Amaryllis Overview

Christmas bulbs flowers 

Amaryllis is a perfect winter house plant with big lily-like flowers that can come in many colors, from salmon to deep red. Every year spring garden Keukenhof in the Netherlands invites visitors to “Amaryllis parade” to admire thousands of amaryllises of all existing kinds and shapes. One amaryllis plant usually has from 2 to 7 blossoms, each of them is up to 6 inches. Flowers grow from massive 18-20 inches stems with leaves that are 16-20 inches long.There are many hybrids of amaryllis, that differ in a number of blossoms, size, and color. Among the most famous are pink “Candy Floss”, tiny red “Rapido”, salmon “Faro” and many others.

How to Care of Fresh Cut Amaryllis

Amaryllis is sold in three general types: as plants or bulbs, ready to bloom or fresh cut. Blooming plants are usually purchased as a gift. The most rewarding thing about such present is that amaryllis is a perennial flower and with the right care it can bloom over again the next year. The amaryllis season starts in November when the plant is grown enough to start blooming. The demand increases significantly closer to Christmas, as amaryllis is considered to be a Christmas flower together with Poinsettia. Fresh cut Amaryllis flowers are also quite popular among the consumers.

There are a few tips on how to choose and take care of cut amaryllis to keep it fresh up to two weeks:  

1. Flowers must be in a bud form;  
2. Stems must be re-cut before being put in clean room-temperature water;  
3. The best way to cut stem is at an angle to let it soak more water;  
4. After a few days, the plant will blossom. 

How to Grow Amaryllis - Christmas Bulbs Flowers

Those, who don’t like to watch decaying flowers, can buy an amaryllis plant, or a bulb. It takes about 7-10 weeks to grow a blossoming showy plant. So, buy a Christmas bulbs flowers in advance to have amaryllis flowers at Christmas. There are a few general rules on how to keep and grow amaryllis from bulbs.  

Before and right after exportation from the grower, bulbs must be rinsed and dried. Store the dried bulbs at about 13°C, as warmer environments can make the sprouting process faster. If that happens, bulbs must be transported in a non-potted, slightly wetted ground. The bulb needs some space to grow, so the pot should be about 2 inches wider and have a drainage hole. When planting more than two bulbs, leave a distance of about one foot between them. At least 1/3 of the bulb must show up from the soil. Amaryllis needs well drained mulched soil. When planted, amaryllis is to be watered thoroughly and put into a warm place. Liquid fertilizer can be used only after a few buds appear. If to move a pot into a cooler place right after blossoms begin to open, the plant will bloom for a longer time, but not more than ten days. 

Keukenhof

The world famous park of flowers 

The world famous park of flowers Keukenhof is located in a small city Lisse, in the Netherlands. It is one of the biggest flower parks in the world. Tulips predominate in the park. Every year about 7 million bulbs of more than 800 species are planted here. Besides tulips, it has huge exhibitions of amaryllises, chrysanthemums, and other flowers.

When is the best time to visit Keukenhof Gardens

The park is open for visitors only 2 months per year, usually from the end of March until the end of May when tulips bloom. The exact date changes every year, as blooming time depends on the weather, but no matter what, every year the alleys of the park are crowded with tourists. Each year about one million people from all parts of the planet come to see blooming flowers. In 2016 amount of visitors reached 1.1 million people.

Keukenhof for Floriculture Business

Keukenhof is not only an attractive touristic spot but also an important business hub for the floricultural sector (flower growers, exporters, importers, wholesalers). Even though it is impossible to buy or order flowers here, the park opening period is the biggest showcase for floricultural companies to promote their production. From year to year, the park conducts about 20 flowers shows that engage over 100 companies and 500 growers, who present their cut flowers and growing plants. It is one of the best places to network, make new business contacts and show a company’s live catalog to thousands of potential customers and business partners. Besides offering a space for promotion, Keukenhof encourages business friendly environment by organizing regular trade events for the growers.

