"NL: "Peony season was hard work"

"The prices were satisfactory, but it was hard work to deliver good quality." With these words, peony grower Jack Brooijmans summarizes the past season. At the Gebr. Brooijmans nursery in Steenbergen, the Netherlands, six varieties are cultivated, both in plastic tunnels and in open field cultivation.

Limited price pressure

"Spring got off to a late start, but thanks to high temperatures at the end of April and the beginning of May, that soon was caught up. The harvest from the Dutch tunnels at the beginning of May coincided with the supply from abroad. That caused some pressure on the prices, but because the peak coincided with Mother's Day, it was not so bad," Jack says.

After Mother's Day, the hours of sunshine increased and the temperatures also rose during the night. The covered cultivation smoothly proceeded into open field cultivation. Then it got really busy. "You want to cut the peonies at the right maturity. Normally you do your round through the field once a day, now we could do that three times. It went very fast."

Jack cultivates six varieties: Festiva Maxima, Monsieur Jules Elie, Mother Choice, Sarah Bernard, Duchesse de Nemours and Henry Bockstoce. "The soft pink Sarah Bernhard is about the most popular," says Jack. "But also the white Duchesse de Nemours is popular because of the pleasant smell. It does very well at weddings."

The popular Sarah Bernard

Pampering

The busy times are over, but there is certainly no time to idle at the peony nursery in Brabant. "The rest of the year we do our very best to pamper the plants as much as possible," Jack tells us. "We clear the fields of weeds and give the plants sufficient nutrients. Especially now that the weather is warm, we ensure that the plants get enough water. All so that the plants put all the energy into the roots. We hope that next year they can produce top quality peonies again."

For more information:

Kwekerij Gebr. Brooijmans