Ben Jansen is the owner of the Tunezo nursery (Tulips, Nerine and Zomerbloemen). Ben has specialized in growing beautiful exclusive products. We were therefore very happy to visit his nursery once again, where in the past we have already been introduced to a special double Scabiosa caucasica, the beautiful Campanula lactiflora and beautiful new species Eremurus. Only the best is good enough!

Today Ben and his wife Wapke took us to the greenhouse where a number of Nerine elegance varieties are grown. There are some major differences between the Nerine elegance strains and the Nerine bodenii strains. According to Ben, the elegance has nicer colors in her palette, has longer stems and has a beautiful shine on the petal. It also generally flowers earlier than the bodenii varieties. It really is a distinctive product.

Ben allows all his Nerine varieties to mature further on the bulb than most other growers do. Ben focuses on the high segment within Europe. Because this transport takes place on water and not in boxes, this certainly benefits the quality and the burst flowers are also not damaged. The flowers also received much more energy from the bulb, because they were cut later. This benefits the shelf life.

For the cultivation of the Nerines, Ben has been working closely with Bas van Keulen, his neighbor across the street, for a number of years now. Bas mainly focuses on breeding and growing large numbers, Ben focuses on selecting new species and growing these unique species on a smaller scale. Together they bring new varieties to the market and take on new cultivation challenges. How do you get the longest and thickest stems in the most sustainable way possible?

Bas and Ben took us to their 'test bed'. There are about 100 types of Nerine, in very small numbers. The men select the best strains from this bed. They also look at the length of the stem. How many flowers does a branch give? Are they thick stems, straight stems or curved stems? Also the flowering percentage and the “presentation”. A flower should not open in the bud. This is not favorable for exports.

A new kind of Nerine doesn't just happen. After pollination has taken place, the seed is planted and remains in the ground until the bulb is large enough. The first flower only appears after three to four years. It's always a surprise what color it turns out. If the sphere is large enough, the sphere is multiplied. The test bed contains species that were pollinated in 2010. Eight years later, there are enough bulbs to make a test bed. After selection, it can take another two to four years before a variety can be produced in larger numbers. 

FloraPodium, 13 September 2021