Looking back on the past nursery year
Saturday, 1 November was our last day of sales. Despite the rain and wind, it was still quite busy. It was nice that so many people took the time to enjoy the last chrysanthemums and autumn asters. Many wishes for the coming year were exchanged. In short, it was another enjoyable day.
It was a decidedly erratic year with quite a few extremes. We couldn't remember ever having such a dry spring. There was still quite a lot of moisture in the soil, so the plants were surprisingly unaffected during the first few months. But when the temperature suddenly rose to 35 degrees at the end of June, it was suddenly all over here on the dry sandy soil. Everything was wilting, and some newly potted plants simply burned up. Fortunately, July brought relief with finally enough rain, although we had to contend with severe drought again later in August. We will have to get used to it, but for us growers, it is not getting any easier. We can already hear you saying, "Then grow drought- and heat-resistant plants!" That's what we do! But plants also need to be cultivated. Seed pots must be kept moist. Transplanted plants are given extra shade cloth. Cuttings in the greenhouse must be kept in good condition. Young plants in particular require extra attention.
Strangely enough, extreme weather, especially the heat, does not bother our visitors. They simply come in large numbers, even when it is scorching hot, and calmly buy a batch of plants. On the one hand, we think that's fine, of course, but on the other hand, we are finding it increasingly difficult to cope with. At the end of June, when summer is yet to begin and the nursery is filling up with young, newly potted plants, it is simply not a good time to plant! We are considering introducing a summer break. And that has everything to do with the warming climate. Perhaps we should just do it and say in mid-June: "Stop, if you want to plant something, you'd better wait until mid or even late August!" Of course, we are used to being able to do anything we want, whenever we want, but let's be realistic and just go with nature and do what works best. The above is just a thought, but it comes up more strongly every year. We will keep you informed!
Meanwhile, now at the beginning of November, we are busy moving all the plants onto the beds and filling the polytunnel with the more delicate varieties so that everything will survive the winter well. Propagation is in full swing: taking the last cuttings, dividing plants, cleaning seeds, sowing frost-germinating seeds, taking root cuttings and much more.
We enjoy working here in peace and quiet for a few months, and we really appreciate it. But every year in March, we start to get restless. We long for a bit more liveliness and conviviality at the nursery. And that's what you bring! We look forward to that too. Before we know it, the time will have come and we'll see each other again in the spring at the nursery.
We wish you a pleasant winter season and look forward to welcoming you back from Thursday 19 March 2026.
Miranda, Hans, Gijsbert, Gerrit and Jeroen
