The Lily Nook visits Holland

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Published on Thursday, July 7, 2016

Submitted photo. Nigel Strohman (right) met with Jan-Willem Mantel of DeJong Lilies, one of the Lily Nook’s current suppliers.

 By Kira Paterson

Neepawa Banner/Neepawa Press

Nigel Strohman of the Lily Nook and his family had a whirlwind adventure in the Netherlands from June 6 to 13, visiting 10 different lily companies for Dutch Lily Days. 

It was the sixth annual Dutch Lily Days, but the first time Strohman, of Neepawa, has attended it. He said one of the main reasons for going was to touch base with some of the Lily Nook’s suppliers and breeders and to meet some new ones from other Dutch companies. 

There were also quite a few new varieties of lilies they got to see at the different locations, many of which he said he plans on trying to order for next year’s catalogue. A good thing about meeting people from the other companies is that it makes it easier to get in contact with those companies and order more varieties of lilies. 

Many of the lilies Strohman said he will order were ones with unique colours and patterns. He said that there were some double Asiatics, which are a type of lily with two or more layers of petals, that each bloom one at a time, that he was interested in. There were also some new breeds, crosses between different types of lilies, that he hadn’t seen before.

The Lily Days lasted from June 7 to 10, so as soon as they landed in Amsterdam after a 10 hour flight, they were off to the first supplier on their agenda. GAV Lilies was their first stop. They got to know the head breeder there, who took them around the greenhouse and showed them some of GAV’s new hybrids. 

The first stop really set the tone for what was to come and got the Strohmans excited for the rest of their journey. They visited three to four companies around Amsterdam each day, taking pictures of their favourite flowers and posting them on Facebook for their customers to see. 

Other companies that they visited were Van den Bos Flowerbulbs, BOT Flowerbulbs, DeJong Lelies Holland (which is a current supplier of theirs), Lily Company BV, Vletter & Den Haan, World Breeding, Mak Breeding, Zabo Plant and VWS Flowerbulbs. 

Some of these companies, Strohman said, are moving more towards cut flowers than garden and pot flowers, but there are some suppliers who still have a good variety of garden and pot, which are the Lily Nook’s main focus. 

Overall, he said it was a good experience. After Dutch Lily Days, they had a couple of days before flying home, so they were also able to take in the Amsterdam sights. They got to cruise down the canals and see the city before heading home to more business. 

Now, in the midst of running the Lily Nook and doing some more landscaping there, Strohman also has to go to Chicago for the North American Lily Society Convention and show. The society chose him as the head classifier because he is familiar with many of the different types of lilies. His job there will be to make sure that the flowers are in the right categories before being judged. 

Then, from July 18 to 24, the Lily Nook will be hosting their annual Lily Daze, where there will be different activities open to the public. Some of the fun includes musical entertainment, a treasure hunt for the kids, free hybridizing courses and more.

Date correction: Lily Daze was incorrectly stated as being June 18-24. The date has since been corrected.