The greenhouse

Last week I promised to tell you about the greenhouse behind the house, but first this:

These are the roots of a Narcissus that worm their way out through the holes at the bottom of a pot. The pot stood on a wet shelf of a pallet where it was nice and moist. Fantastic to see what an enormous amount of hair roots grow on the roots. If you pull a root out of the ground you can never see this, they break off and remain in the ground or are invisibly pressed flat against the root. I quickly took a photo of them before they dried up and shriveled, so I can show them in the newsletter. How beautiful nature is.

But what is also beautiful is the greenhouse behind the house. It has been there for over a year now and I am having so much fun with it, I should have done it much sooner. The greenhouse is divided into 4 different areas so that different temperatures can be maintained.

At the moment only 1 room is heated, that of the Amaryllises . All the types that we carry in the Fluwel webshop and samples of possible new types for next year, are potted there. An ideal way to get to know the types, to describe them and of course to take pictures of them. Also types that we offer year in year out are planted there because it is also a check on quality and authenticity of type.

This week I 'caught in' the first Daffodils, the first flowers of which I hope to see in about 4 weeks. When the Amaryllis have finished blooming, the greenhouse will be completely filled with Daffodils for a few months. You may wonder how I do it, get the Daffodils to bloom in February and March, but that is real magic. It is very simple; you grab spring by the scruff of the neck and tear it forward a few months. Do it when Mother Nature is not paying attention, otherwise she will put a stop to it.
No, seriously, at the beginning of October I put the bulbs that I want to plant on the pots in the front of the greenhouse in a cold room at 9 degrees. At the end of January they have had about 4 months of cooling and if you put a Narcissus a bit warmer then it thinks that winter is over, spring has started and it starts to bloom.

This was the greenhouse last year at the end of February, hundreds of pots of Daffodils with all different types. Most types are seedlings and do not have a name yet. The loyal readers probably already know, but my big hobby is breeding Daffodils . And to get to know all the different seedlings better, it is good to force them to flower in the greenhouse. You have all the time to look at them well, compare them and judge whether they are good enough to continue with.

Velvet Daffodil seedling 'Let's Kiss'

Of course, that is also possible outside on the land, but you can still be unlucky enough that a day of wind force eight with a shower of water makes judging quite difficult, the flowers are blown to pieces. While the most important thing about breeding is that you throw away seedlings that are not good, if you don't do that you will drown in them. On my land there are now more than 1200 different daffodils by name or number. This, while I had firmly resolved never to plant more than 1000... that is where my hobby gets out of hand for me too.

Velvet Narcissus seedling 06-279

Also this coming spring hundreds of new seedlings will bloom in the fields, the most beautiful of which will again be given a number, so more batches will be added. It is therefore inevitable that a lot will be thrown away again this year, preferably more than 200.
So we will do our best to achieve this in the greenhouse over the coming months.

Lilium Avalon Sunset

Next week I will plant the Lilies from our web in pots, I will put some of them in the greenhouse at the end of March. A pot of all types will also remain outside, it is also important to know how they do under normal garden conditions. But in the greenhouse it is especially easier to take a good photo.

The same with the Begonias , part in the greenhouse and part as in the photo here outdoors.

Daffodil bulbocodium 'Delicate Design'

I'm excited, spring has already arrived in the greenhouse. The first flowers are shining.

Enjoy!

But one of the nicest things about the greenhouse, I almost forgot, is that we have flowers to give away all winter long.
In the winter, we rarely have anyone drive off the path or without a pot or bunch of flowers in the car or in the bike bag. Even if you have to go somewhere, it is always nice to come in if you bring a beautiful bunch of Daffodils. Also a nice tip for you if you go somewhere, pick a flower from your garden, even if it is only 1. The smile you get when giving sets the tone for the rest of the visit. Nice, sweet and cozy.

Kind regards,

Carlos van der Veek