Last year, it was too dark and too cold in the run-up to Mother's Day, but all the signs were great this year. Mirjan Dictus of Dictus Flowers was able to cut the first peonies the weekend before Mother's Day. So, just in time for this holiday, which is an important one for the Dutch company: many of the flowers are sold via the home flower machine.
Quality
"I am not just saying this because they are our flowers, but this year they are really beautiful," says Mirjan. "The weather has been constant for the past few weeks, so growth has been good. The buds are strong and beautiful, and there is hardly any damage. We don't have such great conditions every year."
Peonies, sunflowers, and thistles have been grown at the company in Zundert, Brabant, for a few years now, an addition to the family's tree nursery. Cultivation is not only on the rise in Brabant: peony plantings are growing all over the Netherlands. "It is a true seasonal product and a very popular flower, so that does not surprise me. Here too, in the weeks before we can cut the peonies, we are often asked when they will be available again."
Local sales
Local sales are important for Dictus Flowers. Especially at the start of the season, all production is sold via their own vending machine and to local florists and farm shops, as individual stems and as mixed bouquets. This year, for the first time, orders can also be placed online and then collected. "The price at the auction is a lot higher at the beginning of the season than further on, but we think it is important to serve our local customers first. We have a lot of traffic from the neighborhood: from Rijsbergen, but people also come from Belgium and Breda for the peonies."
Early cultivation
To mark Mother's Day and the start of the season, the company has a special stall with gift items. "Precisely because the peony is such a seasonal product and a beloved flower, Mother's Day is an important day for us," says Mirjan. Last year, they narrowly missed it. They are now considering bringing forward the cultivation using a tunnel. "The past few years, we have invested a lot in order to get the hang of growing peonies. It is a stubborn flower: if you do not harvest it at the right time, it will not bloom. Precisely because we serve many local customers, we want to be sure they will bloom. We also give a guarantee on that: no bloom, is money back. Expanding the nursery with a tunnel also means a new way of growing, so we did not do that immediately. Now the market and our company are more ready for it."
The season lasts until the end of June. Later in the year, the company switches to growing sunflowers and thistles.
For more information:
Dictus Flowers 
Ostaayensebaan 2b
4881 JD Zundert
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www.dictusflowers.nl