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    Hydrangea 'Lathyria'

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    The Hydrangea 'Lathyria' is available from April until stocks last!

    VBN code: -

    Barendsen colour number: 204

    Length: lengte 4 of 5

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    In the spotlights

    Nine years ago Edwin Burgers, from nursery Nooitgedacht, started cultivating cut Hydrangeas. Cut Hydrangea is a wonderful crop, a beautiful product with a lot of potential. But it is a difficult cultivation.  "These plants are just as stubborn as humans, I’m still learning every day", says Edwin laughingly.

    In total Edwin has about four hectares of land where about 23 types of Hydrangeas are grown. The Hydrangea Lathyria is one of them.

    The Hyrangea Lathyria
    The Lathyria is a new variety, discovered by a breeder from the garden plant sector. This special beauty did not make it as a garden plant, but the breeder still saw potential as a cut flower.

    Edwin is always open to testing new varieties. "It is a fun and exciting challenge to try out new varieties and improve them." The Lathyria has a very remarkable shape. Where most Hydrangeas are fairly static, the Lathyria has a somewhat 'looser' flower. The flower consists of all small bunches with double-leafed flowers.

    Traders will not quickly notice this unique variety according to Edwin. We think, however, that the real experts will be enthusiastic about this special product. Double-flowered Hydrangeas are better suited for the smaller market. For example, for specialists who are involved in artistic floral work. The beauty of the Lathyria is that the flowers can be used entirely but also the separate flower clusters. These are great to use for corsages, hair decorations and other fine floral work. And we know from experience that the flower holds well in oasis; we have tested it on our FloraPodium.

    The first year Edwin started with about fifty plants of Lathyria. This year he has between five and six hundred plants. The first year the plant produces branches of about 40/50 centimeters. The second year it already gives a serious length of 70/80 centimeters. The Lathyria is propagated from cuttings just like the other varieties.

    At this moment Edwin is the only breeder who produces this variety, making it an exclusive product. Edwin himself is very enthusiastic about the product, but does not want to be too hasty. "The bar must not be set too high; the product must prove itself first."

    Like many others, this variety also colours in the autumn, just like the Lathyria 'Classic'. The 'Classic' varieties often have a somewhat 'classical' character, multi coloured with green, red, brown or even gray shades. In general, these flowers are somewhat harder and therefore stronger and are beautiful in the autumn. After a few weeks in water, they can be used dry as decoration.

    Care is also very important for Lathyria. Always use a clean vase. Fill it with some lukewarm water and special flower food for shrubbery cuttings. Fill the vase regularly. The classic/colored version can be dried. Put them in a vase with only a small layer of water. Do not refill afterwards and let it dry in. Just like all Hydrangeas, the Lathyria does not suffer from draft.

    Logo Nooitgedach

    The cultivation

    The production season of the Hydrangeas is from April to November. New Hydrangea plants are delivered in October, these are immediately transferred into a larger pot, after which they are put in the greenhouse. In February the plant starts to grow really well. As soon as it gets warmer and lighter, the first stems can be cut.

    One part of the greenhouses is heated and the other part remains relatively cold. This is mainly done to enable an efficient labor planning. The second reason has to do with the so-called 'summer pruning'. Some plants have to be cut empty before the first of July; otherwise they only give leaves in the coming year and no flowers. These varieties are therefore not available as 'classic', because they simply do not get the chance to colour differently. With the cold varieties there is always certainty of a bloom. These are also the varieties that can stay on the plant for longer and can color.

    In the morning Edwin makes a 'cut list'. It shows the numbers, types and sizes he wants to cut this day. These are selected from the crop, cut and already bundled in the greenhouse itself so that they can be put on water immediately. Besides this 'cutting list', Edwin tries to work as flexibly as possible and also takes care of the last minute wishes and orders.

    In addition to the optimal 'customer service' and the pursuit of the highest quality Hydrangeas, Edwin also deals with matter concerning sustainability. He does not consider quality marks and certificates important. He wants to be able to justify the cultivation to himself. In recent years many Hydrangea growers suffered from 'Trips', a small creature that can cause considerable damage to the crop. But Edwin can keep this well under control with biological means.

    From pink to blue

    We saw a number of other beautiful varieties in the greenhouse during our tour. Our attention was drawn to some of the blue varieties. We all know the problem that these plants colour pink in our garden. We therefore took the opportunity and asked Edwin how this is possible. He told us that a blue Hydrangea is originally pink. By adding aluminum sulphate/potassium aluminum, the flowers turn blue. Which colour blue the flower is, depends on the original pink shade. Because of this addition, a good number of new varieties of Hydrangeas have emerged in recent years. When the level of aluminum runs out in the plant, it will colour back to the original pink colour.

    Adding the amount of aluminum is a precise job. The amount of food and level of aluminum plays a major role in the colour of the flower. If you are too careful, the flower will turn lighter in colour. As a result the colours for each variety may still be slightly different from year to year. Too much aluminum is also not recommended. This causes the plant to develop root damage or growth disorders.

    We wondered whether the white Hydrangeas would also change in colour because of aluminum. These colours do not change, says Edwin. He has experiences that it merely hardens the flower a little.

     

    FloraPodium, 06 June 2018

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