In the spotlights
In the Netherlands it is almost Mother's Day and most mothers just love flowers! To celebrate the beautiful spring days and to inspire florists with a wonderful product from our own mother nature, we would like to put a product in the spotlight that won the Dutch Tulip Awards in 2018. To admire this product and find out more about it, we visited Montana Lisianthus.
Eustoma or Lisianthus?
Eustoma and lisianthus are both used as the name for this beautiful product, but what is the correct botanical name? In 1806 the ‘Eustoma’ varieties were described for the first time. The plant was further published in 1838 under the name Lisianthus Russellianus. Today, the name Eustoma Russellianum Grandiflorum is the correct botanical name for this flower. But Lisianthus is still the most common species name. That is why we refer to it in this article as Lisianthus.
Origin
The Lisianthus is originally from North America where it grows in river beds and in prairie areas. In nature she first only appeared in blue, but later pink and white mutations were found and with that the breeding process started. The flower is related to the gentian and is therefore also called prairie gentian. Today it is a very versatile product and it comes in many colors and shapes; from green to dark purple and with single or double flowers.
Choose in Japan
Grower Frank regularly goes to Japan to look for beautiful new varieties that are bred by different breeders. In Japan, breeding was done earlier than in the Netherlands and other countries. Japanese breeding companies also continue to invest much more in the breeding process than other companies. This way they keep the lead in this area. A few years ago Frank had spotted the beautiful purple Botanic variety in Japan. Then it was still difficult to get in touch with the breeder of the product, because everything is of course in Japanese. In addition, it is always a challenge to grow the product in the same way as in Japan. Due to the different growing conditions, some varieties can be grown in Japan, but not in the Netherlands. It is quite possible for either the shape, color or even both to turn out completely different.
Botanical
The botanical and bohemian style is hip! Back to the Hippies and the 70s! Green, green and even more green! Everything must look as green and natural as possible. The Lisianthus ´Botanic Pink´ fits perfectly in this picture. Not a Lisianthus with full large full flowers and thick stems, but a somewhat wild full branch, abundantly flowering with many fine single flowers and spiky stems. As if you just picked them from your own backyard. Ideal to use in floral hair wreaths or in loosely tied wedding bouquets, garlands or flower arches! And as soon as Frank stared growing this product it created a buzz and they won the Dutch Tulip Award one year later. We totally understand why. It is really a different kind of Lisianthus with a completely different look and feel!
The cultivation
Montana Lisianthus started using an additional greenhouse last year, which has greatly increased their cultivation area. Because of this they have been able to expand their assortment from 10 varieties to 27. In the nursery they regularly test new varieties. Here, among other things, growth, plant characteristics and vase life are tested.
Customer feedback
Frank really values feedback from his customers. He sees himself as a connector between the breeder and his customers. After 27 years of experience, he knows what the wishes of the florists and in the rest of the chain are. If he sees potential in a product, he sends a number of bunches to customers asking if they want to give feedback. He then links these experiences back to the breeders.
Testing new types
After all these years, Frank has built a relationship of trust with a number of breeders, so that his opinions and ideas count and often new varieties are tested at his company. It can take a much as three years before there is enough seed of a new variety to enable producing serious numbers. Sometimes a new variety is still in the early stages, and a full harvest is not yet possible, but Frank may decide to market the variety anyway. He then hopes for a good price that can compensate for the lesser numbers of stems.
Another old classic
Takii, a Japanese breeding company for the Lisianthus, christened the Corelli Delft Blue at last year's IPM. A large filled beautiful Lisianthus in the colors blue purple with white. Very special! Every bunch is different, because the color drawing in the different flowers are all different. This is what makes the species so special! Like it's painted by hand, just like the famous porcelain pottery. This is certainly a product that is worth having in your store!
FloraPodium, 2 May 2019
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