News

RED MAKES WAY FOR PINK
I had promised Vlad and Pauliina that, somewhere between Valentine’s- and International Women’s Day, I would take them with me to a Tulip grower to show them what happens to most Tulips in this wo...

The First Rule of Beet Club
Before I start talking about bulbs again, it is time for a little trip down memory lane. It’s a bit of a long forgotten fact about me, but at one point in my life, I was the World Champion Beet Gr...

Overdose
I happily continue puttering around in my greenhouse, life truly is difficult sometimes. I take my time to photograph the last Amaryllises, the ones that came into bloom later than average. Usually...

Fun
‘You really have fun when you’re working, don’t you?’ Someone asked me the other day when I had enthusiastically told her about my puttering around in my Amaryllis greenhouse. It made me think abou...

Blue Monday
Tomorrow is the day: Blue Monday. I heard something about its history once, no idea if it’s true, but it sounds believable: a travel agency asked a psychologist which day of the year would be the ...

When the sun shines
I don’t know about your corner of the world, but in our idyllic village, Burgervlotbrug, we haven’t seen the sun in weeks, maybe even months. Our coastal town has been grey and dark, the rough wave...

But first, it became Winter…
But before I will start trying to sell you all kinds of bulbs and tubers with beautiful prose and my best photographs, I would like to wish you a very happy 2025. Just as I was thinking about how...

The Top Tig Thousand
Do you know what I like? That readers react when I ask something in my news blog. What I don't like at all is that I don't take the time to answer all those sweet reactions. Stupid, huh? I read al...

No news is good news
There is little happening in the Belkmerweg at the moment. Spring-blooming flower bulbs are comfortably tucked into their straw beds, and in the warehouses of Lily growers, seasonal workers are sl...

The Potted Amaryllis
We all know by now that Amaryllis is in high demand during the Christmas season, at least here in Europe. It is popular not only as a cut flower or as a dry and ready to plant bulb, but also as a ...

The First Pancake Is Always A Bit Wonky
I have to smile to myself when I think back to visiting Amaryllis grower Ben van Geest with Vlad. The Amaryllis was very popular, so we went over to Ben’s place to strengthen our supplies a little...

The Ferrari is fast this year
Amaryllises are largely grown to send out their bulbs in order to brighten living rooms all over the world during the dark winter days. This is something most people know. What most people don’t k...

They Are In
Before you know it, they are in. What do I mean by that? Well, the two flower beds you’re looking at here are our Daffodil cradles, from our Daffodil Nursery. You’re probably thinking: I’m just loo...

The Perfect Christmas Gift
It is me again, Vlad, the person at Fluwel who is simply madly in love with Amaryllis (Hippeastrum). I know, I know, I sound like a broken machine by now, but hey, I can never say no to the wonder...

The Best Time To Plant Peonies Is Two Years Ago
But fear not: The second best time to plant them is now. It’s a bit of a lukewarm joke, I think I got it from one of those tiles you sometimes see with random pieces of wisdom: “Free Beer Tom...

…It’s Time To Plant Flower Bulbs
An example. If you live in Kuopio, on the North side of the Finnish Lakeland (now that is a place that I would like to visit), then the leaves start falling from the trees months earlier than the ...

Now I’m Really Sure
As I am writing this, I’m about halfway through my yearly visit to the UK. It’s a big roadtrip: Sunderland, Harrogate, Manchester, Bristol, Cornwall, Wales, Ireland and Northern Ireland–and then b...

The Biggest Amaryllis Collection Ever!
It is finally that time of the year that we can open the much-anticipated Amaryllis (Hippeastrum) season: next Friday, on October 18th 2024! So please mark your calendars, because this time ar...