"Sometimes there are plants that make the breeder think, 'Ah, voilà,' and shrug their shoulders, while every grower, exporter, and visitor walks straight towards them saying, 'This is what we want,'" says Stéphane Lemoine of Morel Flowers. That is precisely why the Morel Trials take place every year. "This is how we see what the market wants, and how the market sees what we have to offer."
© Mirthe Walpot | FloralDaily.com
Erik Forschelen, Technical Advisor, and Stéphane Lemoine, Area Manager Northern Europe at Morel Flowers
Botanical Cyclamen and Helleborus
Since the acquisition of Kwekerij Koen from Monster last year, the assortment of Morel Flowers has expanded with botanical cyclamen and helleborus. For the breeders, that means a new challenge — developing genetics for helleborus. "Fortunately, we still have the help and knowledge of Aad Koen," Stéphane adds.
A major advantage of the botanical cyclamen in the Koumy® and Lify® series is that they are hardy, flower from October to March, and return every year. Once planted, they will bloom again annually, making these series particularly suitable for gardening & landscaping.
Macaron
The genetics of the minis were previously known on the market as Smartiz®, but the new genetics have now been introduced under the name Macaron®. "Not to be confused with Macron," Stéphane laughs. "What's special about Macaron is that within a week, all colors in the series are in bloom. At the grower level we see a great performance in uniformity which makes our clients confident in producing this new range."
© Mirthe Walpot | FloralDaily.com
More novelties and details can also be found in our photo report.
New varieties
At Plantenkwekerij P. Mostert in 's-Gravenzande, Stéphane shows us the latest innovations in the greenhouse. One of them is the Bisous® series — the first to flower for the English, German, and Dutch markets. From sowing to flowering takes about 22 to 24 weeks. He also shows the Petit Moulin® series and explains: "This series is already known, but it now carries a certificate guaranteeing 100 days of flowering. That's interesting for consumers and truly makes a difference."
The Dutch trials can still be visited in weeks 44 and 45.
Fréjus
Morel started more than 100 years ago in Southern France. The Morel brothers wanted to test how heat-tolerant cyclamen were and traveled to Fréjus (Mediterranean climate) in order to continue their breeding work there. "Morel genetics are still known today for showing the best heat resistance on many markets," Stéphane adds.
The Breeding Trials take place in Fréjus, France, from weeks 45 to 47 — a great opportunity to see the differences between growing in cold and warm environments.
More novelties and details can also be found in our photo report.
