Old Men
Dear Customer,
Last week, I told you all about the new generation slowly starting to take over from us old men. With Karel busy at home, I thought I could give myself an hour to go visit BolleNoord. BolleNoord is a space where all kinds of flower bul band flower bulb adjacent things happen. There are storage units for iternational buyers who are coming to The Netherlands later to collect their bulbs, there are office spaces for smaller companies, and there is a canteen, where every Wednesday afternoon, after lunch, a few of our profession’s veterans come together to solve every major problem in the world, drink coffee, and say to each other how everything was better in the past.
I know about this informal club because I like to visit BolleNoord, especially during thr winter months. But it had been a while since I had gone, and I called my friend Siem to confirm if the Wednesday afternoon gathering still took place. It did, nothing has changed, it seems, and I made my way over. I love being surrounded by people who are as passionate as I am about not only the flower bulbs itself, but about our entire industry. I like listening to all the stories that are exchanged around the table. Some of these guys have really been around for a while, so they never run out of stories to tell. Everyone has such an optimistic and happy approach to life that you always leave with a smile on your face.
Allium Giganteum
All these men are still actively enjoying life, even though some of them have given their life’s work to their sons and daughters by now. They are also staying on top of the news (and gossip) of flower bulb world, so after about an hour or so, you know all about the harvest in almost every part of the province. And that was information I was quite curious about: What do the bulbs look like this year? Near the coast, where I live, the weather has been beautiful. The harvest hasn’t been outstanding, but it has been good. You might remember that last year wasn’t great at all, and we were left with bulbs to plant that were not as strong as we had hoped. This meant that an outstanding harvest was more or less impossible, and it does make us very happy that all the bulbs we’ve gotten out of the ground so far are all looking good. Nature always tends to correct itself like that if you give her the time.
Anemone Blanda Blue Shades
A little bit further away, the weather was a little bit less predictable. It was to be expected with how dry this year has been so far—the downside of the beautiful weather we have been enjoying. We went ten weeks without rain and with some north-eastern winds, which was not ideal fort he bulbs. So no outstanding harvest there either. But it wasn’t bad. The bulbs have brought in good money in the presales, and there are no large excesses of varieties that can really make the price go down.
As I’m writing this in my greenhouse, this bee is busy with my pumpkins.
We now also have this planting tool in our web shop this year. I will try it out and tell you more about this piece of equipment next week.
What else is there to tell? I am low on ispiration this week. That might have been the reason I went to BolleNoord in the first place: I hoped to hear some juicy news that I could share with you all. But alas, most of the things said in BolleNoord should stay in BolleNoord. That’s the first rule.
Daffodil Carlton
Maybe now that I’m old enough for it, I could go be a real member of the BolleNoord Wednesday afternoon club. Especially with Karel doing more and more, he makes my life a lot easier.
This past winter, Karel and I went to a lecture held by Nico Dijkshorn in the theather in Schagen. Nico Dijkshoorn is a writer and performer here in the Netherlands. He is great with language, written texts as well as just talking in front of an audience. He combines his sense of humor with sharp observations and I often laugh out loud during his shows. If you’re ever in The Netherlands, now you know of one of our minor celebrities.
Whenever I’m writing newsletters like these, I have to confess to you that I’m not even consciously thinking about what it is I’m writing. That’s why a performance from Nico Dijkshorn is what you get to read about: It’s just what I did this week.
Ipheion Alberto Castillo ‘Ouwe Wijfjes’
Oh, and: Some of those old ladies are in the Miss Nixmix :)
Let’s get back tot he bulbs for a bit. Did you know that this variety’s name, Ouwe Wijfjes, literally means ‘Old Ladies’? I have no idea where the Ipheion got this nickname, but it is pretty funny. I suppose Ipheion isn’t exactly an easy word. The bulb on the other hand is amazing. Plant her in a spot where she gets at least half a day of sunlight. That’s how you can enjoy these flowers the most. They can come back year after year, these old ladies are indestructible.
Time to go back outside again!
Kind regards,
Carlos van der Veek
Carlos van der Veek