Yarrow

Achillea Millefolium

Growing Yarrow Plants

Grass, meadows, even roadsides and rocky gardens are all good for this herb. An extremely hardy perennial plant can grow almost everywhere. It easily spreads in poor soil and under the direct sunlight, has a very low need in fertilizing and watering. The best soil for yarrow growth is sandy, mulched and well-drained ground. The plant has strong roots that penetrate deeply into the ground and it is difficult to take them out. The best season to plant yarrow is spring. After the first frost plants must be cut out to an inch or two stems. As a perennial plant, yarrow can grow in the same place for a few years. Each year the soil must be mulched, especially in the hot climate, and plants must be thinned when growing in the same place for three years. Otherwise, yarrow can expand to the nearby areas and turn into fast spread weed, which is extremely hard to get rid of, as plants multiply their seeds very fast.
Yarrow is a native flower to the USA, most of the European countries and Asia with the flowering period from June to September. It is usually collected in August, during the pick of its blossom period.

Using Yarrow Flowers

Fresh yarrow is often used in rustic style bouquets and floral compositions. Yarrow flowers can be accompanied by roses, lavender, sunflowers, eucalyptus leaf and ornamental grasses. Florists often use dried yarrow, as it is easily preserved and even dried herbs have the spicy scent of fresh flowers. Another yarrow benefit is its medical power. Since the ancient times, its leaves have been the cure for many minor medical issues, because of its strong antiseptic features. Besides floral and decoration industry, yarrow oil and powder are widely used in the pharmaceutical industry.

TOP flower exporting countries

FLOWER EXPORT COMPANIES

A tradition to present flowers exists probably in every corner of our planet. People used to present flowers on first dates, birthdays, weddings, anniversaries. No matter whether the event is sad or happy, it usually comes along with colorful bouquets. It roots so deeply in people's habits that usually, we don't think where these flowers come from. In fact, most of the flowers stored in bulks and shops were grown in Holland, Italy, Colombia, Ecuador or other popular floral spots. During the last century flower's growing and export has turned into a whole industry.

The start of the floricultural industry

The question is where it all started. There are a few theories about the start of the floricultural industry. The most famous theory states that it all began in The Netherlands in the 17th century. It seems logical from the modern perspective as Holland is known for its flowers. Yet another theory claims that Holland's role is overvalued and the whole thing started to roll out in the United Kingdom, somewhere in the late 19th century. During that time flowers became a popular gift to present and a trendy décor element. Growers quickly understood the growing popularity of their products, the floricultural industry began to develop in really big steps. It became possible to purchase flowers all over the year, not only during its blooming period. That's where the flowers export start from. Today more than millions of flowers are exported every week from abroad.

Largest Players in Flower Exports

Flowers come to the stores from all over the world, but Holland has remained the main world's floricultural hub for the last decades. It's not only because of greenhouses that are spread among the country but also because it has developed as the biggest logistic hub for floricultural products. Holland is not the only flowers' exporter in the world. Countries like Colombia, Ecuador, Kenya, and Ethiopia have grown their export significantly and keep following this path. Because of closeness to the equator, favorable climate conditions, and low labor cost, it turns to be cheaper to grow flowers there and export them to the destination spot. These countries started with exporting flowers since mid 90's and have increased the export amount with big numbers every year. Other export countries need to compete with these low-cost flowers or differentiate themselves to keep the industry alive. Every year new farms are opened in Colombia, Ecuador, Kenya, and Ethiopia by growers and export companies from foreign countries. By doing this, these companies can grow their own flowers under favorable conditions and export them directly to their clients, so they can compete with the local upcoming flower exporters. Other important flower export companies are Belgium, Malaysia, Italy, Germany, and Israel.

Flower days

Flowers are exported in huge amounts every day. But there are some special Big Dates in the calendar when export companies need to overtime to make sure that consumers all around the world will be able to buy tulips, roses, chrysanthemums, gerberas or other beautiful flowers. Some of the most important days for flower exporters are Valentine's Day, Mother's Day and Women's Day. In the run-up to these days, people buy flowers for their beloved ones.

Dutch Flower Auctions

FloraHolland - the biggest flower auction in the world

As most of you already know, Holland is by far the most famous country in the world if we talk about cut flowers and plants, but also bulbs. More than 60% of the complete world trade in flowers and plants takes place through flower auctions in Holland. So it is not strange that FloraHolland, established more than 100 years ago, is the biggest flower auction in the world.

