In the spotlights
Peonies are the ultimate seasonal flower between spring and early summer. Especially during the wedding season, they are loved for their colours, shapes and luxurious look. Think you’ve seen every variety? Then it’s time to meet something truly special. The eye-catching Candy Stripe is grown at the Van der Jagt nursery in the Netherlands.
A family business with a story
The Van der Jagt flower farm started in 1978 with three hectares of land. No greenhouse, no shed, not even electricity. The focus was on growing cauliflower, with forsythia as a winter crop. Around the year 2000, they shifted to cut flowers. Forsythia stayed, but peonies and snowberries were added.
Jeroen van der Jagt grew up among flowers. In 2012, he officially joined as a partner and now leads the business day to day. Their approach has always stayed the same. Short lines of communication, attention to detail and always choosing quality over quantity. They only harvest what they can process themselves. No storage, no mass production. Just fresh flowers of top quality.
Candy Stripe: unique in colour and shape
The new variety Candy Stripe is not just any peony. Its soft pink petals have a bold dark-pink stripe, giving the flower a striking appearance. A real head-turner. It’s perfect for wedding arrangements, floral designs or simply as a solo statement in a vase. There are very few cut peonies with this kind of look.
Jeroen is always on the lookout for unique peonies that offer something extra. Candy Stripe fits this vision perfectly. It’s not just a flower, it’s a highlight.
Cultivation
Growing peonies takes time
At Van der Jagt, peonies are planted in autumn. It takes two years before the first flowers can be harvested. A full crop follows in the third year. Once mature, the plants produce flowers every year and stay productive for about fifteen years.
Harvesting starts around mid-April in the tunnel greenhouses, depending on the weather. Jeroen cuts the peonies when they are full of colour but not yet too open. After cutting, three stems are left on each plant. Only the flower heads are removed, so the energy can go back into the roots. In autumn, the plants are cut back. In spring, they bloom all over again.
Tip from Jeroen: Sometimes peonies have a little sugar on the bud, which can prevent the flower from opening. Rinse the bud under cool water and the petals will unfold beautifully.
Looking ahead with care
Whether it’s forsythia, snowberries or peonies, Jeroen loves turning bare plants into something beautiful. Every crop has its own rhythm and requires care.
Van der Jagt is MPS certified. This autumn, the audit for GlobalG.A.P. is planned. Once completed, they will also be FSI certified. This is an important step towards even more sustainability and consistent quality. It’s something Jeroen and his team work on every day.
FloraPodium, 26 May 2025
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