Flowers at sea

Countless seasonal flowers are cultivated along the Dutch North Sea coast. The growers brave all kinds of weather to harvest their magnificent flowers - from fragrant Mentha to robust Gladiolas.

Among the most cheerful of summer flowers is the Helianthus. With few exceptions, the field with sunflowers hardly turns yellow. 'We harvest the flowers when the petals start to fold backwards,' says grower Job Pennings.

While the bright-orange flowers of the Asclepias are being cut in the greenhouse, Nico Janson inspects the flowerbeds with. Mentha. 'When I come across a unique specimen, I put it aside for reproduction. I can't resist. My latest jewel is a beautiful, dark-purple Mentha with a delightful fragrance.

Veronicastrum (honorary prize) is a new product at Job's seasonal flower nursery. 'It's a pretty flower that looks good in bouquets and has a long vase life.’