In the spotlights
Hydrangeas are extremely popular flowers. They are therefore frequently used by florists and designers. Due to the huge range of shapes, sizes and colors there is a suitable type for every occasion. In the spring to mid-summer the so-called fresh varieties are cut, mid-summer until well into the autumn the beautifully colored classic varieties are marketed. Bob Kouwenhoven, from nursery Pico Bello Hortensia, invite us to take a look behind the scenes at their company and told us all about their varieties!
Pico Bello Hydrangea
Like many other companies in the floriculture sector, Pico Bello is a real family business. Only in this case not from father to son but vice versa; father Paul joined the company of son Richard.
Richard started the company ten years ago. Father Paul already worked in hydrangea cultivation and decided to join his son.
Brothers Bob and Danny actually had very different plans. Bob wanted to become a surgeon, but after not begin drawn twice for med school, he decided to take up another study. He had more time to help out in the company and so his love for the company has grown.
Danny had a job as a hydrangea cultivation advisor, but he also followed in his brothers footsteps. Father Paul can take it a little easier these days, the brothers Richard, Danny and Bob grow high-quality hydrangeas on 10 hectares from the beginning of April to mid-December.
Vienna
Bob gave us an extremely interesting tour of the facilities. Early in the season there was already a considerable palette of colors in the greenhouse. One of the new varieties is the Vienna, a variety that was not only chosen for its beautiful color, but where the added value lies mainly in the classic stage. But the vase life, beautiful spherical shape and thick stems also stood out during the selection.
Bob explains that not all varieties are suitable for early cutting from a heated greenhouse. And he thinks that's really important. Pico Bello stands for quality, Bob wants to start off the season the right away with beautiful, long-lasting flowers.
Vienna has a very good early season vase life, making her available all season long. In the fresh range from April to September, in the (semi)classic stage from October to mid-December.
Vienna is a very versatile variety, can be cut early, she can be blued and in the (semi)classic stage she is really distinctive in her colors. She is a wonderful addition to the Pico Bello range and a fantastic variety to work with for florists and designers.
The cultivation
Hydrangeas are plants that go dormant in the winter. The plant stops growing and drops its leaves. The climate can be influenced by heating in the greenhouse, but hydrangeas are stubborn plants and some varieties are easier to control than others.
Climate
During the tour, Bob explains that they consciously select species that work well together in a certain climate. They can control the climate per greenhouse and adapt it to the wishes of a particular variety.
The brothers want to offer a wide range early in the season. Not all varieties are suitable for cutting when heating the greenhouse. These early varieties are therefore very consciously selected for the right characteristics.
Special bunching machine
Pico Bello has been using a special tailor-made bunching machine for sorting and bunching the hydrangeas for two years now. In the shed we saw a very impressive device that Bob told us all about. After the flowers come out of the greenhouse, they are placed on the belt from the transport containers. Here, the flowers that do not match the variety in terms of color or other properties are separated from the good ones. The machine then takes over the sorting.
The flowers are taken from the belt mechanically and hung on small grippers. The journey continues to a camera system that takes photos from all angles per flower and selects the flower for the correct length, bulb size and other properties that the brothers can indicate themselves. The hydrangeas are then bunched by the machine in five branches and again placed on a conveyor belt with four times five branches, which forwards the bunches to the end of the lane.
Here, an employee casts his eye on quality one last time, before the flowers are put in water and prepared for transport.
Future vision
Pico Bello is innovative and progressive. Significant strides have been made in the company in recent years. New locations were acquired in 2017 and 2019. Significant investments have been made in the custom-made forestry machine and solar panels have been installed at both locations.
Sustainability and the environment are of paramount importance at Pico Bello. The company is MPS-A+ and On The Way To Planet Proof certified. In the coming years, the Kouwenhoven brothers will mainly focus on offering a beautiful, varied range of high-quality hydrangeas and want to ensure that they can respond well to market demand.
FloraPodium, 20 October 2022
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