Dicentra, or "broken heart" or "Maria's Tears", is a tender product with a beautiful story. This perennial shows its face in the gardens around April each year. It doesn't flower very long, so you can only enjoy this beautiful plant for a few weeks. The crop is not grown by many growers in the Netherlands. We were curious about the story behind this lovely product and therefore visited the Aert Flowers nursery. Corné, owner of the company, has the largest market share in the Netherlands when it comes to the dicentra and has taught us everything about the cultivation of the crop.

Dicentra

Dicentra is a flowering ornamental plant from the poppy family. This plant is native to East Asia and North America. In total there are eight main varieties of which only the spectabilis is used for flower cultivation. The name dicentra is derived from the flower shape and means "two spores" in Greek. Other names for this flower are ‘tearful heart’, ‘Maria tears’ and ‘broken heart’. These names can be explained  because the flower bud looks just like a heart. When the flower is ripe, the heart breaks open from below and a tear comes out.

In the spotlight

Dicentra is now available in three colors: white, red and pink. The white dicentra is better known as Dicentra alba and also grows in this way in nature. The red variety is a cultivated species and is known as the Dicentra Valentine. The pink variety is the most famous and is known as the Dicentra spectabilis. We would like to tell you more about the spectabilis variety because, quite frankly, we secretly think this is the most beautiful of them all. In the photos you can see all three products! Corné does not concern himself with breeding new varieties. He has 42 hectares of land that he takes great care of. He receives new varieties from a breeding company. Corné started with the cultivation of this beautiful product because it starts to flower early in the year. He has a lot of staff working on his large piece of land and the work can be divided more evenly if you have several crops throughout the year. The dicentra was therefore a nice addition to his other crops. The flower is available from the beginning of April to the beginning of May. So we can only enjoy this beautiful crop for a little while longer!

Care

The only disadvantage a dicentra has is the fragility of the stems because the stems are hollow. The flower is so tender and fragile that it is sometimes difficult to transport. For this reason, they are now being put in covers. This can prevent break damage. The disadvantage of the covers is that it stays moist inside the cover. Therefor it is nessacery to take off the cover when you get them.

The flowers themselves are mainly used in the more luxurious bouquets. Using a dicentra gives the bouquet an extra exclusive quality. To enjoy it as long as possible, it is important that the dicentra receives cut flower food in the vase. Furthermore, the water must be changed regularly and a clean vase is important. The white variety has the longest vase life.

Van Aert Flowers is located in Breda; an area characterized by perfect cultivation soil for cut flowers because the soil so easy to work with. It is also slightly warmer than in other parts of the Netherlands, which means that flowers can grow to their maximum fullness. The company has been in the family for several generations. Corné's great-grandfather bought the company in 1916. In 2013, Corné bought it from his own parents. His parents and his sister work in the company. The most important task within the company is the cultivation of the astilbe. The cultivation of the astilbe starts in May, so we can enjoy this beautiful crop right after the dicentra.

Large piece of land

With his 42-hectare business, Corné really has a substantial piece of land that needs maintenance. Despite the fact that he has such a large company, niche products are still being sought to distinguish himself. In fact, having such a large piece of land with many different types of crop is actually a good thing. All of these products require a regular crop rotation. This means that every crop is regularly being moved to a different part of the land, preventing nematodes in the soil. The soil must be able to recover from cultivation. Peonies in particular have a lot of problems with this!

The cultivation of dicentra

Cultivation starts in May with planting cuttings in the open ground. The first year is meant for plant development only; no flowers are cut yet. Flowers can be cut from the second year onwards. The plant is a perennial that can be cut for three years. The plant is then replaced with new cuttings.
In order to be able to deliver dicentra for as long as possible, tunnels will be placed over the plants from January. These tunnels ensure that it stays a little warmer. The plants under the tunnels will then grow faster. Not all tunnels are put on the land at the same time so the dicentra can be cut as long as possible. In this way the season is extended.

Durability

Van Aert Flowers grows as environmentally friendly as possible. The company has many solar panels for generating energy. In addition, geothermal heat is available from a source. The company is MPS GAP certified. This certificate ensures traceability, environment, safety and hygiene. To be able to work the whole area, Corné also uses a GPS-controlled tractor. Thanks to the GPS, the tractor always drives in exact straight lines and the same lines are always used. Driving in straight lines enables efficiency both in work and use of fuel.

FloraPodium, 25 April 2019