In total around 650 flower and plant wholesale and exporter companies are located in Holland, mainly located at FloraHolland. The flowers will be exported all across the world. For Holland, the biggest export country is Germany, followed by the United Kingdom, Italy, France, Belgium and Russia. But the flowers will also reach the Baltic states, the United Arab Emirates, USA, China and a lot more. Popular flowers in Holland are roses and tulips. Mainly in Noord-Holland there are many tulip growers and that’s why it is also one of the national symbols. More than 80% of the flowers are being exported to other countries. The total amount of export was €5.2 billion in 2013. Wholesale and export companies buy their flowers and plants using the auction system called the clock. Invented in the 17th century to sell bulbs and became incredibly popular, but is starting to become very infamous these days. Growers from all over the country sell their flowers at the FloraHolland auction clocks. The price of flowers or plants at the clock is set high and the clock starts ticking down from 100. The price falls down when the clock is ticking. The person who makes the first bid gets the cart. When you buy the flowers too fast, you will probably overpay. But when you wait too long, you will go home empty handed without flowers and your boss will not be happy. So at the auction clocks, timing is everything. You can either leave the flower auction with beautiful flowers for a way too high price, just a good price or a very good, actually low price.

A lot of companies also buy their flowers and plants straight from the grower without using FloraHolland, to make better price agreements, to arrange special packaging types and save costs. The biggest flower auction in the world has faced some tough years because of the economic and financial crisis, just like the growers, exporters, importers and wholesalers. There is a lot of international competition and some foreign companies, who used to buy flowers from Dutch flower export companies (mainly located at FloraHolland auctions), started buying their flowers straight from growers in developing countries like Kenya, Ethiopia, Colombia and Ecuador to save money. This is a serious threat for the Dutch floral industry and also for FloraHolland and already led to a lot of bankruptcies to Dutch flower exporters and growers. With their new mission FloraHolland aims to help her members with better margins and make sure there will be more people who buy more flowers and plants in 2020.

  For more information, please visit www.flowercompanies.com

How can I find new customers in the floriculture industry?

Introduction to Floriculture Industry

The floriculture industry has faced tough times since 2009. Before 2009 there was a strong growth in the global floriculture industry, especially in the export. Cut flowers are the main products in the global trade and living plants are mainly regionally sold products. Also, cut foliage and flower bulbs are the counterpart of floriculture. Since 2009 the economic and financial crisis has also reached companies in the floriculture industry. Their international competition has increased, and the production and export from countries like Colombia,Ecuador, Ethiopia and Kenya became more significant because of good production conditions and lower costs. Experts say that the international competition will only grow bigger. Because of the increasing competition, a lot of companies are looking for new customers. In this blog, you will read about the different possibilities to search for new customers and things to pay attention to. 

The global export of floriculture products was more than $20 billion in 2013. Holland has by far been world’s biggest hub for the industry for years. However, recently the total share of floral export decreased from 58% in 2003 to 52% in 2013. Unfortunately, a lot of growers, exporters, and wholesale companies have lost the competition against the economic and financial crisis. A lot of other companies have to work hard to gain enough business to survive. Foreign customers buy their flowers in other (mostly South-American or African) countries for lower costs or buy their flowers directly from the grower instead of import companies to reduce costs. Some big supermarkets do the same, they contact the growers and import flowers straight from the source. The economy is changing and so is the floriculture industry.

New customers

Some companies stick with the same customers for years, others are constantly looking for new ones, to keep (or grow) their business. Very often new clients will contact flower export or wholesale companies directly to buy flowers. Also, salespeople search for potential customers and do their best to get enough business for the company they work for. Joining or visiting fairs and events is also important to meet new clients. This way you can show them a part of your products and promote your company. When you are a visitor, you can see the products of different companies and compare them.

Should I do business?

When you have found a potential client, or he has found you, what will be the next step? What do you know about these potential clients? Should you do business because they claim to be one of the biggest companies in their country? And of course, they can’t pay all orders in advance so they need a credit limit for this which means you should be able to trust your customers. A lot of companies do not know what to do and just send the flowers, because they need revenue and they want new clients. Unfortunately not every client has good intentions and in some cases, they can’t pay all debts, or don’t even pay at all. The number of bad debtors in this industry is enormous. There are a lot of criminal activities, especially in East- and South-European countries.

When you haven’t done business with a new client before, it is important to check a few things first. We advise you to do a background check for every company you do or want to do business with. You can use different websites, for example for the floriculture industry you can use Agro-Check.nl.   

 For more information, please visit www.flowercompanies.com