Growing daffodils on North Sea shells

Perfectly located in the renowned flower bulb region in the west of The Netherlands, W.F. Leenen runs a successful family business in Narcissus. The 2 brothers, Dirk and Jaco, translated their knowledge that was passed on by their predecessors into the 21st century. Jaco: “We grow our flowers on North Sea shells, it’s an incredible, sustainable method of cultivation.”

North Sea shells
Jaco explains: “The flowers are completely clean since they’re grown on shells and therefore do not need to be rinsed. They’re also grown at a lower temperature, which is in line with our sustainable policy.” The happy white and yellow flowers with their bright green stems are available year round through W.F. Leenen thanks to a part of their production, which is done in Australia. This gives the Preferred Supplier a 6 months head start with the tazetta varieties: the spray narcissi Grand Soleil d’Or, Paperwhite and Avalanche.

Tip: T-bag
The greatest strength of the grower is their wide product range and the frequent supply of new products. One of their other benefits is the T-bag: a custom designed flower food sachet. Jaco: “This nutrient is exclusively developed for W.F. Leenen, which enables you to mix narcissus with other cut flowers!”

One for the birds
The flowers are also conveniently used in handtieds. The T-bags are supplied with the buckets or attached to the individual bunches. Jaco: “Keep in mind however, that once the florist or consumer has cut the stems of the narcissi, they will require another treatment using the T-bag.”

FleuraMetz buyer Wilco van Termeij: “Those mixed bunches were my idea. At first, everyone thought it was for the birds but now they’re flying off the shelves.” Jaco smiles: “Yes, we make a good team!” All jokes aside, they both agree on one thing. Wilco: “It’s these kind of innovations and the pleasant personal contact between us, which makes this such a successful partnership.” Jaco nods: “Our relationship is very no-nonsense.”

Protection
W.F. Leenen supplies his bunches in perforated plastic wrapping. “It protects the flowers and prevents them from damaging. We always supply our narcissus properly ripened, which has a positive effect on the colour of the flowers as opposed to when they are cut tight.” Jaco points out that this technique only applies to the exclusive varieties. Being a Preferred Supplier gives him transparency. “We test our novelties through FleuraMetz as they are able to give us feedback from end users: florists. This information is not available to us when we sell through auction but is highly important for the course of our business.”

For more information:
FleuraMetz
www.fleurametz.com