For this second FloraPodium Plant edition we have selected a special Medinilla from a real family business. Where a Medinilla used to be seen as "old-fashioned", nursery Atlantis has ensured that everyone would love to have one of these in their living room!

Living in the tree
The Medinilla family consists of more than 200 varieties that grow on the island of Fiji, from Borneo to the Philippines and even Madagascar. The Medinilla magnifica is originally from the Philippines and is found there in the wild. Rob the grower told us that he went there himself to see with his own eyes how his beautiful product grows in the wild. For example, did you know that a wild Medinilla grows in trees? In other words; the Medinilla is an epiphyte. The best-known example of an epiphyte is an orchid, which creates aerial roots and grows around the tree. A Medinilla has a different approach. This plant nestles in the hollows of the branches near the tree and grows roots in the leaves that have fallen into these hollows. It extracts its nutrients from these "rotting" leaves. Because of these natural conditions, a Medinilla, unlike an orchid, can grow outdoors in open soil. 

Own breeding
Nursery Atlantis does the breeding entirely by them selves, and Rob's daughter is very much involved in the breeding process. She started breeding as a "hobby" when she was young and still enjoys doing it. Atlantis nursery preserves many of the wild Medinilla varieties, because the value of these varieties is often not recognized in the wild. They also use these varieties to experiment and create beautiful new crossings, in order to be able to offer an interesting range of Medinillas in the future.

They currently offer three different Medinilla varieties. The Magnifica, this is the traditional Medinilla with its graceful, round and soft pink flowers. The Piccolini, the more compact and stronger Medinilla, which is also perfect for smaller locations. Finally, they produce the Dolce Vita, the more durable and longer-flowering Medinilla. that also blooms beautifully in the winter months. They have produced the last two types from their own breeding.

New varieties
The Medinilla Dolce Vita and the Medinilla Piccolini have been on the market for a few years now. Both varieties are a cross between different Medinilla varieties. The Medinilla Dolce Vita is an improvement, because this variety is stronger and more durable, so that you can enjoy this beautiful Medinilla for longer. In addition, they also have the Medinilla Piccolini; a more compact variety that also lasts longer than the Magnifica, but looks very much alike. The nursery is also working on a white and a red variety, and we’ve already been shown an example of them.

In the spotlight
Rob himself favors the Medinilla "Dolce Vita", mostly because of the shape of the flower. The flower of this Medinilla goes through four different stages of growth. In stage 1 and 2 many people find the flower less beautiful, because it is not that colored yet. But in stage 4 the flower fully opens and really comes into its own. With such beautiful, large buds, every flower heart will beat faster, right? Another perk of this variety is that, compared to the other varieties, it lasts very long. With proper care, this Medinilla Dolce Vita can flower for up to sixteen weeks.

- De pictures are made in the Historical Garden of Aalsmeer, The Netherlands -

While Rob's father was already growing Medinilla’s, Rob initially started growing Bromelia's (Vriesea). Later Rob started growing Medinilla's in addition to the bromelia's, before making the switch in 2009 and only continuing his true passion; the Medinilla cultivation.

From cutting to full-fledged plant
To be able to grow the plants, a cutting of the mother plant is first taken and placed in the soil. This cutting is placed in a warm, moist room to start making roots. If a root tip is visible when the plant is turned over, the plant is placed in a colder room to help it make shoots for the first ‘floor’.

Stages
A Medinilla can be supplied in different stages; this is also indicated by the number of ‘floors’. The more ‘floors’ the plant has, the larger and higher the plant is. A single-story plant with a pot size of fourteen centimeters takes about 35-40 weeks to grow into a fully-fledged plant. The growth process for two-story plants takes around 45 to 50 weeks. So this is almost a whole year in which Rob takes care of the plants with all his love and patience until they are big enough to be sold.

Not an orchid?
The Medinilla is often mistakingly compared to the orchid when it comes to pricing. An orchid however is much smaller and needs less space to grow. This means that fewer Medinillas can be grown per square meter compared to an orchid, another reason for Rob to be a 100% committed to the promotion of this great product.

A true Chef Fleur!
Chef Fleur is nursery Atlantis’ own brand. Chef Fleur offers Medinillas with a constant, uniform and fuller plant structure, because only the buds on the upper leaf area are counted. In addition, all Chef Fleur Medinillas are carefully sorted, so that these Medinillas are free from damage or unevenness in the leaves or the flower. This is much appreciated by most florists, because you then know for sure that you can only expect the best quality. The Chef Fleur plants are also never auctioned, but only sold through exporters who in turn have customers who can appreciate the care and quality requirements.

In addition, the Chef Fleur Medinilla’s from nursery Atlantis are grown organically and are guaranteed free from unwanted insects. These are prevented by the fact that the greenhouse is furnished with insect screens and by the preventive deployment of biological controllers.

FloraPodium, 13 May 2019