Visit to The Dutch Flower Auctions January 2012

Ruby, Jason & I headed off to Holland last weekend for some serious flower indulgence,  being immersed  in acres of fresh flowers is the very best way to dispel those January blues.

First stop was the fantastical flower markets in Aalsmeer

Beautiful Pin Cushion Scabious

 Royal Blue Lupins

 Ruby amongst the flowers

  Floral Firecracker Hamamelis Mollis

 Spectacularly vibrant Ranunculas

Helleborus Orientalis

 Jonquils Soleil D'or, I just wish you could smell their sweet a delicious scent

 Gerberas and Germini's in hundreds of shades

 Ribbons in every shade

 We trekked around all of the very best florist and event suppliers in the world, we've bought some truly fabulous new candelabras, lanterns, crystal ware and all sorts of table design goodies!!!

 We had just enough time to take a look at some of the exquisite pot plants on offer....

 Seriously colourful cacti

 Masses of stunning Orchids in a plethora of shades

 

Spring really is just around the corner

 Camelia

 Carnivorous Plants Nepenthes

The fruits of our Dutch labours will be available to view at our open week 30th March until Good Friday appointments are now being taken email jane@flowerdesign.co.uk, we will have lots of fresh table designs, wedding bouquets, boutonnieres and corsages for our Brides and Grooms to handle and view.

Aad The Cymbidium Orchid Grower, To Know Him is to Love Him!

Aad is an aquired taste, a little like Cymbidium Orchids, as it happens I thought he was brilliant, a real character, he's one of those people much like my own late father who truly believes that the world revolves around flowers, actually in Aad's case the world revolves around the Cymbidium Orchid!
This nursery is on a ginormous scale with Orchids in various stages of developement
Aad does actually speak English though not to us of course, so he showed us rather like a mime artist how the stems are hooked up to wires above to ensure they grow straight.


When they are picked they are hung upside down to prevent them from being crushed




Hans aka "Mr Cool" from Metz was our translator I suspect he chose his words carefully as Aad didn't seem to be in good humour or perhaps he's just not keen on people in his greenhouses with the Orchids.





You can see here the lines connecting to new buds pulling them upwards




I love this green orchid she looks so proud




The orchids are all sleeved and boxed very carefully by hand before being transported to Metz for distribution to the florist on the same day.

You see I thought Aad didn't like me but I must have been wrong, he gave me a gift you see a miniature Orchid box complete with a pen so I can write him love letters......