As a large tree nursery in the region, Green-One cannot be missing from trade fair GrootGroenPlus. The growers also believe that the green trade fair could use a bit more colour. Plenty of reasons to bring a selection of the most beautifully flowering perennials from their range. In C2-containers, since that is what the company is known for.

source: Heidi Peters

“We’ll see what's still in bloom at the time of the trade fair and bring that. We want to see more colours and more flowers,” says Ruben Gommers. Together with Egbert Herijgers, he runs the Green-One nursery in Zundert. The growers cultivate a wide range of perennials, along with other product groups such as ornamental shrubs, bamboo, and ferns, primarily supplied in C2 containers. “At the trade fair, you mainly see a lot of green,” says Herijgers. “Hedge plants, small shrubs… We want to stand out by presenting more colours, with plants that attract bees, butterflies, or bumblebees. On our container fields, the plants are so full of bees that we prefer to walk around them.”

Public green spaces

Herijgers: “Municipalities are renewing their public spaces, and we see that our range is very popular for landscaping public areas. Municipalities value biodiversity, which requires flowering plants. We have those in large quantities.” Green-One's range includes more than 800 species, and they also have large stocks. They are not the only ones in this regard, but they are unique when it comes to pot size: Green-One supplies perennials in C2 containers. With 2.5 million containers per year, Green-One is one of the largest, perhaps THE largest nursery in the region. “That’s one of the reasons we feel we belong at GrootGroenPlus,” says Herijgers. “And for bringing colour,” laughs Gommers.

Job satisfaction

At Green-One, job satisfaction is never lacking. “There's always room for a joke; we feel that is important,” says Herijgers. “Rarely does a customer leave without a smile. It should also be fun, and there's room to chat about the Olympics or whatever else is happening in the world.” Besides the entrepreneurs, there is a team of nine permanent employees, along with seasonal workers and students. Green-One currently has a vacancy for a junior sales representative; see the job listing elsewhere in this publication.

Crop protection

The use of crop protection agents remains a balancing act between what the grower wants, what is possible, and, sometimes, what is required. “On one hand, we are committed to using as few chemicals as possible, and we fully support that. At the same time, consumers want the most perfect plants. The same can be seen with fruits and vegetables. But these desires conflict, because it's nearly impossible to produce such perfect plants without using some form of chemical agents. Even in export, for example to the United Kingdom, we sometimes encounter regulations that require us to apply more than the plant actually needs. That’s a bit contradictory when it comes to the use of chemicals.”

More plants with C2

Green-One covers 12 hectares of container fields and nearly 2 hectares of greenhouses and tunnels. Much of their stock is sold via cash-and-carry, through intermediaries, to landscapers and green contractors. The nursery started growing perennials in C2 pots about 20 years ago, and that has since grown to almost 2 million perennials and ornamental grasses in C2 containers. This is how they distinguish themselves, and with good reason: “We want to encourage landscapers to switch more and more from P9 plants to C2. Traditionally, perennials are grown in P9 containers, but C2 is much more attractive. The plants are larger, they immediately make an impact, and there’s less waste.” During GrootGroenPlus, Herijgers and Gommers are happy to explain more about the benefits of the larger pot size, their wide range, and their large inventories. Green-One is huge, and visitors will know it.