Meet the Community

All four varieties in this alluring collection come from Agro Fleur Select, a well-regarded Dutch nursery that breeds and grows only nerine hybrids, commonly called "naked ladies." Kitty de Jong owns and runs the business that her father started more than 50 years ago in Roelofarendsveen, The Netherlands. At that time, the nursery grew all types of cut flowers. He started growing naked ladies about 15 years later. These flowers used to be available only in pink, but Agro Fleur Select today offers an incredible assortment in different colours, flower sizes and stem lengths. Kitty credits the nursery's breeding success to what she calls her "jewelry box" of many different naked ladies species and varieties from all over the world. Breck's is proud to offer you this collection of Kitty's best!

For our friends at the van der Meijs nursery in Geldern, Germany, hellebore breeding is a passion—and the family business. Three generations of van der Meijs hybridizers had a hand in creating these remarkable king-size hellebores. But offering them to home gardeners is not what they originally had in mind. Back in the 1960s, their objective was different—to develop a bigger, taller hellebore for the cut-flower industry. They started with a Helleborus niger cultivar called 'Christmas Glory', and their breeding efforts eventually resulted in bigger, more floriferous plants. They could have stopped there, but we're so glad they didn't. The van der Meijs family took what they learned from their cut-flower hybrids, and shifted their focus to Helleborus orientalis, a favourite species of hellebore gardeners. And now Breck's is proud to present this line of king-size hellebores to American gardeners. Current breeding work is being done by Theo Janssen, who continues the legacy that Erik van der Meijs' grandfather started. The oldest plants in the van der Meijs nursery are over 40 years old and produce no less than 50 stems each! WOW! Hellebores are the result of over 50 years of careful breeding. Single and double blooms up to 4" across will stand tall and strong atop 24-28" stems. This makes them better for cut arrangements than traditional hellebores—just one more reason to love them! Each collection features king-size hellebores that look amazing in garden groupings, cute containers, or growing among your bleeding hearts, cyclamen and hostas.

Only the best will do for our Hardy Gladiolus Collection! The five gladiolus cultivars that make up this amazing assortment come from Gebroeders Hermans, a nursery in Voorhout, The Netherlands. Founded in 1960 by their father, it is operated today by brothers Piet and Mart Hermans, who are internationally known for their breeding of these hardy plants. What makes them different from other gladiolus? With their sturdy, compact stems, there is never any need for staking the flowers in this collection. They are also bred to resist fungus, disease and pests.

In addition, MPS, a Dutch organization that manages sustainability certification for the international flower and ornamental plant industry, has awarded MPS-GAP status to Gebroeders Hermans. This means the nursery has met the organization's guidelines for best environmental practices, cleanliness and worker safety.

At Breck's, one of our greatest joys over the years has been getting to meet and befriend the wonderful growers and hybridizers who provide us with many of the fine bulbs and bareroots we offer our customers. One of our most trusted partners for many years has been legendary daffodil grower Jan Pennings. Although Jan is retired now and his son and son-in-law have taken over the day-to-day operation of his bulb farm in northwestern Holland, Jan continues to live on the property. He still keeps an eye on the daffodil crop and draws upon his decades of growing experience to occasionally advise his two successors.

During his career, Jan, whose father was also a bulb grower, frequently traveled abroad in search of recently developed and uncommon daffodil varieties. His trips took him to the U.S., the U.K., Ireland and New Zealand.

He has earned widespread recognition in the horticulture industry. Jan served as chair of the Royal Horticultural Society Bulb Committee and was a board member of the Netherlands' renowned Keukenhof Gardens . In 2014, the American Daffodil Society awarded him its Gold Medal for everything he has done for the beloved plant.