Peeters Hortensia

Peeters Hortensia, led by Eric and Suzan Peeters, cultivates 13 hydrangea varieties with passion and a focus on quality. Learn more about their nursery.

Nestled between pepper and strawberry growers, Peeters Hortensia is run by Eric and Suzan Peeters. Five years ago, they switched from growing peppers to hydrangeas—a much more demanding crop. Eric takes care of the greenhouse, while Suzan manages sales. Together, they passionately cultivate 13 different hydrangea varieties, ensuring consistent high quality with their dedicated team. We visited their nursery and are excited to give you an inside look.

From sweet pepper to hydrangea

Five years ago, Eric and Suzan made the switch from peppers to hydrangea. Growing vegetables had become bulk and no longer provided a challenge. Through relatives, they came across hydrangea and switched to it. Some adjustments were made in the greenhouse and then they could get started. To this day, they have no regrets about the switch. The hydrangea flower is a beautiful flower, is vibrant and has multiple varieties. This certainly gives more challenge.

Eric

and the Greenhouse

Eric is a gardener at heart and therefore spends most of his time in the greenhouse. There, he takes care of cultivation, climate control, and other essential tasks for plant growth. Growing hydrangeas is more complex than growing peppers, so at the beginning, Eric sought advice from a cultivation consultant. This expert helped him with the optimal layout of the greenhouses, the placement of hydrangea varieties, and the best time for pruning.

By now, Eric has gained extensive experience and knows the processes inside out. According to Suzan, he has everything under control: "He constantly adjusts the climate and irrigation settings to make them as optimal as possible."

Suzan’s role

in sales

While Eric focuses on cultivation, Suzan is responsible for preparing the auction and managing sales. She organizes orders and maintains contact with the auction and buyers. Every week, she takes photos of the lots to be auctioned so that potential buyers can see exactly what they are purchasing.

Every working day, two trucks arrive to collect the hydrangeas and transport them to the Royal FloraHolland flower auction in Aalsmeer.

The Team

and additional support

The company is not just run by Eric and Suzan; they are supported by four other employees. During peak periods, around five additional temporary workers help manage the increased workload. Together, the entire team ensures smooth operations.

Beautiful stable

quality

Eric and Suzan aim for hydrangeas with a nice stable quality. They have had a grading machine for three years that sorts by bulb diameter and stem length. The machine also cuts the stem to the desired length. This way, they can bundle and offer hydrangeas of the same size and length. Incidentally, they were the first in hydrangea grower country with this sorting machine.

Assortment

Hydrangeas are grown on an area of 32,000m2. The nursery consists of two departments, one of which is heated in winter. This allows them to supply hydrangeas early in spring for Mother's Day, for example. From the end of March until the end of November, Peeters Hydrangeas offers a nice assortment.

The great thing about growing hydrangeas is that you can respond to demand. If there is less demand for hydrangeas, they can stay and colour through to classics. Classics are the more mature hydrangeas that change colour as they ripen. These are also good for drying, and in their dried form they keep their beautiful shape and colour for up to a year. From mid-August, Eric and Suzan will start having them coloured through to classics. During our visit to the nursery in September, the classics and fresh hydrangeas were mixed in the field. In November, the last classics will be in the greenhouse.

Sustainable initiatives

When it comes to sustainability, Eric and Suzan are doing well. For example, they generate electricity with a combined heat and power system. The power that is not used is fed back into the grid, and the heat released in the process is used in the greenhouse. Through a large water basin, rainwater is collected and used to water the plants. There are also many solar panels on the roof. Crop protection is done by biological control.

Stories from passionate growers

Meet the grower

See all grower blogs

Flowerboost

Deco partner Daan Kromhout

Berg Lisianthus

Chrysanthemum Cultivation