From birth to maturity

The search for perfection requires patience. Breeders produce thousands of new hybrids every year. The period from the initial selection to the inclusion of an orchid in the range covers some 8 to 10 years. So it takes a while before a particular orchid variety ends up in the living room!

This year we will follow the orchid from selection through to cultivation into a beautiful mature plant. We would like to use video images to show how the orchid is born and grows into a magnificent houseplant.

Phase 5: flowering phase

It seems a bit unfair. The people at the nursery have done their best for more than two years to produce an attractive, sturdy and colourful orchid. And just when the time finally comes, they are sent on their way …

The plants do one more lap of honour on the conveyor belt. It’s a very colourful parade, whereby technology helps to ensure that the right orchid ends up with the right seller.

The plants that are found to be ready for sale can be classified according to all sorts of criteria. By height, for example. They come in 50 cm, but also in 60 and 70 cm.

There is also a classification into five main colours. Then there are the single-branched, the double-branched and even the four-branched. And you can also differentiate according to the number of flowers per branch. One has 3 to 5, another 6 to 8 and you even have the extreme category with 9 flowers or more. All in all, there are nearly 200 variants. But don’t worry. There’s a sorting machine that can tackle the job. As you can see in this film, this results in fascinating pictures of a system that directs every orchid to the right conveyor belt with steely precision. The time for farewell is approaching, but it is a farewell with style and colour!