"Welcome to the largest Hedera nursery in the western hemisphere," laughs Middelkoop as we walk into the glasshouse. "We can walk all the way through, but you can also take it from me: we cultivate here different tropical plants, but by far the largest area of the glasshouse, approximately 12 hectares, is completely reserved for the cultivation of Hederas.”
Pieter Middelkoop in the processing area of Hedera Plant, this is where the Garden Fair, jointly organised by him, will start this month.
Hedera Plant is affiliated to Vireõ plant sales, the umbrella name for 15 nurseries. In all these nurseries, different plants are cultivated and the tropical plants in the range come from Hedera Plant. Besides Hederas, there are also more than 10 other tropical plants cultivated, such as Sansevierias, Yuccas en Dracaenas. "In relation to those, a few years ago we had a large surplus, but because the supply was simply too big, the market collapsed. Now it's starting to take off again, but in the meantime we have diversified our range. In this way, we can offer our customers a broader total package."
Pyramids
What immediately stands out are the ‘pyramids’ (see photo and video). “You have growers who simply put the plants on tables, but then you don't get any beautiful, hanging composition, which is how these plants are meant to be. The pyramids are positioned north to south so that both sides of the pyramid gets an equal amount of light. The disadvantage is of course that everything has to be done by hand. Look," continues Middelkoop as he picks up a plant, "there is no way you can pick this up with a machine. Or in any event, not without damaging the plant. Who knows if that will ever change, but for the time being we are still waiting for a solution."
The pyramids with Hedera plants on them
What is also apparent is that there are also plants hanging from the ceiling. "Those are all the mother plants. We never buy seeds or cuttings, we do all that ourselves. And why are they hanging? Simple: Because that's the cheapest use of space.
The 'mother plants' on the ceiling
Behind the scenes in the glasshouse
The other plants are imported by the business predominantly from Asia and Central America. These come firstly into a closed space, where they are inspected to make sure there are no 'strange things' which have come with them such as snakes or tropical insects. Then they are moved into the glasshouse. It varies between plants how long they need to stay there: some are moved on almost straight away, others need more time.
For more information:
Vireõ plant sales
Pieter Middelkoop
Hoofdweg 13
1424 PC De Kwakel
T: +31 297 820 200
E: vireo@vireo.nl
www.vireoplantsales.com