“Sustainability is in our blood.” The slogan may be over-used, but coming from a Phalaenopsis breeder it sounds just a little more credible. Just like its fellow competitors, Microflor in Lochristi was faced with the general price pressure for this crop, but it did not let that affect its ambitions with regard to sustainability.

This specialised rose nursery stands out due to its broad range but it also offers quite a few roses with known licences. What’s more, Neyt - Van Sante is known for the heavy quality of their plants. They can guarantee this thanks to applying enforced crop rotation so that the plants are always planted in fresh soil.

With a history spanning almost 190 years, long-term development has always been a point on the horizon for forest-tree nursery Armand Op De Beeck bvba in Putte. To keep doing the same thing for so long, it is essential to question the certainties of the past, as sixth-generation descendant Philip Op De Beeck knows.

Writer: Ivan De Clercq, AVBS, on behalf of VLAM

Fruit-tree nursery ‘René Nicolaï’ from Alken has set itself a clear course: distinguishing itself on the market by intensively looking for other and better varieties. In addition to the constant search for the best soil to grow them in, over the past few years the search for water has also been added.

Writer: Ivan De Clercq, AVBS, on behalf of VLAM

Rimbaut is a tree nursery that focuses on exporting with a wide range of products cultivated outdoors and in containers. The company has a large network so that customers can buy not only its own products but also specialities grown by other producers.

Large, uniform batches of top-quality azaleas. That is what azalea company Van de Steene - De Buck specialises in. Managers Hans and Kathleen can achieve this thanks to a high level of automation which enables them to react quickly to their customers’ wishes. And with their quality and environmental certificates, they can meet the ever-stricter requirements of the market.

The category of annual pot and bedding plants is a capricious market that depends greatly on fashion trends and weather conditions. “We focus on plants that offer the consumer enjoyment for as long as possible, in our eyes that, too, is working towards sustainability,” says Steven Verhelle.

Tree nursery Willaert is a total partner where professional clients can find any green product a garden needs in its clearly organised range. Willaert’s range of products is aimed at garden landscaping, garden centres and public authorities; it has an extensive Cash & Carry. Logistical ease of use for the client is pivotal; efficiency and environmental awareness form two important cornerstones.

Willy De Nolf is a Belgian tree nursery specialising in growing shrubs, perennials, conifers, climbing plants and trees in pots. ‘By both varying our offer and aiming for a broad clientele, we spread our risks which translates into a healthy annual growth of the company,’ CEO Willy De Nolf testifies.

40 years ago, Mentens Tree Nursery began with an extremely modest 2 ha of agricultural land. With a great deal of care and hard work, the parents of the current manager Mariëlle Mentens expanded the family firm to create the 85-ha international tree nursery that it is today. Mariëlle and her husband Bart have now taken over the day-to-day running of the business. Their key focus has been to invest in quality. Apart from the introduction of new types of plants, their decision to grow plants further apart has been key to their current success.