CONVALLARIA - cut flower industry in The Netherlands

[Lvandelft]

This week the weather is for me to warm to work in the garden in the afternoon, so I better explore the area by bicycle and at least feel some cooling winds.
On one of these tours I passed by a small nursery where Convallaria are cultivated for the cut flower industry. I asked if I may make some pictures.
The plants are cultivated in so called mobile glasshouses, which are put over the plants to force them into flower earlier than outside on the field.
The Convallaria are pulled out and bunched by 10 flowers together with 4 leaves in a bunch.
Growing them in this way results in a product of about 26 cm. long which is the best length for the trade.
The pictures show some overviews in one house and the last picture shows a house where the flowers are harvested already. The house then will be rolled over the next parcel of land with Convallaria.

I hope that showing these pictures, some of you find this as interesting as I did?

[arisaema]

Interesting indeed, so thanks for posting! How do they move the greenhouse, and do you know how often they replant them?

[ArnoldT]

Luit:

How was the scent in the glasshouse?

[David Nicholson]

Very interesting Luit. I've lost it many times in the garden.

[majallison]

The soil in the glasshouses looks very sandy.  Are they cultivating a named clone, such as 'Geant de Fortin'?

[Lvandelft]

Interesting indeed, so thanks for posting! How do they move the greenhouse, and do you know how often they replant them?

Mobile glasshouses are transported on rails like a train and now the gardener uses his tractor, but I remember the time when a lot of people were used to pull the houses to the next parcel.
Mostly a field is divided in 4 or sometimes more parcels.
I found on the net a picture of such a glasshouse where you can see the rails.

It depends on the cultivar how many year they wait replanting them but varies from 3 to sometimes 6 years.

[Lesley Cox]

I can imagine that the perfume would knock you right over!

How can you lose lily-of-the-valley David? Planted in a border near grass, it soon BECOMES the grass.

[Lvandelft]

Luit:

How was the scent in the glasshouse?

Arnold, when I came most of the riper flowers were picked already, but the grower told me when he does not smell them in the morning when coming into the glasshouse the flowering is over.

[Lvandelft]

Very interesting Luit. I've lost it many times in the garden.

David, I cannot understand this because these plant behave themselves like weeds   
I planted some of a good flowering clone in a shady spot in the garden, but I used some big plastic, bottomless pots as a ring around them.

[Ezeiza]

Luit, aren't other plants supposed to be in the next parcel already growing before the greenhouse is moved on?

And, how does the tractor avoid smashing the plants as it drags the greenhouse along?

[Lvandelft]

The soil in the glasshouses looks very sandy.  Are they cultivating a named clone, such as 'Geant de Fortin'?

Malcolm, in Holland many Convallaria in the trade were grown in Germany, where in the Hamburg area these plants are grown by specialist nurseries.
In one glasshouse were planted such normal trade Convallarias, but the gardener already received clones which were not so good for this methods.
The other variety is called Heidmann, but there is a significant difference in the yields between the cultivars he is growing. 

[Lvandelft]

Luit, aren't other plants supposed to be in the next parcel already growing before the greenhouse is moved on?

Yes Alberto, but in many nurseries here are these houses used for forcing Narcissus and tulips.
This nursery also grows Alchemilla in some parcels to come earlier on the market.

And, how does the tractor avoid smashing the plants as it drags the greenhouse along?

These glasshouses are always situated next to a path for the tractor and it does not drive over the plants.

[Maren]

It's like a horse pulling a barge on a canal. The horse walks on the towpath, the barge is in the water. ,