Children vote for Lavender as Garden Plant of 2026!

On Wednesday 18 March, four classes from primary schools in Schijf, Zundert, Rijsbergen, and Effen stepped into the voting booth for Boomstemdag (Tree Voting Day).

Grower’s Pride: Acer palmatum ‘Atropurpureum’

Acer palmatum ‘Atropurpureum’ is one of the most widely recognised cultivars within the range of Japanese maples. The variety is valued for its deep purple-red foliage and elegant growth habit, characteristics that have made it a long-standing favourite in gardens and landscape design. At Hoogenraad Handelskwekerijen the cultivar is grown with a strong focus on uniformity, plant quality and professional market supply. Its distinctive colour, manageable size and consistent performance make ‘Atropurpureum’ a reliable product for garden centres, landscapers and export markets.

Compact Hydrangea conquers the market

In a market where hydrangeas are widely available in large volumes, it may seem difficult to introduce a truly distinctive variety. Yet that is exactly what Jean-Pierre van der Peijl of Van der Peijl Tuinplanten has achieved. With his so-called Little Hydrangea concept, he developed a series of compact hydrangeas that naturally remain low-growing, aligning better with consumer expectations. What started as a simple observation in a garden centre has grown into a proprietary line with international protection and distribution far beyond Europe.

New Variety: Buddleja ‘Birthday Cake’ by Van Vliet New Plants

With Buddleja ‘Birthday Cake’, a compact butterfly bush enters the market that stands out for its abundant flowering and long ornamental value. The purple flowers appear stacked above the plant, creating an effect reminiscent of a layered birthday cake. This gives the plant a full and eye-catching appearance.

A practical advantage is that the flowers turn brown much less quickly during the fading stage compared with many other varieties. As a result, the plant remains visually attractive for a longer period at the garden centre.

Young plants of ‘Birthday Cake’ are exclusively available through Florensis, which markets the variety internationally to professional growers.

Scan smarter: AI cameras guard biodiversity at nursery

Knowing what flying and creeping creatures are present at a location is crucial in agriculture and horticulture, but manually monitoring insects is sheer drudgery. That is about to change. With the results from the project ‘Automatic Insect monitoring at and around nurseries’, North Brabant can fully focus on digitisation to increase biodiversity and refine crop protection. 

Grower’s Pride: Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Little’ (Little XS) by Van der Peijl Tuinplanten

Within the segment of compact hydrangeas, demand is steadily increasing for varieties that naturally remain small without intensive pruning. Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Little’, also known as Little XS, responds directly to this development. The plant is a proprietary breeding of Van der Peijl Tuinplanten and forms part of the company’s Little concept, which focuses on compact hydrangeas for smaller gardens. Little XS was developed to offer a recognizable hydrangea that stays compact while maintaining the classic ornamental qualities of Hydrangea macrophylla. The cultivar is available in five flower colours: white, red, blue, purple and pink, allowing growers and retailers to present a varied and attractive colour range.

Grower’s Pride: Cordyline ‘Charlie Boy’ by Van der Peijl Tuinplanten

Within the range of structural garden plants, Cordyline ‘Charlie Boy’ occupies a distinctive position. This selection combines a strong tropical appearance with surprisingly good suitability for European gardens. At Van der Peijl Tuinplanten, this cultivar is deliberately cultivated for professional markets such as garden centres, landscapers and export channels. Its compact growth, striking foliage colour and clear recognisability make ‘Charlie Boy’ a distinctive addition to the segment of architectural garden plants.

Breda, Hoogstraten and Zundert will increase cooperation on the three business parks Hazeldonk, Transportzone Meer and Business Centre Treeport

Today, the municipalities of Breda and Zundert and the City of Hoogstraten took an important step towards the future of the cross-border business park area along the A16/E19 on the Belgian-Dutch border. On 5 March, the 'Convenant Grensverbond' (border alliance convenant) was signed: a new and sustainable international collaboration that is necessary to jointly address cross-border challenges.