Page 1 of 1

Advice for visiting nurseries in W.Germany and Netherlands

Posted: Mon Jul 20, 2015 7:03 pm
by lazy_dog
Hi All,

I am pretty new to this forum but hope you can all help me...

Last year, I made a trip to the Netherlands and visited Cok en Ine Grootscholten, Aad Vijverberg and Cactusflower in Belgium...

All were wonderful and I am hoping to make a similar trip this summer but perhaps for a bit longer and to visit a few more/different nurseries...

Could anyone with experience recommend some of the best to visit? I have perhaps a week and will be crossing over by ferry to Calais so anywhere in North-East France/Belgium/Netherlands/Western Germany would be marvellous!!

If it helps, I am mostly in to cactus (not so much succulents)....

Many thanks

Ben

Re: Advice for visiting nurseries in W.Germany and Netherlan

Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2015 4:30 am
by Torbjorn
Hej Ben,
I have planned such trips several times using maps, and information from cactus-mall.
http://www.cactus-mall.com/nursery.html
I.e http://www.cactus-mall.com/apps/germany.html
Please go into details of every nurserie You plan to visit, and make sure they are still active, and open for visitors.
Some are open by appointment only.
Use a big car, and bring lots of money :grin:
Torbjörn

Re: Advice for visiting nurseries in W.Germany and Netherlan

Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2015 10:21 am
by Aiko
When will you be travelling? First week of June the Ubink nursery not far from Amsterdam will have an open house. You can visit the giant nursery, buy plants, but also visit the succulent fair which will be held at the same time at the same venue. Well worth the visit. It attract many from abroad (although not as many as the ELK in Belgium).

In western Germany I can recommend Specks Exotica. But note their visiting times on their website.

Re: Advice for visiting nurseries in W.Germany and Netherlan

Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2015 12:00 pm
by Paul in Essex
I will second the idea of visiting when UBINK has its open day, which is 1st Saturday in June. I've been for the past few years and you can get the most amazing bargains from the wholesalers (this year 3ltr Aloe polyphylla for Euro 6) plus all of table sales in the halls of smaller nurseries you wouldn't ordinarily find.

Interesting old nursery in Lexmund http://www.specialcactusplants.com/index.php prices aren't quite as keen as you will see in some places but still better than the UK.

I've been to Coq Grootsholten's nursery every year for about the last 10 years. And every year the stock gets scruffier and less interesting as the nursery slowly but surely gets too much for him. Such a shame.

If you are headed to Germany there is a place near-ish the border Cactus Oase http://www.cactusoase.nl/. Plant sales there aren't great but there is a very good display garden under glass with the finest Agave guiengola I have seen outside of Mexico!

There is a chap out that way by name of Gerard Geeling. Not sure exactly where he is at the moment as he keeps moving but if you can track him down he propagates a really great range of plants at excellent prices.

Not C&S but if you are interested in rock gardens and/or alpine plants Utrecht botanic gardens is a fabulous place. Nice collection of bromeliads and orchids under glass, too. If you can track him down and wangle a visit, a guy named Jan Lubbers has an outstanding alpine garden (in Holland! Some irony there :) ) - one of the most inspirational gardens I have ever visited anywhere in the world. 40 years of expertise distilled into his back garden rockery - amazing place. I think he is in the east somewhere but exactly sure.

Re: Advice for visiting nurseries in W.Germany and Netherlan

Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2015 7:06 pm
by Martin
My personal fav in Germany if you can get that far is

Kakteen-Piltz
Owners: Brigitte Piltz
Monschauer Landstr. 162
52355 Düren

http://www.kakteen-piltz.de/index_en.php

Amazing personal collection and always great plants at reasonable prices

M

Re: Advice for visiting nurseries in W.Germany and Netherlan

Posted: Sat Jul 25, 2015 5:03 pm
by TS Hakansson
Pilz is a great place to visit and I would also highly recommend Andreas Wessner in Muggensturm (kakteen wessner.de)as he´s a very friendly chap and has very good sales tables AND if you ask him nicely he might get you almost any cacti you can ask for.
And he will offer you a beer or two while you are looking around....

Re: Advice for visiting nurseries in W.Germany and Netherlan

Posted: Sat Jul 25, 2015 5:44 pm
by Aiko
If you are very interested in mesembs, I can highly recommend a grower in Kevelaer (Germany), close to the border with the Netherlands. If interested, I can send you the contact details in a PM. He also sells plants (at ELK), including rare / hard mesembs like Conophytum achabense and such, all plants he grows from seed himself. Not very far from the Specks Exotica location, so good to combine the two visits.

Re: Advice for visiting nurseries in W.Germany and Netherlan

Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2015 9:54 pm
by lazy_dog
Hi again,

Just a short message to say a huge thank you to those who replied to my message and all the advice I was given.

Had a successful five day trip around nurseries in Holland and W.Germany and some beautiful plants to add to the ever expanding collection!!

Will be making another trip probably early next year so if anyone has any more advice, please do add it to the post :)

Thanks again!!

Re: Advice for visiting nurseries in W.Germany and Netherlan

Posted: Mon Aug 31, 2015 2:45 pm
by Aiko
Which have you visited?