It is summer and that means thistle season has started again. At Kroon Nursery in Abbenes they are already busy growing the most beautiful thistles. Kroon Nursery is a real family business that has been around for generations. In fact, the company has existed since 1878. Martien Kroon has currently been the head of Kroon Nursery for 26 years. He still enjoys working with nature every day.
Fresh from the land to the customer.
Let’s start at the beginning and that is in the greenhouse. There the homegrown seed or purchased tissue culture is put on plugs. Then they move to the outdoors, where they can take root nicely in the soil. And then, a year later, it is finally time to harvest the first flowers. You can cut flowers from one thistle plant for as many as eight years. So from seeds to thistles in full bloom takes at least 2 years.
Harvest it!
When the thistles are in full bloom and can therefore be cut, they make sure at Kroon Nursery that within half an hour the thistles are on water in the barn. This adds to the quality of the flower. The thistles are finally sorted for size and for flower heads. The next step is to have the thistles bundled by a machine and then they are put into barrels. Then they are ready to go to the customer.
Three types of thistles are grown at Kroon. They are love white green, Donard and Eryngium Donard. The temperature at which they must be stored varies for each species. One thistle likes a warm temperature and the other thistle prefers a cold temperature.
Teamwork makes the dream work
About a million stems are grown per season, to make that happen a team of 30 to 35 people work. Who are producing the most beautiful thistles every day. When the crowds decrease, so does the number of employees.
Did you know that thistles also have a meaning? Namely, constancy and long life. Learned something again today!
