Marginpar has partnerships with various breeders. Big, small, national, and international: they have them all. Recently, breeder Jan Star has joined them, and they are very happy with that.
Jan Star of BD FLowers is a breeder of Sanguisorba. He breeds his variety Red Dream himself in the Netherlands, which is currently available several months a year. Through the cooperation with Marginpar, this variety will soon be available year-round from their flower fields in Ethiopia and Kenya.
Moving forward
Two years ago, Jan came into contact with Marginpar; a familiar name to him, from his past as a quality inspector at a flower wholesaler. Jan: "Marginpar was already well-known for the quality of its flowers." However, he was a little skeptical in the beginning; it is still your 'baby' that you hand over to another company. Won't someone else continue to breed with it? Jan: "I first asked around, and I heard good stories from other affiliated breeders. At Marginpar, agreements and contracts remain intact. That provides trust. So, I took a leap of faith and went to talk to them." Marginpar is still happy about that. After that first conversation, Sanguisorba entered Marginpar in a spurt. The Research & Development team keeps in close contact with Jan during those two years. First, extensive testing takes place: at which location, in which climate, does the Sanguisorba feel most at home? Jan: "I had hoped that the Sanguisorba would do well in Africa, but of course it remains a trial and error process. Both parties soon saw potential and started planting more plant material."
Airy
What makes a Sanguisorba a good Sanguisorba? Jan: "Quality is priority number one. That is also something that Marginpar feels strongly about. You also look at distinctiveness, uniformity, sturdiness, color, shelf life, disease resistance, and, in connection with branching, workability. You do not want the branches to all 'stick' together. The special thing about the stately Sanguisorba Red Dream is, in addition to the above points, that this variety is very airy, as Jan himself enthusiastically describes it. The lateral spikes seek out space and have long stems."
Special discoveries
Jan's enthusiasm seeps through in everything he says. Jan: "I started Sanguisorba as a hobby after I left the family business in 2012. By 2017, the hobby had grown to such an extent that I started working full-time for myself. I am always looking for something special. If I'm walking in the fields to harvest, and I see something unusual, I'll drop my knife and go get a marker string. With those special finds, you can breed further." Tthat is paying off: the long stems of Sanguisorba Red Dream also caught the eye at Royal FloraHolland, and it now is one of the Glass Tulip Award finalists for 2022.
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