https://youtu.be/l4uX1eggDMM?si=_cp2nGxAZ32exO6t

We’re taking a deep dive into the world of lilies today, featuring my conversations with experts I met while attending Dutch Lily Days in Amsterdam earlier this month. Most lily bulbs are produced in Holland, but the cut flowers you can grow from them are an important opportunity for domestic farmers and florists to offer the beautiful, value-added bulb flower for their retail, wedding and event customers.

Sweet Zanica, an eye-catching LA Hybrid lily

If you have a love-hate relationship with lilies, I’m pretty sure today’s episode will change your perception about what I believe is one of the most elegant, classic flowering bulbs.

LA Hybrid Lily Arbatax

A sea of lilies at C. Steenvoorden

According to the 2023 National Gardening Survey, there has been an increase in bulb sales of 36 percent from 2021 to 2022 in the United States. The U.S. is the largest flower bulb importer in the world and the largest importer of European flower bulbs.

We have just kicked off a new partnership with Royal Anthos, the bulb trade organization, to educate and promote U.S.-grown lilies.

Royal Anthos’s support of Slow Flowers Society aligns with its desire to increase education about flower bulbs and American-grown cut flowers like tulips and lilies that are grown from European bulbs.

A Lily Selfie at Onings Holland outside Amsterdam - Dutch Lily Days

Montreal, double Oriental lily

The timing was perfect for me to take a short, four-day trip to Amsterdam last week to participate in Dutch Lily Days, a showcase for all the many forms, colors, and innovations in the lily bulb market. Dutch Lily Days is a unique gathering of breeders, growers, and trade companies to showcase all the attributes of lilies for cut flowers and gardens. The annual event draws thousands of visitors, including press, to study lilies and network with industry experts. Its focus on trends in the assortment, on pollen-free lilies, and other innovations like double-flowering lilies did not disappoint.

Spotted on our bike ride (c) Wang Ya Chin (Ivy), Taiwan Floriculture Development Association

Bicycling to dinner in Amsterdam (c) Wang Ya Chin (Ivy), Taiwan Floriculture Development Association

I’ve compiled a series of interviews with the many experts I met during our three-day tour. Included are voices from Jawin van der Steen and Ko Klaver from Zabo Plant; Tyler Meskers from Oregon Flowers, a U.S. grower; breeder P. J. Kos of World Breeding B.V.; Sjuart Onings from Onings Holland Flowerbulbs; and Frans van der Weiden of Van den Bos Flowerbulbs. You’ll also hear some background voices, including from the Chinese translator who accompanied one of the journalists in our group.

Dutch Lily Days Journalist Group. Front, from left: Satono Akiba, Newspaper of Floriculture (Japan); Nguyen Ngoc Thuy Vi "Vi Vi", Lam Dong Radio & Television (Vietnam); and Y. Jiang"Jennifer," Amsterdam-based bulb exporter who also acted as Chinese translator for Helen. Back from left: Debra Prinzing; Anne Verdoes, iBulb.org (our host); Yunqing Shang "Helen", China Flower & Horticulture Magazine (China); and Wang Ya Chin "Ivy", Taiwan Floriculture Development Association

A special thank you to my host and tour guide, Anne Verdoes of ibulb.org. We had a fantastic group of journalists from around the world, and you can see a photo of our group – all women – in the show notes. As the only American, I learned so much from flower and horticulture journalists who joined our tour – people from Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam, and China. We met up with a few Dutch journalists, as well, including the editorial team from THURSD.com, Floraculture International, and Flormarket Global Magazine.

I know you’ll enjoy this extensive, hour-long, special focus on lilies. Let’s jump right in and get started.

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