Hydrangea is a very popular product among florists because it is available in many shapes and sizes. The large magical bulbs surprise you again and again by the color change that they go through every season. Masters in the cultivation of the Hydrangea are father Paul and his sons Richard and Bob. Together they founded the company Pico Bello 7 years ago. They showed us how you can make optimal use of the plant, so that you have beautiful quality cut flowers every season, with a full head in the most beautiful colors. The secret of their successful business? To be eager to learn and to take on the challenge!

Bracts

It is not the Hydrangea flowers themselves that show these beautiful colors, but the bracts of the flowers. The small flowers in the middle of these bracts fade a few days after they have opened. One of the characteristics of the products of the Pico Bello nursery is the full, dense bulbs formed by the many bracts. This makes these bulbs thick, sturdy and of a heavy quality. Hydrangeas are often used by florists to decorate wreaths, and the Pico Bello species are very suitable for that! In addition, due to the generous convex shape, this flower is also very suitable for large, striking and showy floral work and also because of the many romantic colors that can also be used in wedding arrangements.

Hydrangea Classic Ruby Red in the spotlight

This week the Hydrangea Classic Ruby Red 'Aubergine' is in the spotlight of the FloraPodium. This type is also called 'Chocolate', and that is not for nothing. This dark bulb is a real eyecatcher in autumn and turns from aubergine purple to dark chocolate brown when seen in a certain light; as you can see  on the photos we made.

A Hydrangea becomes a classic when it is colored throughout the season. These flowers are harder and have a dark edge in the flower. Often these species are also very suitable for drying. Pico Bello currently cultivates eleven different varieties, but markets them in as many as fifty different ways. All these species in turn have their own needs.

Drying a hydrangea is only possible with a dyed (classic) Hydrangea. These flowers are often green with a red or purple border. Put the flowers on water until after a few days they feel 'crispy' and the leaves start to droop. At that moment you remove the water from the vase and pick the leaves from the stem so that the Hydrangea can dry further. This way you will be able to enjoy your hydrangea for months.

The men take the word 'family business' very literally. "What is everyone’s specialism?" we wondered. Paul explained that their specialism is mainly that they always know what each of them is doing. The men grow Hydrangeas on 6.1 hectares of land, and are dedicated to deliver quality on every aspect. The company’s goal is not to grow many different varieties, but to deliver the very best quality in the varieties they already have.

Business values

Paul gave us a tour of the company and explained the core values ​​of their business. As a company they find it very important to deliver a product that  gives value for money. This includes supplying the right product information, so that you never promise things that you can not live up to. This means being transparent and not creating false expectations about cultivation. A Hydrangea that is sold with a diameter of 20 cm, therefore really has a diameter of 20 cm! The reason they can absolutely guarantee this can be attributed to the strict selection process which is explained in the next paragraph.

Quality first

The company has an extremely accurate selection process. The selection and cutting of the flowers is always done by the same people, every single day. In the morning, two employees start with a round through the crop to cut the first Hydrangeas. The flower is always cut when it is ripe and only afterwards the length and size will be determined.

Actively cultivate

The Pico Bello men take pride in actively growing, which means that the team is actively stimulating the crop. From August onwards the greenhouse is heated so that the air stays dry, this prevents, among other things, blemishes in the flower bulbs. The plants are also kept active with nutritional supplements, which stimulates the hardness of the bulb. The high quality is proof of the success of that method! You can not see through the Hydrangeas, the crop is full of flower bulbs. The plants are carefully controlled by means of air and food, so that they can guarantee intense colors and good quality.

A cultivation of 9 months

You can cut the plant for nine months, after which it is pruned. In the spring the first new bulbs grow. Pico Bello does not have the ambition to grow as many species as possible. They focus their cultivation on a number of species and cut it throughout the season. By cutting bit by bit of the plant, a number of stems per plant remain that can color through in autumn. It is not possible to have all bulbs colored through to this classic version. The crop would then be too full. The classic needs a lot of light, otherwise the flower will not change color.

FloraPodium, 03 October 2018