Back in Time
Peter grew up in the countryside and had various jobs to help the arable farmers and bulb growers in the area with their crops and cultivation. "My first job was with a farmer in the fields, I would throw the potatoes back to ensure they were spared and not run over by the tractor."
After tossing potatoes, Peter could be found almost daily in the fields in the following years. "Peeling bulbs, topping tulips, I did it all with great pleasure."
As the oldest of the family with three younger brothers, Peter does not come from a farming family. His father was a bricklayer. However, the agricultural area where the family lived was reason enough to ensure that the brothers attended the horticultural school in Aalsmeer.
However, Peter is the only one of the three boys who actually became a grower. "I was 15 and had to choose a follow-up education. At that time, I had a colleague who worked with flowers. I helped him occasionally and I thought 'this is pretty funny.'
We were able to rent a piece of land from our boss and the following year we started with our 'own little corner.' This was the beginning of the business." During the last months of his studies in Aalsmeer, Peter started sowing the very first flowers.
"When I finished school, I still worked for a boss but, when I had completed my hours, I went happily to my own piece of land." He worked on his own flower bulbs until late in the evening. And he gradually expanded this.
Another Ball Started Rolling...
He bought a few cuttings, and they got started. "We didn't earn anything from it at the time, it was purely to learn a lot. And that worked. We grew from it."
Thriving Business
In Lisse, at that time, people first worked at the flower auction until twelve o'clock and then they bought somewhere around one hundred thousand cuttings which they would plant in the afternoon as a hobby. They asked for a low price for this because there was already an income. Due to this development, the growers in that period could make little profit.
Due to the hobbyist growers, there was a change in prices, which meant the next generation no longer saw it as profitable. Unfortunately, this business slowly faded into the background.
Unique Varieties
Nevertheless, Peter's company did not suffer. Although the early years were challenging, there remained an increasing demand from customers. "We bought new varieties ourselves and sold them again. We also started crossing varieties ourselves."
At the moment, Peter has 120 different varieties. Eighty of these are unique. By being able to offer these unique varieties, they can satisfy an even larger target audience. "Tastes differ, with the different varieties we meet everyone's wishes and everyone can enjoy these beautiful flowers.
Another development that has led to the reduction in the number of flower bulb growers is automation. Less than twenty years ago, harvesting was still done by hand. A machine would shake the dahlias loose so they could be easily cut.
Peter's company started mechanizing at a certain point. First, a cart was purchased to make planting cuttings easier by making holes in the ground beforehand. This sped up the process significantly. In addition to automating the cutting process, the company also opted for mechanization for harvesting.
It was a costly investment, but necessary to meet the demands of scaling up. Smaller players in the market couldn't make these investments and were forced to close their businesses.
Peter proudly continues to talk about his company. "To really get to know our company, you have to come by three times a year," he says. He explains to us that they start in the spring with the cutting of cuttings. A cutting is a severed plant that you put in the ground to grow a new plant from. They do this in March, April, and early May.
These cuttings develop roots and need to be planted. This happens in May and June. After this initial period, summer arrives. This period is the best time to come and visit. All varieties are in bloom, making it a colorful spectacle. "From purple to pink, from yellow to orange, it's a true sea of flowers."
After the summer, in October and November, they dig up the tubers. During this third period of the year, Peter's company looks completely different. "With various machines, the people in Peter's company are busy counting and sorting the tubers. It's different every time." When asked if this is what makes it so enjoyable, Peter nods in agreement.
Grateful Dahlias
Although dahlias grow in any type of soil, it's important that the soil is nutritious and not too dry. If the soil is too clayey, it's necessary to mix in some sand. Give the dahlia a nice spot where there is plenty of sunlight and create a colorful collection of flowers in and around the house.
"What most people don't know is that there are thousands of different types of dahlias. These are all unique groups." Decorative dahlias stand out due to their many different leaf colors and shapes. The cutting varieties are popular because they do well in vases.
