A young couple on an adventure in the French countryside. Their challenge: a Breton hydrangea farm. Growers Arnold and Annelies Glasbergen take us on a quad safari through a sea of amazing pink, blue and lilac hydrangeas.
About the flower nursery
Jardin Hortence was founded in 1994. After years of thriving business with importer Greenflor, the work became too much for the growers. Greenflor did not want to lose its main supplier of high quality translucent hydrangeas, so we decided to take over the nursery. The start of a period of prosperity for Jardin Hortence.
“I’m actually totally allergic to hydrangeas. Of course, I didn’t know that beforehand!”
– Arnold Glasbergen, grower at Jardin Hortence
The strongest varieties of hydrangeas
The focus within the nursery is on 4 hydrangea varieties: the older, primal Bodensee and the newer varieties Crimson, Amethyst and Charlotte. Especially Bodensee hydrangea is a unique niche product that is grown almost nowhere anymore. The hydrangea plants are decades old and were selected by the first owner at the time because of their suitability for the temperate Brittany maritime climate. “But the effects of climate change are evident,” says grower Annelies.
Thriving innovations at the nursery
We continue riding on the quad. In different fields are test rows with all kinds of hydrangea plants in different stages of growth. They test for quality, color, way of pruning and how well the hydrangeas can withstand the sun. Investments are also being made to replace plots full of old, spent hydrangea bushes with young, strong plants.
“We were inspired by winemakers who were also looking for more resistant varieties to grow because of the changing climate. We wanted that too!”
– Arnold Glasbergen, grower at Jardin Hortence
Hydrangea experts
Growers Arnold and Annelies, meanwhile, are true hydrangea experts. They know exactly how to prune so that the hydrangeas produce larger flowers the following season, up to 30 centimeters in diameter. “You have to learn by doing it, because each species has a different reaction. There is no manual with it,” Annelies says.
The couple has a clear vision for the future of the nursery. “You put a hydrangea plant in the ground for the next 20 to 30 years. It is a long-term product. Replanting a hydrangea field quickly costs €30,000. You don’t just do that; there has to be a plan behind it,” said Annelies, the mathematical marvel behind the success of Jardin Hortence.
With the rock-solid duo of Arnold and Annelies at the helm of hydrangea nursery Jardin Hortence, importer Greenflor is assured of a steady stream of high quality translucent hydrangeas (the so-called ‘classics’) from late summer to early winter. A beautiful, extremely strong niche product from Brittany and a special part of flower wholesaler Greenflor’s autumn assortment.
