal Treatment

Fluwel Specialty Narcissus Beau Beaute

Nice newsletter, but first a general notice: The Fluwel Specialty Narcissus can be ordered until Tuesday July 9th. Our regular trade assortment will be available until Autumn subject to availability, but for our smaller varieties from our own nursery the door will close. I started harvesting and as soon as I have processed a batch, I want to know how many bulbs are sold that I must select and how many can be planted again. Next year you can order them again.Fluwel Specialty Narcissus Volcanic Rim

Okay, that was the serious note, let’s write about ‘The Royal Treatment’. It is always fun when someone visits you to talk about flower bulbs. A nice day out to show them around.Madeleine’s nursery in Chile

This time it was Madeleine from Chile that stood on our doorstep. From Chile? Yes, from Chile. Years ago, it was the Daffodil that introduced us to each other. Madeleine has a tree nursery (mostly avocado trees that she grows from seeds) and other plants that is located a bit under Santiago. Because she had been in love with the Daffodil for years, she thought it would be fun to grow and sell Daffodils as well. In Chile, the Daffodil is very rare. It may be hard for us to believe here, but it truly is an exotic flower over there.  Madeleine searched for Daffodil on her computer and her computer send her to me. I will come and have a look Madeleine, is what I answered. For you Christmas is in the summertime, which is not something that the Daffodil is used to. Of course, I want things to work out when we send Daffodils to the southern hemisphere. And I have always wanted to visit my friend Arie that works there with Lilies. Do you care to join me, Pien? Yes, of course! By the way, Pien has never said no when I ask her to join me on my trips.Pien in Chile

We did some puzzling and we worked out how we could accustom the Daffodil to the fact that Easter now is in Autum, and just like that we sent the bulbs. We only just got back or Pien already got on the plane back to learn Spanish over there. She could even stay at Madeleine’s house. Jacqueline also went there for a week, she missed Pien and wanted to see what was going on. All in all, Madeleine became a good friend of the Veek Family in no time. What happens when you visit the Netherlands then? Exactly, The Royal Treatment. Show as much as possible that fits within her interest and combine the pleasant with the useful. Drinking wine after arrival and discuss business and visit a Tulip nursery in action next morning.Harvesting Hyacinths

I called my friend Rob, he is already retired but of course he had no time for us because he was harvesting bulbs. But Gijs walks around in the warehouse so you can call him or otherwise his brother Teun. Just when we wanted to get in the car, the Harvesting machine of Van Haaster came rattling next to the warehouse, ready to harvest some Hyacinths. We will show that first then, then Madeleine will know how a harvesting machine works.Sorting Tulips

Let’s go to the Company of the Burger Family in ‘t Zand. Madeleine did not know where to look, a real flower bulb factory with many machines and activity. Here are some pictures from the journey of the Tulip through the warehouse of Burger.Jacqueline & Madelaine

On our way home we had to stop at the Freesias that stand at the end (or the beginning if you come from the other side) of the Bosweg to smell their wonderful scent. One Freesia smells nice, a bouquet even better, but this, this will Madeleine never forget. The scent of 5 or 6 acres of Freesias goes right through the bone, what a joy.Zantedeschia Red Symphony

A little further down we turned our wheels to a corner of land that had hundred thousands of Zantedeschia’s. No scent, but color. Not a lot yet, only the firsts had started flowering.Before you know it, the morning is over so we had some food at our restaurant at Land van Fluwel. Luckily, master chef Mirea, who cooks even more delicious meals than our great chef Linda, who cooks even better, stood in the Kitchen today. After loosening our belts and a lovely meal, we could go on with the day. The Waagtoren in AlkmaarBending down for the bridge

Time to go to Jacqueline’s programme: the pleasant, a trip to the city of Alkmaar. I could write a lot about this, but I will spare you the long read. Okay then, the boat trip through the canals was quite nice. 23 times we had to bend down for a bridge, and we saw and heard a lot of the city. It looks different from the water and at the end of the trip you are a professional bridge ducker. But after that… shopping ☹. Catastrophe, hands in my pockets, the corners of my mouth lowered and strolling behind the ladies. Going in and out of shops. Not entirely true. Well yes, but sometimes I enthusiastically said something like ‘ah nice shop’ and I played happy as I got inside because I knew that that would happen anyway. Then just pretend like you are having a good time.Daffodil Amore Mio

Either way, Jaqueline and Madeleine had a lovely time and before we knew it, we were eating Pizza at Amore Mio in Callantsoog. Yes, the Daffodil Amore Mio is named after my favorite pizzeria. Ah I almost forgot to tell you we had coffee and cake at a cute place in the afternoon. Crammed with old junk and an amazing atmosphere. This was the menu.Just a plate with ‘this is what we offer’, just point at anything and I will go get it for you. Far too much food, but it was amazing, so we finished it all.

The next day we went to Arie. Arie goes to Chile every year and visits Madeleine every time, and they are good friends now. He wanted to show her a perennial plants company, a tree nursery company, and his new hobby, the Agapanthus.Of course, we had to look at Arie’s garden first. Looks good 

We went to his neighbor Rotteveel first. Countless pots with perennial plants were being made in countless varieties. You know what, I am going over my word limit. I will show you some pictures now with short texts.

After this we went to Arie his new hobby, the Agapanthus. I am sure I will get back to this another time because Arie is trying his hardest to get some of his Agapanthuses on the Fluwel market. The batches are now too small, and he is not done selecting them, but as soon as they are available, they will be offered on our web shop.Agapanthus seedlings

From Noordwijkerhout we turned the wheels of the car towards Opheusden and put the foot on the gas pedal. An hour of chugging towards the Land of Maas and Waal to visit a tree nursery.

Even the biggest tree starts as a seed or a cutting

And when that seed or cutting gets enough attention and love she gets more and more beautifulThese are all pots with pots that grow rootstocks. The root system of these threes, usually the original wild species, is being used to graft a family member with a more beautiful foliage. What a company.This photo gives a good impression of how big the company Batouwe is. Every employee has their own pruning shearsOn our wat back we decided to visit Arie’s sister Marieke. She works at an enormous company that grows bedding plants for some big garden center organizations.

Kind regards,

Carlos van der Veek