10
THECOMMERCIAL GREENHOUSEGROWER • JULY 2017
• FLOWER TRIALS
TheFleuroStarvariety for2018,calibrachoaMiniFamous
DoublePinkTastic.
Oneof theFleuroStarstands thatweredisplayedat ten locations
during the fourdaysof the trials.
Lily ‘Delicate Joy’.
agrees that this is the situation, despite the increased
cost of bulbs. His family business at present grows over
2.5million lilies each year. He adds that in thepresent
uncertain economic climate, UK retailers like tobuy from
UKproducers because they are not put at risk of price
instability arising from exchange rate fluctuations.
AndrewBly alsopoints out that growers in the
Netherlands cannotmatch the very short intervals
betweenharvest and arrival at UK retail outlets that
arepossible for homeproducers. Heputs the normal
minimum interval for Dutchproduct sold in theUK at four
days, and says it is very often longer. AndwhileDutch
growers are able tobuy their bulbsmore cheaply, their
rates for wages and employers’ social security payments
aremuch higher than in theUK.
DUTCH LILYDAYS
Theweek before the Flower Trials sawBritish visitors
travelling to theNetherlands for anothermassive
horticultural event, theDutchLilyDays. At breeders and
bulbgrowersG.A.Verdegaal &Sons, one of thirteen
participating companies, visitors includedRory andStuart
Paton, of pot lily specialistsPinetopsNurseries, cut flower
buyers fromWaitrose andMarks&Spencer, andbulb
buyers fromThompson&Morgan. Over 400other visitors
came from around theworld, withAsian countries and
Australia among thoseparticularlywell represented.
The lily is one of the top four products inBritish
supermarket flower sales, with the greatmajority of the
flowers imported from theNetherlands. The cessation in
2015of the largeproduction fromWinchester Growers
resulted in an even fewer home-grown lilies on theBritish
market. There are now very fewUKgrowers producing
lilies for the cut flower trade, but AndrewBly, Norfolk-
based sales and technical advisor for Verdegaal, says that
there is ‘a tremendous opportunity’ formoredomestic
production.
Hebelieves that thebig fall in the value of theBritish
pound against theEuro since theBrexit referendum has
raised thepotential profitability of the flower for British
producers. One of the currently successful British lily
growers, IanCollisonof JACollison&Sons inNorfolk,
