26 years dedicated to Cymbidium: Joseph Massie visits Koningshof

“When I visit growers like these, I feel privileged to be a florist.”

For a new episode of Grower for a Day, international floral designer Joseph Massie visits Decorum grower Koningshof Cymbidium in Bleiswijk. There, he discovers a form of cultivation that calls for one thing above all: patience.

At a single site covering approximately 40,000 square metres, Koningshof grows almost 100 different varieties. The greenhouse is divided into fifteen sections, accommodating different flowering times and a broad colour palette. As soon as the last flowers have been harvested from one section, the next is already coming into bloom. By carefully staggering flowering times, Koningshof can offer Cymbidiums all year round.

Despite the scale of the operation, much of the work is still done by hand: the flowers are harvested, sorted and packed manually. Throughout this process, one principle always comes first at Koningshof: the flowers must be of exceptional quality.

During his day at Koningshof, Joseph experiences how much time and attention are needed before a Cymbidium is ready to be cut. For a (leading) florist who ultimately works with these flowers, this offers a different perspective on the product.

“When I visit growers like these, I feel privileged to be a florist,” Joseph says during his visit.

Grower for a Day

In the web series Grower for a Day, Decorum brings together well-known names from the international world of flowers and plants with Decorum growers. They join in for a day, ask questions and experience for themselves everything involved in growing the products they work with every day.

The episode featuring Joseph Massie at Koningshof shows how much time passes before a Cymbidium finally reaches a florist’s worktable.

Earlier episodes of the Grower for a Day series can be watched on Decorum’s YouTube channel.