For example, there are also collar dahlias, pompom dahlias, single-flowered dahlias, and cactus dahlias. In total, there are about fourteen groups of dahlias. And what Peter finds beautiful about dahlias is that they bloom all summer long.
"Tulips, for example, only bloom for two weeks, dahlias bloom much longer. You see the first flower come up in early June, it's now October and they're still blooming."
The Best of the Best
When these have finished blooming, they produce seed pods. In the fall, Peter's wife inspects all the varieties and selects the very best ones. They then remove the seed pods and place them in the soil of a special greenhouse. They plant them at a certain point, and then they follow the process daily.
This way, Peter continues to meet the demand of his customers. And people want something unique, whether it's in the garden or in a vase.
There is one particular variety. "It has a diameter of over 25 centimeters," he continues enthusiastically, "this flower was really a resounding success."
During an open day organized by Peter together with a number of growers, it was indeed evident that this dahlia was a crowd-puller. Visitors came from everywhere, including Japan. "There was even a Japanese man who was bowing to this large flower, he found it so beautiful!
He wanted to take a photo so you could see how big and exceptional this flower was, so to make it clear, I put my glasses on it."
Top Quality
In the summer, they select each variety so that they have high-quality bulbs from which the cuttings are taken. These bulbs must be completely perfect. After the bulbs are harvested and stored in the shed, Peter has a portion of them tested in a laboratory. This is organized by the BKD. They test for diseases and viruses.
If there are bulbs with viruses, they are removed. This way, they keep the healthy batches healthy. This is an annual process. Because testing is done on a large scale by various growers, consumers can enjoy the most beautiful varieties for longer.
In addition to being checked by the BKD, the dahlia grower also knows well about diseases and pests. Because they are in the fields every day, regardless of the weather conditions, they know everything about dahlias.
For Peter, it is sometimes difficult to have to make decisions about disease control based on advice from authorities who have less expertise. "On our nursery, we want to use as few pesticides as possible, but completely without them just isn't possible."
We wondered if Peter also interacts with customers during the open days. Peter tells us that at the moment there are about fifty customers. In contrast to a few years ago, when there were around three hundred.
So, just like the number of growers has decreased, the number of exporters has also dropped. Occasionally, exporters from abroad came with their customers. They do have contact with them, but not with the end users.
The Market is Constantly Moving
"I remember twenty years ago we had a certain variety, we grew 600,000 dahlias of that type. We sold them by truckload. Now we do about 50,000. We see which varieties sell out and which ones sell less." They try to respond to this by scaling down some varieties.
It can also happen that some varieties become too large or are susceptible to diseases, in which case they remove them. The market is constantly in motion.
Climate Change
In the past, it could rain all day and then there would be twenty millimeters in the evening. Now, we've had over 85 millimeters of rain in three days. This amount would normally fall in a month." So even if you have the best soil, with so much water, it's useless, and it's important that the water can drain away as quickly as possible.
Drainage is now being used extensively, partly due to the change in our climate.
Drainage is the removal of water from the soil over and through the ground. This way, the water level is lowered. The water is discharged in the so-called drains.
In the past, of course, they worked with lighter machinery, and they used horse-drawn wagons. At some point, tractors came into use, more driving occurred, and the soil structure deteriorated. If it rained, water would accumulate. That's when drainage began.
Peter gives us an example; "Along the dunes, they lay a line of drainage every ten, twelve meters. This drains into the ditch, and that's how the water is carried away. A few years ago, they installed drainage throughout the land that I rent there, otherwise we can't cultivate anymore. So, it's quite serious at the moment."
And how do you see the future of the company? Will the children take over? They are all still involved in the business but they have no intentions of taking over the company. "And if they don't have the passion for it, it won't work. If you don't have passion for this work, you won't last."
Exploring the Flower Fields by Bike
Because of Peter's passion for dahlias and growing them, he, along with other bulb growers, ensures that people can enjoy a small piece of nature in their garden or on their balcony. "We bring nature closer to people and bring color into their lives."
Flowers Bring Happiness
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