December 11th Reading The Lilies are back online! 6 minutes Next There will be no newsletter this week

The Lilies are back online!

Lilium Roselily Anouska

As of today, the Lilies have returned to the Fluwel webshop, and I would like to use this opportunity to invite you to have a look at our new assortment!

This year, we are launching other summer-blooming flower bulbs like Dahlias, Zantedeschias, Eucomis, and other related flowers at the same time as the Lilies, so there is lots more to see if you look at our website. We are, however, not yet shipping any of the summer-blooming varieties except for the Lilies, which will be sent right after you order them. Lilies don’t like to spend a lot of time above ground, so if the temperature allows it, it is best to plant them as soon as possible. The other flowers I told you about will be sent after March 1, as these all have different preferences when it comes to storing them before it is time to plant them, and they are better off in our warehouse’s-controlled environment than in a corner of your garage.



Lilium Viva la Vida

But don’t worry: you only have to pay for shipping once, even if we send the bulbs at separate moments.

Dahlia Lou Farman

In the Lily-category, I would like to point your attention to four new T.A. Lilies in our shop: Volvic, Fuenta, Bazin, and Bataleon. T.A. stands for Trumpet x Asian, and they are a result of a combination of the old-fashioned, strong, indestructible Trumpet Lilies and the beautifully shaped, brightly coloured Asian Lilies. They have the looks of the Asian Lilies, but they are a lot sturdier and stronger. The flowers themselves are also larger than we are used to when it comes to Asian Lilies. I feel like this is a promising new development for garden Lilies, so I recommend trying them out for yourself.

Then, Dahlias… I am afraid I have to apologise: we have let it get way out of hand. There are now 119 varieties available. I can’t really defend myself, either: I just really like them all! The best thing about an assortment like this is that there is always something that fits in with your aesthetic, and I firmly believe there is a Dahlia match out there for everyone. I do want to warn you that Dahlias are not the easiest bulbs to plant in a pot. Of course, you can try to grow anything as a potted plant, I attended a fair in Essen, Germany this week and they even had olive- and palm trees in pots, but it is not always as easy. If you want a potted Dahlia, please realise that they need more care. The Dahlia will need rich soil and lots of water, they won’t work if you simply plant them and then abandon them for all of August when you go on holiday. Then they will most certainly have given up once you get back home. But, if you have no plans to leave them, you can give it a good shot.



Begonia Picotee White Pink

Begonias always deserve a little time in the spotlights. This assortment has gotten slightly smaller this year, as it turned out that not all Ameri-Hybrid varieties were fit to be grown on a large scale. The growers changed their assortment a little bit, so that they could keep the best varieties in good shape. These were obviously the same varieties that also did best in your homes, so I’m sure the ones that did not make the cut won’t be missed. I am even more confident than I was before in the richness of the varieties in this year’s selection!



Nerine Pearls of Cherry

I could go on about Nerines, Zantedeschias, or something you’ve maybe not heard of before, but I have to save something for next week, I’m afraid. I also have another practical announcement. It seems there were a lot of customers who had a hard time logging in to their account this past week. It worked out, usually, but they had to sign in again with a new password, and believe me, I know from personal experience that if there’s anything annoying in this digital world, it’s remembering the different passwords for every account that exists somewhere. Unfortunately, as we have a new website, it is not allowed to just copy all passwords to that new site, as that would breach privacy law, so if you have been asked to change it, this will be the only time, and after that you’ll be able to use your account as usual.



Dahlia Bacardi

I’m going to wrap it up for now, there is lots of text to be written for all of our new Dahlia varieties. Fun if I have inspiration, but a horrible job if you’re having a bit of a writer’s block. I’ve started at the B, with Dahlia Bacardi. When I went to the fair in Essen with my son Karel I could spend the drive writing the first texts now that he has his driver’s license. I asked him what he thought of Bacardi. “Gross”, came the answer—talking about the drink, I presume. Bacardi the Dahlia is from Cuba. She’s been around for about 150 years and really embodies the warmth of the Cuban lifestyle. A perfect flower to bring a summer vibe to your garden.

I’ll see you next week!

Kind regards,

Carlos van der Veek

PS. If you are having a look at our webshop, don’t forget the Amaryllises! There is still time to get yourself one for the remainder of the winter months!



Amaryllis Velvet Nymph, one of the showstoppers in my own home at the moment.