First some history…



Unlike tree nursery centres, such as the Wetteren tree nursery center in East Flanders, the tree nursery sector in general does not have such a long tradition in our province. Only the forest tree nursery and the laurel nurseries can speak of a tradition in their sector. The forest tree nurseries are mainly centralized in the Wingene region and reach as far as Maldegem.
The laurel sector, on the other hand, is mainly situated in the region around Bruges and is still internationally renowned.

However, the great growth came in the years 1970-1980. The improvement in living conditions after the Golden Sixties meant that more people could afford to pay attention to and invest in the garden. The trade in plants grew and so did the need to create a local supply. Moreover, until then cultivation was only done in open ground. Until then, tree nursery crops were only supplied with bare roots or with a clod surrounded by gauze.

However, as the trade shifted more and more from the nursery to separate retail companies, the so-called garden centres, the need to be able to trade plants more easily and to store them longer in the trade increased. This is how the idea was born to grow plants in plastic bags and later in pots.

At that time, many West Flemish nurseries had sprung up - often arising from existing agricultural or horticultural businesses - and tree nursery crops were being cultivated on a larger scale, usually partly in open ground and also partly in growing medium (i.e. in bags or pots). .

Cultivation in pots (a difficult challenge) : the birth of WEBOS…

However, growing in growing medium was not so easy and brought many difficulties. The growers became aware that there was a glaring lack of knowledge. At that time, WEBOS was created, initially the abbreviation of 'West Flemish Tree Nursery School'. It was a group of passionate growers who united to organize study evenings and days with the aim of increasing knowledge and exchanging experiences. The result was that we can count the West Flemish growers among the pioneers of container cultivation and the specialization in this branch of the tree nursery is then very strongly developed in West Flanders.

The sector at the beginning of the 21st century.

In the last 30 years, the tree nursery sector in West Flanders has developed into an important supplier of woody and perennial plants. About 200 companies practice - as a main occupation or as a secondary occupation - the profession of tree nursery.

Container cultivation… open ground… starting material…

It is clear that container cultivation is very prominent, while the open ground tree nursery in West Flanders is significantly less extensive than in the rest of Flanders.
The cultivation of planting material in pots also characterizes our province and is of national and international importance.
On the other hand, the sector is present in all its crop groups, including the cultivation of ornamental shrubs and ornamental conifers (in the open ground or in pots), perennials, avenue trees, woodland and hedge plants, laurels (the Brugse Laulier), roses, ground-covering plants, etc…

Trading companies

The growth in production was directly proportional to the growth in trade. Plant wholesalers have also developed and are now internationally known in Europe and beyond.
West Flanders is therefore clearly on the map of Europe when it comes to garden plants!
On the other hand, more and more plants were imported from various countries to supplement the assortment, so that a complete range of plants is available, from Abelia to Ziziphus.

Quality and profitability

The ever-expanding range has also sharpened the entrepreneurial spirit of our companies. The unremitting entrepreneurial spirit of our garden plant breeders has ensured a growing profitability of the companies and an ever-improving quality of the plants.
We are among the best in the world in both areas!

Wide assortment per nursery

The Flemish nurseries, including those in West Flanders, are also characterized by the relatively wide range per nursery. Only a few limit themselves to a monoculture or a limited range, in stark contrast to our Dutch northern neighbours. The current trade structure is such that specialization in one or a few crops is quite risky.

Arboriculture and society : a new challenge…

The 21st century is characterized by increasing influence of society and the environment on business operations. Although tree nurseries have very little impact on the environment and help to make our environment greener, they do not escape social evolutions and needs that influence business operations, nor do they escape new European and Belgian legislation.
The nature of the crops has advantages on the one hand, but also disadvantages on the other. The specific needs of the plants often do not correspond to the requirements set in the legislation.
The major challenge is therefore to develop new cultivation techniques that fit in with the legislation and, on the other hand, to adapt the legislation to our crops.

Environmentally friendly fertilization…

The tree nursery is the only sector in which the use of slow-acting, coated fertilizers has reached this far. These, although chemical fertilizers, are coated with a type of resin that ensures that the fertilizers are slowly made available to the plant. The higher the temperature, the more the fertilizer is released. So the more growth and the more absorption, the more nutrition the grain releases. The duration of making nutrients available to the plant varies from 2 months to 14 months, depending on the type and thickness of the resin layer. Depending on the needs of the plant, the tree grower may add a small amount of fertilizer with organic or chemical fertilizers. The use of coated fertilizers therefore ensures minimal flushing as the fertilizers are only released from the granules in small doses. In cultivation in pots, this fertilization is almost universal. A bigger problem arises with open ground growers who often grow their crops – their trees – on the same plot for several years. Fertilization and the application of soil-improving organic material must be done when the trees are planted and this optimization of the soil for cultivation must therefore take place over several years. Current legislation does not allow this. Test centers and growers are therefore looking for solutions.

Environmentally friendly watering…

Water is also an indispensable raw material for growing plants. In container cultivation, there has been a tendency for the past 15 years to use irrigation water sparingly. Systems with the reuse of irrigation water and systems with minimal water consumption (such as the Efford sand beds) have therefore already made their appearance. In these systems there is therefore a surplus of rainwater in the winter, which is collected as much as possible in basins or ponds, to serve as a buffer to use less or no groundwater in dry periods. Moreover, there is optimal utilization in these dry periods by reusing irrigation water that falls next to the pots.

Environmentally friendly crop protection…

Garden plants must be able to take a beating. That is why the tree grower uses plant protection products sparingly and lets nature do its work as much as possible. The long cultivation period ensures that the grower can afford to be relatively tolerant of attackers of his crops. The plant is therefore given more opportunity to build up resistance and nature can provide solutions for the enemies of our crops. Chemical crop protection is therefore usually only an emergency measure and is usually only done locally. In open ground, weed control is already often done mechanically. Weed control agents are therefore only used if there is no other option.

Erosion control…

However, mechanical weed control in the open ground also has a disadvantage. The frequent treatments ensure that the soil on sloping plots is easily washed away during heavy rainfall. The sector is also looking for solutions for this. The use of soil improvers, such as compost, is no stranger to this. These agents increase the water absorption of the soil and provide a 'sponge' effect.

Waste treatment and reduction of raw material consumption…

Peat is an important raw material for container cultivation. By mixing the various peat types, they provide the substrate for cultivation, namely the potting soil. Although peat stocks are still available for decades, the sector is looking for alternatives. Cocos, bark, wood chips, wheat chaff, rice hulls, etc… are reviewed. In recent years there has also been an important evolution to use compost as a substrate, although usually mixed with potting soil. Research is therefore increasingly focusing on making good compost and processing green waste (prunings, unsaleable plants, fallen leaves) from the nurseries, with a view to reuse for cultivation.

Arboriculture… a profession… a profession !!!

More than ever, professionalism is a hallmark of our nurseries. We therefore dare to conclude that the tree nursery in Flanders, and not least in West Flanders, excels in terms of creativity and innovative thinking.