MODA goes to Market

Getting up bright an early (like 5 a.m.) Team MODA headed down to Aalsmeer to meet up with our buyer Tony to check out the Dutch Auction. Armas took the city on again as the driver of our rental car, and we were off. The vast set up was a bit much to absorb - there is so much to take in! Check out the little slide show I put together on the right, its just a taste of what we saw. It was like Willie Wonka Factory of the floral industry. The amount of automation and synchronization is astounding. I am sure the boys will ad some comments soon!

We were in and out all before dawn, first we hit the auction, then traveled across the huge facility (in the car) back to where the packing happens at Tony's place. All of the products get sorted, packed/boxed and routed to the different buyers' locations by trolleys automatically via a bridge, gets packed, and is on our way to us! All before the sun was up!

Then we were off to Wateringen, Nederland to the appointment Moniek had set us up with, the mother ship was calling us home. Now, as many of you know, the Blue Magic Vanda has been MODA's signature flower way before we began showcasing it two years ago. Much like the Green Trick (which by using so much we brought such significant awareness to the local US market that importers were scrambling with the new demand) the Blue Vanda has been used in increasing numbers since we showcased hundreds of them last year at the Philadelphia International Flower Show (see slideshow to the right!)
We heart Vandas.

...so back to our adventure. Armas zoomed across the European motorways and we arrive well before noon. The owner Steef was just as welcoming and as talented as Moniek. His passion for the Vanda rivaled Bailey's neck and neck. His commitment to perfection, attention to detail was inspiring and refreshing. Steef has found his passion, it was clear to see how he and Moniek have become friends. Below are a few pictures of our trip to the greenhouse, the place was huge, the colors so intense - there are more in the slide show to the right!

And these special babies are a few years off but you will delight in them as soon as we can get our hands on them. Still to be named, still to be tested...white Vandas!

"Niewe bloemen" from Hortifair!

It was surprising to the three of us that the most noteworthy flowers we saw at Hortifair were from rather common genera, that we usually ignore. We only occasionally use Roses, Carnations, Gerberas, and Alstroemaria, but some of the most exciting advancements in breeding have been in these areas. We do believe there are no bad flowers, only poor designs, but with these new items on the market, we might just change our tune on some otherwise "common" blooms.

Hortifair Last Call

There is a ton to see at Hortifair, so we swung by for a few demos and to see if we missed anything one more time.
There seemed to be two main sections: Horti Grow & Trade and Horti Tech. Grow & Trade is where we found most of the new and exciting floral varieties and products that we have mentioned in previous posts. Tucked away in the floral section was a demo area where designers were brought in to showcase their unique talents and to boast the superior quality of "Oasis" forms and products (the sponsor of the showcase arena.) Once they finish the arrangements, they are placed on display for everyone to check out up close - most were inspiring, some not so much.














































Seeing the new varieties is breathtaking, especially when an everyday Alstroemeria or rose is 6'tall. Some areas were just from growers promoting their specialty items such as these roses (yes they are that tall) or the Gerbs Armas was checking out...The displays are just as great as the flowers. It was like a mini PHS Flower Show!
























But that is just a small section of the show - there were rows and rows of heavy machinery & software to help manage the systems that were fascinating. In between they had the quality test areas where we saw some pretty cool favorites as well. The booths looked like this:



















If Freesia always looked like Gardenias, I could really get behind it!
Here are a few things that caught my eye.



This one might be my favorite, it's a mum. The ball variety ~Judith

Amsterdam Dag Twee

The boys humored me and posed for a few pics as we checked out the town:
























The floating flower market had some interesting local treats, like their bread and butter of designs - hand tied bouquets:




On a personal note, here is where I am planning on living (that sleek modern one in the middle)...

...and here is what I am going to put in my garden once I settle in:

And alas, another example of an appropriate use of a cable tie - if its going to show it needs to coordinate and be purposeful...again, the Dutch excel!

Hortifair Day One!

Here are a couple of pics of our first, oh so jet lagged, day at Hortifair. I'm really into some Anthurium leaves, and Judy is all about her flower-festooned walker!

There were some great demonstrations, and we found LOTS of great new books for the library that we just can't find at home. Come and check them out when we get home.

-Bailey

The Dutch do it best.

Do you know who does really does European floral design (besides us of course) is Europeans! It seems like everyone is throwing around the "E" word willy nilly these days. While even English Garden, with it's mounds of pretty, precious, peonies and posies, might technically fall under the umbrella of European, what we're talking about is the experimental, architectural, imaginative, cutting edge design few others are offering in the US.

Now, you'll never catch us ripping off designs out of a book or magazine, but we freely admit to gathering inspiration and techniques from our international counterparts. The highest concentration of these innovators happens to occur in Holland and Belgium, and many of them will happen to also be in Amsterdam this week as well for Hortifair.

I was just here in May for Queensday, and Armas and Judith have also experienced Amsterdam. We're excited to be taking our first overseas business trip together. What better city, and what a perfect time of year.

We will be exploring the newest Dutch flower varieties, visiting with other designers, and scouting out new products for use and sale in our Center City studio. Keep posted for reports all week.

But first, one more cup of canal-side coffee to help shake this jet lag!

-Bailey