FloraPodium paid a visit to VipRoses. The moment you take one step inside this beautiful company, you forget all the hustle and bustle of daily life around you. For this FloraPodium mothers day 'Special Edition' we take you into the world of the Sassen brothers and the most exclusive roses, cultivated with a heart for people and nature.

VipRoses are grown in the greenhouses of the Sassen brothers, who have taken over the company from their father. Since 2003, the company has also specialized in glittering and waxing roses, in addition to the cultivation of special roses. These special roses are perfect for special events; and this resulted in giving the roses their name: VipRoses.

The VipRoses are popularly called garden roses, because they have the same inflorescence we know from English garden roses. The VipRoses are particularly special because they are not grown throughout the year. These beautiful roses are typically grown in the summer months. In this period the roses can grow as naturally as possible.

In the winter, the brothers mainly focus on working with other roses. Glittering, waxing, the most beautiful creations are possible. The winter roses are not from their own production. For waxing they

buy large Avalanche roses from another grower. VipRoses has a whole range of waxed roses from which you can choose. In addition, they make special editions for the annual holidays.

During our visit more than 20 varieties of roses were in bloom; a selection of the most beautiful and wonderfully fragrant varieties. One fragrance even stronger than the next! The number of different roses makes the cultivation even more laborious. Each variety is cut at a different stage of ripeness. The consumer's wish also plays a major role in this. Consumers want flowers that are still as raw as possible. But what they often don’t know is that a rose has a much longer vase life if it’s cut at a slightly riper stage. As a result, the rose receives its nutrients and strength directly from the plant for as long as possible. These extra nutrients can’t be realized from a vase with water and added flower food. If the flower is cut slightly riper, it only needs to 'shine' on the vase.

Would you like to enjoy your bunch of roses as long as possible? Use a very clean vase with cold water and cut flower food. Remove all lower leaves from the stems, so that nothing falls into the water and cut the roses at an angle. This way you can enjoy your roses the longest!

Every variety in the nursery is cut with its own pruning shears. This is to prevent roses from being infected by the juices of any of the other roses.

The brothers are very selective in sorting out their varieties. They obtain their varieties from about five different breeders. If they have selected a variety with care and strict selection for their cultivation, the brothers also want the exclusive right to this crop, making these beautiful roses truly exclusive and special.

The roses are grown on a substrate and receive 50% more water than necessary. This allows them to absorb the water well. All water that the plants cannot process is taken to a water tank via a closed system. Here the water is disinfected by heating it to 90 degrees Celsius, after which it is refilled with new water and fertilizers. If enough water is in the ground, this water is taken from a water source from the ground, after which it can be used again.

The lamps that help the roses in the morning until the outside light is bright enough, burn on electricity. This electricity is generated by gas, by means of combined heat and power. The device generates heat and power by burning natural gas.

The fact that the roses are only grown in the summer season has a specific reason and is mainly a sustainability issue. In other seasons the cultivation would take too much artificial light and heat.

The control is also biological. "We fight little creatures with little creatures" one of the brothers says laughingly. During our visit we saw a cheerful lady at work, who was there specifically to feed the 'good' organic workers. The food she gave them was a mixture of all kinds of microscopic creatures. She works almost 16 hours a week to closely monitor and organize this entire system.

The company does not have a sustainability label. The brothers want to be able to justify their own cultivation to themselves and consider it important to cultivate with care for nature. They do not think it is essential to label it with a quality mark.

FloraPodium, 30 April 2018