Of the hundreds of new plants Peter Kroes sees, many are rejected almost immediately. Not because they are bad plants, but because ‘good’ is simply no longer good enough. The market is crowded, which means that the bar is being raised continuously. Every now and then, however, something comes along that immediately catches the attention of the director of Van Vliet New Plants. ‘Maybe one in 250. That’s when you think: wham, this is the one.’

Kroes can point out one such winner: Cortaderia Tiny Pampa. While pampas grasses can easily grow several metres tall, this one stays around 60 centimetres while still producing plenty of flowers.

‘That’s one of those plants where I immediately thought: wham, we have to have this one.’

But even a ‘wham’ from Kroes does not get a free pass to the market. If the breeder says a Cortaderia will stay at 60 centimetres, Kroes wants to see it in his own garden a year later and confirm that it really is still 60 centimetres tall.

‘In the end, what you sell simply has to live up to the claims you make.’

Half can go straight away
Selection has only become tougher in recent years. Kroes sees too many new plants competing in an assortment that is already enormously broad.

‘Of the other 99 percent, half can basically be rejected straight away. Not because they aren’t good plants, but because they simply aren’t interesting enough with everything that’s already happening in the market.’

He cites Hydrangea paniculata as an example. There are already so many cultivars, backed by so much marketing, that introducing yet another good panicle hydrangea does not automatically add anything.

‘There are plants that everyone would have jumped at ten years ago, but today you look at them and say: you know what, forget it.’

Kroes is a plantsman, but he also very deliberately looks at things from a trader’s perspective. He grew up in Boskoop, attended horticultural college and worked in the trade supplying retail chains throughout Europe from 2001 to 2016. So whenever he sees a novelty, he immediately asks himself a second question:

Beautiful plant. But can I sell it?

First: into the garden
A plant that survives the first selection is still a long way from the market. Van Vliet New Plants tests candidates in three different ways.

The first is almost primitive: put it in the garden and see what happens. Plants are also sent to a selected grower, who puts them in pots without pampering them. Water, some fertiliser and normal care, but no battery of treatments to disguise weak characteristics.

The third test takes place with a specialist grower: a Hydrangea goes to a Hydrangea grower, a Hebe to a Hebe specialist.

After one year, Kroes has a first impression. After two years, he knows much more. The garden test is at least as important to him as producing a perfect-looking pot plant.

‘I’ve seen so many plants that look fantastic in a pot. Then you put them in the garden and a year later you think: hey, where did that plant go?’

Landscapers are lagging behind
According to Kroes, breeding is now moving faster than part of the market. He sees considerable room for improvement among landscapers in particular.

‘They stick with old varieties that aren’t suited to today’s climate or are still highly susceptible to diseases and pests, even though there are already many improved alternatives.’

Part of the problem, he says, is simply ingrained habit.

‘A landscaper went to college twenty years ago and learned about a particular Prunus. That’s still the one he thinks about.’

Meanwhile, newer selections are already available that perform better in certain respects. The challenge is therefore not only to find new plants, but also to make sure worthwhile innovations actually reach the end user. Kroes sees this happening more quickly in the higher end of the garden-centre market.

Don’t scatter it everywhere
Van Vliet New Plants is therefore also becoming more targeted in the way it introduces novelties. For the past four or five years, the company has worked more deliberately with breeders, propagators and selected growers.

‘We want to focus on developing a plan together with partners and then take it to the market.’

For each market, the most suitable partner is selected. ‘That way, you create a shorter, more focused chain.’

The aim is not to close off the market completely, but to build an introduction in a more controlled way. It may not generate the largest volumes in the first few years, but it gives Van Vliet New Plants greater control over production and sales.

‘That way you remain relevant throughout the entire period of plant breeders’ rights.’

Markets find a new route
Kroes also sees internationally how quickly markets can change. Poland stands out in particular.

‘Poland has really been the Wirtschaftswunder of the past ten years.’

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Polish growers saw a substantial share of their sales to eastern markets disappear, according to Kroes.

‘You could say they lost a third of their exports. Within two or three years, they had recovered that third in other markets.’

For Kroes, it shows how quickly sales can shift. Markets disappear and others emerge. That also makes it difficult to predict which plant will succeed in which market.

Plenty of visitors, cautious ordering
Kroes expects to see some of that uncertainty at GrootGroenPlus as well. Van Vliet New Plants will not have its own stand this year, but Kroes will of course be visiting.

‘I expect lots of people and lots of enthusiasm.’

Whether that enthusiasm immediately translates into large orders is another question. Inflation, the war in Eastern Europe and concerns about an economic downturn are making businesses cautious, he says.

‘I think people will be cautious when it comes to actually committing to orders.’

Kroes does not worry too much about that. He has seen too many times how quickly market sentiment can change.

‘If the sun comes out next year, everyone will forget about the problem. They’ll simply go out and buy a plant again.’
Perhaps that comment sums up his view of the market. It is constantly changing, but at the start of the chain someone still has to look at hundreds of new plants and decide which ones are genuinely worth pursuing. Usually that takes testing, comparing and another careful look.

And every now and then, Kroes knows immediately.

‘Wham. We have to have this one.’