From bulb to flower

Many things must be done before the flower arrives at the point of sale. For the production of our tulip flowers we choose to grow the majority of tulips from bulbs which we grew on our own fields. So we are sure that only the best bulbs are planted in our glasshouses and we can guarantee a constant quality.
The cultivation starts in October when the seed bulbs are being planted in the fields. Due to the clay grounds in the Wieringermeer we plant these small bulbs in special nets, so we can work efficiently when harvesting the bulbs. For this we have special net-planting and net-harvesting machines.

In April the first flowers are in bloom and we go out to the fields to select the tulips. In this way we can eliminate certain viruses or sick bulbs from the batch. The Bloembollenkeuringsdienst samples the flowers in the fields and according to this examination the bulbs are officially classified. After this the flowers are being cut with a special machine so all of the bulbs energy is being put in the growth of the bulb. After cutting the flower with the machine we do the rest by hand, mostly end of April, start of May. Depending on the weather the plants are sprinkled if necessary. In June the first bulbs are harvested. This is done mechanically, the nets are separated from the bulbs, which are being transported from the fields to the barns. In the barn a shaking screen makes sure the soil is separated from the bulbs. Big fans dry the bulbs quickly, to keep the quality as high as possible. When all the bulbs are dry, we are peeling them and store them in temperature controlled store houses.

In August we count and deliver the flower bulbs which are sold. The bulbs we grow in our own greenhouses start their temperature treatment in the store houses, to prepare them for growing in the greenhouses. To start this preparation we make a scheme in which we calculate the nursery period for each party. In September we start planting the bulbs in boxes, which ends in December. We grow all of our tulips on soil, to guarantee high quality standards. The planted bulbs are stored in cold stores, where we forge the winter. After these cooling period the bulbs enter the green houses as from December. Depending on the time of the year the bulbs needs around three weeks to grow from bulb to flower. In this way we can deliver tulips from Christmas until Easter.

When the flower is ready, it is picked, bunched and made ready for sales. Our flowers are sold on different auctions in the Netherlands (FloraHolland in Aalsmeer, Rijnsburg, Naaldwijk, Vleuten and Blijswijk). Besides this we also export directly to different destinations in Europe.