In Wezep, the Netherlands, there are thousands, if not millions of small conifers in the nursery of Edens Plants & Creations. This company is a third-generation family business that was established in 1972 by Henk Hoekert. He was mainly interested in heather plants and outdoor plants. In 1998, he started breeding and this resulted in a Calluna business. Currently, the nursery focuses on conifers.
Jan Marijnis and Christiaan Rietberg
Cooperation
"Here, you'll find a lot of product innovation, but also a product nursery for which I'm responsible," Christiaan Rietberg explains. "My brother Henrik is responsible for breeding. In addition, Jan Marijnis from Royal FloraHolland has been supporting us in sales for about eight years. He has good connections at the auction, and he knows the ins and outs of our company. Together with Bert, he brings our products to as many customers as possible at the auction, including large retailers, wholesalers, and small-scale garden centers. Since the 1980s, we have been involved in the auction, we were one of the first pot growers to do so. Today Henrik and I are the owners of the company, and since last week our youngest brother, Jesse, is also employed in the nursery." Jan says: "We also offer planting material to growers, who can then repot it into larger pots. We only offer licensed varieties over which we have control. Ultimately, we decide together which grower suits us, and who gets to grow the varieties."
Conifers
Transformation
If the name Edens Plants & Creations doesn't sound familiar, maybe the name tree nursery Hoekert rings a bell. For more than 40 years, it was a household name in the world of callunas and tree nurseries. "We have always had a good name, and we still have something great to build on," says Christiaan. Since 2021, the company bears the name Edens Plants & Creations. Jan Marijnis says that breeding did play a part in changing the assortment in recent years: "We hope that within a few years, the garden will be full of all our own varieties." Christiaan agrees: "This is the switch that we, the third generation, made. From 2019 onwards we implemented our vision, and in the last few years we really changed the assortment." Over the course of time, a lot has also happened when it comes to automation; they use sorting lines, and since January, also a cutting robot.
Christiaan and Jolanda, she deals with the breeding of Hebe
Breeding
"The Calluna 'Beauty Ladies' is an immensely popular variety which has been developed here," Christiaan explains. "We own the license of this heather plant, but production mainly takes place in the Niederrhein, Germany. It is amazing that it has become such a strong product thanks to breeding and good growers." Heather is an autumn product for all of Europe. Moreover, Christiaan and his team take efforts to get it outside Europe. "But it doesn't work on every continent," Christiaan continues. "We look at opportunities for breeding and selling in other places around the world." Besides breeding Calluna, they also propagate Hebe, Erica, and conifers to introduce new mutants and varieties. "Besides our nursery, Calluna 'Beauty Ladies' is mainly grown at other growers', they catch the growth of the market through expansion."
Christiaan Rietberg of Edens Plants & Creations
Conifers
"Our business outlook may seem broad, but we really make conscious choices at the nursery. For instance, at our nursery, we want to focus 100% on conifers. In recent years, we worked on new varieties, we have high expectations for them, we want to show that. That is why we have planned our in-house fair. During this event, we will especially promote the varieties that we have discovered ourselves. Growers can walk around and see the products. In this way, they have a clearer idea of the varieties than when they see them on photos," says Christiaan. Some 8 hectares of the nursery are cultivated, and 2 hectares are in the greenhouse. "This is the current situation, but depending on how the future demand for conifers this may be expanded," Christiaan says. Jan adds: "It's the type and shape that make these conifers distinctive, and so far the market is responding very well. They even end up at big retailers, they specifically ask for our species. This varies from Intratuin to Aldi or Lidl, which is a very big customer. They easily purchase half a million plants."
In the greenhouse
Christmas peak
"The question is what else can emerge. Conifers are mainly known from the Christmas season, but we want to change that. They can also be an excellent option in spring or autumn, on a patio or a terrace. Take for instance the Skyblue conifer, which can also be used as an indoor plant," Christiaan continues, "Yet, the peak is around Christmas, from September to mid-December, after that the garden is empty, so to speak. With the new varieties, we would like to create more trade towards spring. We also want to put more emphasis on conifers as planting greens rather than Christmas greens."
Christiaan shows the special pots with protective coating against moss
Environmentally conscious
"At the moment, it's also really important to be environmentally conscious," he says. Jan laughs: "We have all possible certificates, and we are testing all kinds of things to see how the conifers react." The growth of moss is quite a problem at the nursery. Christiaan: "The pots that our conifers are planted in have a protective layer that covers the soil. Of course, this is environmentally friendly. In the end, it's always a balance, because you just want your plant to perform well for a long time, while you don't want to use means that are not environmentally friendly." Jan concludes, "They are forerunners, if there are novelties on the market, they will be the first to test and try it here."
19 and 20 August 2024, the in-house fair will take place at Edens Plants & Creations. Here all the novelties can be viewed.
For more information:
Edens Plants & Creations 
Christiaan Rietberg
[email protected]
www.edens-plants.com
Jan Marijnis
[email protected]
www.royalfloraholland.com