Colorful Celosia Cristata at Kwekerij Bos Bloemen
At the edge of the beautiful Westland village of ’s Gravenzande lies Kwekerij Bos Bloemen. The thermometer reaches nearly 30 degrees Celsius when we visit the complex and meet the passionate grower Philip Bos and his team. His summer crop is Celosia Cristata, also known by many as cockscomb. We take a look in the greenhouse with our Celosia buyer Fred Hoogenboom.
Owner Philip Bos is busy working at the bunching machine in the production hall when we arrive. Can we take a walk around first? He's a bit busy right now. He promises us a coffee break later.
Fred takes us through the greenhouse and explains, "From mid-April to late November, they grow Celosia Cristata here, and in the winter period, they switch to Chrysanthemums. Specifically, Spray Chrysanthemum Baltica. Philip's father used to grow Chrysanthemums year-round, but the price competition in this market became so intense that he looked for another crop for the summer. That turned out to be Celosias. In terms of process, these two products align well with each other."
From cutting to showstopper
We see four people working among the plants further down. Fred explains, “The cuttings are supplied by the propagator. Here in the greenhouse, they are planted in the open ground, and about eight weeks later they are ready to be harvested. They plant four or five colors in each section, which can be harvested simultaneously when the stems are ready. They have pink, orange, green, red, and a bit of yellow. Beautiful, bright colors that fit perfectly with the summer season, and later in the fall. Our customers at Holex love Celosia Cristatas, so we offer them throughout the season. The texture of these flowers is unique; it looks a bit like coral, and the small hairs give this product a high cuddle factor.”
We finish our round in the warm greenhouse and walk back to the production area, where everyone is hard at work. Philip sees us and comes over. Time for a coffee break?
Like father, like son
It’s not coffee but water, as it is very warm. As we sit down, Philip enthusiastically tells us about his company and methods. “My father started as a grower in Den Hoorn. In 2005, we moved here and built this complex. When I finished school in 2010, I started working in the company, and in 2022 I took over from my father. It was a turbulent time, just after COVID-19 and with rising energy prices due to the war in Ukraine, so it was a bit exciting. But we made it through, and now times are better. I look to the future with optimism!”
“The FSI certification is a reward for our years of work to practice our craft in harmony with nature.” – Philip Bos, owner Kwekerij Bos Bloemen
No chemistry, but biology
By chance, both father and mother come in, which is nice, as we get to meet the previous generation too. You can see they are proud of their son and the company. A family with a passion for cultivation!
“Since I joined the company, we started replacing chemical pest control with biological pest control,” Philip says. “We saw that insects were becoming resistant to chemical control and regulations were tightening. The first years were really pioneering. I remember my father, then the boss, getting angry with me because of all the hassle it caused, haha! But this year we are practically 100% organic, which I am very proud of. Because we are affiliated with Decorum, we also had to achieve our FSI certification. I see this as a reward for our years of work to practice our craft in harmony with nature.”
Philip continues, “Celosia cultivation is an interesting crop anyway. We try to adapt more to the plants each year, getting better at 'reading' the plants. For example, we switched from SON-T lighting to LED lighting. But not just regular LED lighting, we also have a separate far-red module. This allows us to simulate the setting sun in the greenhouse, making the plants think the day is ending and a new one is beginning. This speeds up the growth process.”
Self-sufficient: a taproot to the groundwater
And what about watering? Philip explains, “When we plant the cuttings, we need to spray them initially. But as the roots of the cuttings grow, each plant develops a taproot that grows about a meter long, reaching the groundwater! After that, spraying is no longer necessary. And that’s good, because the flower of the Celosia is sensitive to mold, which you get from moisture.”
And then it’s time to end our visit. Philip returns to work in the production hall, and we head back to Aalsmeer, filled with inspiration to spotlight this beautiful flower!
- The cuttings are supplied by a propagator.
- Biological pest control is used in the greenhouse.
- The larger plants develop a taproot and no longer need watering.
- The harvested stems are transported to the production hall via a conveyor belt.
Celosia Cristata in the Holex webshop
Philip is knowledgeable, that’s clear. He enjoys continually improving and making his production process more efficient, benefiting the entire chain. We are happy to have him in the Holex offering!
If you and your customers also want to enjoy this beautiful product, you can find it in our webshop under the category Celosia Cristata, found in ‘More Flowers’.
