In the spotlights
“A sweet treat that brings happiness to everyone. A refined and delicate, but also accessible flower that you’re actually in the mood for every day. ” This is how nursery Lugt Lisianthus describes their newest Lisianthus variety on the website. She is a soft pink, lovely in color and lives up to her name. Marcel van der Lugt and Sven Halman told us all about the Eustoma russellianum "Cotton Candy".
Lugt Lisianthus
Nursery van der Lugt has been active in greenhouse horticulture for more than 100 years. In 1992, the Lisianthus, as the Eustoma is called in Dutch, was introduced to the nursery, after which, for years, together with the freesia, she provided a beautiful range for Van der Lugt to offer. In 2007 Van der Lugt decided to let go of the freesia to fully specialize in the cultivation of Lisianthus. And successfully!
Last year, Van der Lugt moved to a new location. A larger, modern building that is built for sustainable and responsible cultivation. With the opening of the new building, the name Gebr. Van der Lugt officially changed to Lugt Lisianthus. A new website, a new logo, a new way of working; Lugt Lisianthus is ready for the future!
In the spotlight
Marcel is very enthusiastic about their latest variety. At the nursery, several new varieties are tested in a test bed. The "Cotton Candy" immediately stood out because of its color and very beautiful flower shape. The color is a very nice pink, the foliage is fresh and bright green.
According to Marcel, this variety is also perfect from a cultivator’s point of view! In contrast to some other pink varieties, the growth is better and it sustains much less loss.
These traits are of course not entirely unimportant for the grower. The stems are heavy and in terms of growth the "Cotton Candy" is nicely uniform!
The "Cotton Candy" also has a number of advantages for florists. In addition to the fantastic romantic color, the stem is also "vandal-proof", as Marcel describes it with a laugh. The stems break much less quickly and the flower is nicely compact, making it very suitable for bouquets.
The current "Light Pink" varieties of the Lisianthus are more vulnerable. This makes these varieties especially suitable for use in short flower arrangements. The possibilities of the sturdy "Cotton Candy", however, are endless.
She will be a real eye-catcher in large arrangements, such as a reception bouquet or company arrangement.
Because of its sweet, cotton candy appearance and its matching name, the Cotton Candy is of course also very suitable to use at weddings. She has a long vase life and a beautiful colour consistent flower. She will be a real addition in a romantic hotel suite or table decoration.
She is available all year round, exclusively available!
Care
By nature, the Lisianthus is a product with a long vase life. The flowers can shine in the vase for at least 10 days after purchase in the store. However, it is recommended to add cut flower food to the water. This benefits the vase life and color of the flowers.
Of course, a clean vase, as with all flowers, is also very important!
Cultivation
The Lisianthus has increased in popularity over the past 5 years. Where previously the flower had to be put on the market with only 1 or 2 flowers open, the flower is now supplied with 4 to 6 flowers open. As a result, the Lisianthus has become a true color-displaying product. You see what you buy!
Japanese breeding
Originally the Eustoma grows as a prairie plant of about 20 centimeters high in the desert in the south of North America (Texas / Mexico).
In the 20th century, the Japanese brought a plant to Japan. This was the beginning of the many varieties of Lisianthus we know today.
The first varieties came to the Netherlands in the 1980s. They were single-flowered varieties and about 80 centimeters in length.
Most of the breeding has since then remained in Japan. They are at least 10 years ahead of the Netherlands. Almost all new varieties that are brought onto the market come from there.
The seeds of the Lisianthus are sent from Japan to the Netherlands. These are grown into small cuttings by a number of specialized companies. About 13 weeks after sowing, the plants are about 5 centimeters in size and are ready to be planted by the grower.
Lugt Lisianthus plants 1.2 million plants every week. Eight weeks after planting, the branches have grown to a length of 80 centimeters and are ready to be harvested. The Lisianthus is annual and when harvested they are therefore pulled out of the ground instead of cut.
Special project
One of the unique features of the Netherlands is that most of the country is below sea level.
In addition to its own electricity, LED lighting and optimal working conditions for the staff, Lugt Lisianthus does 'Rainlevlr'. A very special project that is not directly important for their own nursery, but is important for the entire region where the nursery is located and it helps the Westland to ‘keep their feet dry’.
Lugt Lisianthus has huge water basins! When there is a lot of rain with flooding on the way, Lugt Lisianthus drains part of the water in a controlled way, so that space is created to absorb the enormous upcoming flooding. The rainwater that ends up on the roof is collected and ends up in the basin via pipes. A very sustainable solution; they can contribute in this way so that the land is not completely submerged and this water is then used to irrigate the crop.
Five stars, five promises
A beautiful piece of text on the Lugt Lisianthus website about five stars, five promises refers to Quality, Innovation, Sustainability, Service and Reliability. Lugt Lisianthus stands for producing the highest possible quality flowers for the higher range with the utmost care!
They therefore structurally put the florist before retail! According to them, Lisianthus is a high-quality product, a product with which the florist can distinguish himself and Lugt wants to keep the Lisianthus that way as long as possible.
FloraPodium, 11 June 2020
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