Peter van den Bos with a Dutch Lady Selma (in the background young
pot chrysanthemums
Dutch Ladies
Peter van de Bos leads Islandplant together with his brother Martin, it is a company specialized in reproduction of hydrangea. The biggest species are the common types, the livingroom hydrangea. But there is also our own line: The Dutch Ladies. There are 5 types of The Dutch Ladies: Samantha, Sita, Selma, Selina and Sylvia. "The leaf has characteristic dark and jagged edges. Islands has the producing rights in the Benelux. It should be bred outside, the leaf gets the intense red colour, when you leave it inside the greenhouse the leaf stays more greenish."
The greenhouse and the processing area
Poinsettias
Hydrangeas are their biggest industry. They have their own propagation location and two cultivation locations and also a 10 ha field to harden them. Besides this the grower produces large numbers of poinsettias and different types of pot chrysanthemums, potsize 12. This is a striking combination but Van der Bos says it's a good one. "The cultivation of Hydrangeas is a long process, poinsettias a few months and the pot chrysanthemums are ready in 8 weeks. It is a complicated job but now we can use the entire greenhouse."
Greenhouse and the processing area
New construction
One year ago we built around 1,5 ha in Vierpolder, the Netherlands. "It was a large investment but also a saving. We rented a greenhouse in Tinte, the Netherlands, but that one was barely profitable."
The greenhouse and the processing area
Geotermal
Islandplant is one of the companies who joined the geothermal project of Vierpolders. This is a good opportunity to save energy costs. We want to have all the Hydrangeas blossom so we have to turn up the heat during the winter and that is a very high energy expense. Hopefully there will be a change."
Contact:
Islandplant
Peter van den Bos
Achterdijk 32
3237 LA Vierpolders
T: 0181-413692
F: 0181-472616
E: [email protected]
www.islandplant.nl
