Not only outdoors a splendour of flowers. Keukenhof offers an abundance of beauty indoors as well. During eight weeks you can enjoy the most wonderful orchids in the Beatrix pavilion. Growers sent in their most beautiful specimens. These have then been included in a magical orchid show. 2015 is Van Gogh-year in Keukenhof. Van Gogh is the inspiration for, among others, the flower shows. Intrigued? From 20 March through 17 May you are welcome at Keukenhof in Lisse, the most beautiful spring park in the world, unique and for many years the scene for the most gorgeous photos.

For more information visit www.keukenhof.nl

The website orchidsinfo.eu has been given a makeover. Under the slogan ‘Orchids make it easy to make it special’ the website provides a platform for consumers and the trade. The updated website brings all online and offline activities together, with specific news items about the promotional campaign. It’s a fascinating place that constantly offers fresh inspiration and innovation.

The website is available in six languages (Dutch, French, English, German, Italian and Russian). The heart of the website consists of a host of photographs, tips and blogs by passionate fellow professionals and prominent orchid lovers who share their experiences with the plant.

Refresher “More than 2100 consumers visit our site every week. So it feels like we’re refurbishing 300 living rooms a day,” says Natasja van Ruiten, project manager at fresh retail. “orchidsinfo.eu was last updated in 2012, so it’s a good time to introduce a thorough redesign now. A requirement for the new design for the website was that our target groups should feel at home and that the site is in keeping with the campaign’s strategic focus, whereby the orchid which you can now buy everywhere is special and a source of inspiration for many people.

Consumer and trade
The colour palette has been refreshed and fits with the trends and the various colours of the orchids. Alongside the design and layout, improvements have also been made to the functionality of the website. Not only is the site tailored more to mobile visitors and can be accessed on tablets and mobile phones, there is also a clear distinction between the consumer area and the area for the trade, which provides specific information for wholesalers and tips for florists.

The campaign to promote orchids is being executed in collaboration with all the Netherlands’ pot orchid growers. Under the label ‘Art of Life’ they have joined forces to inspire and inform you about the versatility and uses of orchids.

Picolo Red is the beauty of the month

You indicated your choice of the most beautiful and most unusual Phalaenopsis on our Facebook page in large numbers. A total of 3761 fans voted. Despite the fact that Picolo Red did very well in all countries, there were still notable differences. In the UK Royal Blue with its unusual blue colour was particularly popular. Purple Monet, white with purple markings, did very well in Germany. People in Russia clearly favour white, and Formidablo and Duoboga Ikaria received the most votes. White as a colour did very well across the board, since Meander, Eva, Silhouette and White World also received many votes. Is also worth noting that all 18 butterfly orchids each receive more than 100 votes, and many consumers stated in the comments that they felt that all the orchids are very beautiful.

Winner of orchid arrangement
Alongside the Picolo Red, there are also other winners, selected from all the fans who voted. The following winners will receive a fantastic orchid arrangement delivered to their home:

• The Netherlands: Ellen van Gorkum
• United Kingdom: Gisela Werner
• Germany: Angela Urmston
• Russia: Марина Фредова

Art of Life would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year.

The largest orchid festival in the world!

There are millions of orchid fans around the world, who take every opportunity to admire them and put them in the spotlight. Some people even go a step further. Once a year, thousands of enthusiastic orchid fans attend the largest orchid festival in the world.

Hobbyists and professionals throughout the world gather in Tokyo to enjoy the thousands of different orchid varieties during this unique festival. Naturally, new varieties are also presented – and there is even a cash prize for the most beautiful orchid.

However, it is really about the passion for orchids that visitors share, as you can see in the film below. As one of the persons interviewed said: ‘It is never too late to add some cheer to your life with orchids’. We would have to agree with that.

The Orchid is a natural eye-catcher, but Orchids are also able to draw the attention of the international media time and again. The fact that Orchids are very special is shown by the large volume of publicity, but also by the fact that famous names in the fashion & culture industries are gaining inspiration from this magnificent plant.

Watch the clips and items which have recently appeared in the media and allow yourself to be inspired!

Haven’t seen enough?

See more movies from Art of Life, click here. Or watch the pictures below.

Christian Dior sets the tone with orchids in couture show

Paris, 2 July 2012.
Orchid combined with other flowering plants to create the magnificent setting for Christian Dior’s haute couture show ‘The Garden of Eden’, at which the collections for Autumn and Winter 2012 were presented.
Those attending the show, at which fashion designer Raf Simons made his debut, included Donatella Versace and Marc Jacobs.

Video ‘The making of

It’s a spectacular sight, the orchid. Did you know that there are thousands of different species? We would like to introduce you to a new version of this diva every month.

With her intense, exciting shapes and breathtaking flowers the orchid loves attention. And she deserves it. Yet this lady is still very easy to get along with. Allow us to introduce you …

Monthly schedule:

A lady with class and an international background, that’s Cambria. With her whimsical flowers in bright colours she is the product of the cross-breeding of various species from all over the world. Those colourful genes explain her multicultural appearance: tiger prints, pouting lips, provocative spears and sometimes even three different flower shapes in one single flower. What also makes this lady an appealing housemate is that she often expands sideways. Yes, there are soberly styled specimens, but usually the stems with foliage spread left and right out of the pot.

Styling

Admittedly, Cambria can have such a massive kitsch factor that it is tempting to place the orchid in an eye-catching pot. But the orchid also combines very beautifully with sober, natural materials. That places even greater emphasis on the flowers.

Orchid of the month

Every month we present a new orchid of the month. Want to find out which orchid it will be next month? Take a look at the list.

Cattleya looks like she’s just performed a Las Vegas show in a miniskirt with frills and large petals as wings. Her exuberant appearance has earned her the title of queen of the orchids. She’s eye-catching, colourful and has the perfect wow factor with her exotic shape and appearance.

Styling

Cattleya’s colourful eye-catching flowers are best displayed in a sober pot: black glazed earthenware or Japanese lacquer, for example.

Orchid of the month

Every month we present a new orchid of the month. Want to find out which orchid it will be next month? Take a look at the list.