In the spotlights
Unfortunately, the beautiful ranunculus from the Italian range can only be enjoyed for a few weeks. After that the season continues in the Netherlands. To close the Italian season, we have decided to put one of the Italian varieties in the spotlight of the FloraPodium, the Ranunculus Cloni! Mostly because we just want to enjoy these beautiful ranunculus a little bit longer. For this edition we made a wonderful trip to warm Italy, where we came in contact with Domenico La Marca, owner of the company La Marca. He took us on a journey of discovery and introduced us to the Italian ways and the cultivation of this special variety.
A real family business
Domenico is a nice, passionate and modern grower. "I consider myself lucky to do the work I love and to live in this beautiful Riviera dei Fiori!" He and his sister Teodora are co-owners of the company that their parents have built. They started the company in the 60s and at the time only cultivated carnations.
The cultivation of ranunculus and anemones is now the main activity of the nursery. In the 90s, they started growing ranunculus for the first time. At the time, Clones were already being cultivated by the leading Italian breeding company "Alberto Biancheri". In addition, the company also has a close collaboration with the historical breeder from the Riviera Ligure area "Azienda Agricola Brea". La Marca also gets many beautiful varieties from them.
Clones
The cloni clan is a breed that was introduced to the market some time ago. So it’s not a new product, but it is a product that makes us very happy and which deserves a little extra attention. The Cloni has a giant flower bud and a sturdy stem. This large ranunculus has a very good vase life, it will look beautiful on the vase for at least 10 days. Now that the bridal season is slowly starting again, this product is certainly a pleasant addition to the range. The products of La Marca are grown with a lot of Italian passion and we can enjoy that this week.
In the spotlight
Ranunculus means "little frog" in Latin. They naturally grow in swampy areas. The ranunculus surprises you with its many soft petals that open slowly until you see a beautiful heart. If you gave a bunch of ranunculus as a gift in Victorian times, you said, "I find you rich in attractions."
The Domenico company currently grows 40 different varieties of ranunculus. The product in this weeks’ spotlight is ‘Gran Pastel’. This variety has been bred by the company "Alberto Biancheri". The Ranunculus Asiaticus "Cloni Gran Pastel" is unique because the bulbs are propagated in a laboratory. This process (also called cloning of bulbs) results in a healthier bulb without viruses or diseases. This is also where the name Cloni comes from!
Domenico himself also loves this flower because of the special color that she has. It is a much sought after color that blends well with other types of flowers. It is an elegant flower that was very popular this year! The product is available from November to mid-April.
Care
Place a number of branches of these beautiful large ranunculus on the table and you will immediately have a complete decoration. When these huge flowers open it’s pure hapiness! For the best vase life you have to cut the flowers at an angle. The shorter you cut the stem, the longer it can live in the vase. It is important to use a clean vase. In addition, always use cut flower food.
The cultivation
La Marca is located near San Remo in the Riviera Ligure area; an area with the perfect climate for the cultivation of this elegant flower. There is a constant mild climate all year round.
The beginning
At first, the company focused on growing carnations. Carnation fields were laid in the Riviera Ligure area as early as the 15th century, so carnations are connected to this beautiful city. In the nineties, the company switched to growing ranunculus because customers wanted beautiful distinctive products. In the following years the company started to expand and they acquired more land and managed to innovate cultivation by using new cultivation techniques. The company is currently growing all cut flowers in an area of 4 hectares.
Cultivation
The bulbs are put in the ground in the transition period from August to September. After 60 to 90 days, a ranunculus flower is ready to be cut. They start picking the flowers around October and November. Originally the ranunculus were only grown outdoors, but due to the many risks that this entails, they are now grown in greenhouses. The large risks caused by the weather and diseases are just uncontrollable outside.
Sustainability
La Marca stands for good quality flowers in uniform batches. They also try to select on that basis. With their historic background, combined with an eye for the future, they know how to achieve their goals. In doing so, they find the cohesion of respect for employees and respect for nature an important factor. Following the new European legislation, La Marca has focused entirely on sustainable cultivation. Because they find it important to meet the right quality requirements, they have joined GLOBAL GAP and have been certified since 2013. This includes a completely biological control!
FloraPodium, 28 March 2019
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