the TRUE. story

July 2006: water plants

In the meantime, the plants of rose 03829 had been under water for some time, when parts of the Bogota Valley flooded. I had taken over the available plants from Preesman, 4 in Holland (planted in my garden), 25 from their showcase in Colombia and 25 from Ecuador. They were finally planted with Qualisa in Cayambe (Ecuador) and Ipanema (el Rosal, north of Bogota).

Before I started my big quest, I had already decided that the flowers had to be grown around the equator, at an altitude of some 2,500 metres. Why? A branded product must have the optimal quality year-round. After a hot summer in e.g. Holland, the flower heads will be smaller in the fall. So: no seasonal influences. To spread the risk, I wanted to be in two locations. I had known Ipanema and Qualisa as very disciplided growers and both immediately said yes to my proposal. In addition, the traditional route for Latin flowers was to North America. Through Miami, but that was on my list of changes in the supply chain.

Anyway, the plants arrived in bad condition at both farms, but I was confident that the ingenieros would revive them.