At this week’s Trade Fair Aalsmeer, the Dutch Lisianthus industry is set to launch a premium flower arranging book exploring the unrivalled beauty of Lisianthus. In the book you’ll find beautifully photographed Lisianthus designs and the stories of the floral designers behind them.
The new book itself is a beautiful thing to hold featuring atmospheric photograps and detailed tips on how to create a drop-dead gorgeous Lisianthus bouquet or arrangment. The book’s aim is to encourage flower aficionados to use the beauty of Lisianthus flowers year round.
The book showcases the artistic skills of five flower designers including Stefan van Berlo, Geertje Stienstra, Tiffany van Lenten, Max Hurtaud, and Ilse Rambags.
The book also offers an interactive experience with tutorial links from each designer.
The Lisianthus (Latin name: Eustoma russellianum or grandiflorum) originates from the United States, where it grows as an annual plant in desert and prairie regions, often in riverbeds where the plant has access to freshwater. The name Lisianthus is a combination of the ancient Greek words ‘lysis’ and ‘anthos’, which respectively means ‘bitter’ and ‘flower’ in reference to the bitter taste of some medicinal plants. Just to be on the safe side, we should probably flag up that the plant and flower are not suitable for human consumption.
The lisianthus comes in two forms: the single-flowered and the double-flowered. The size of the flowers can range from small to large. It takes ten to twelve weeks to grow from a cutting to a flower, regardless of the time of year. Lisianthus is therefore available throughout the year in a wide range of colours. There are also plenty of bicoloured varieties, which attractively combine white with a colour. A new addition to the range is the varieties with extra-large full flowers and lots of petals. The natural-looking varieties are also increasingly common – these flowers give a freshly-picked appearance.
‘Lisianthus The Secret Ingredient’ is an initiative of growers Beishuizen Lisianthus, Berglisianthus, Floralis Lisianthus, Lionstar, Lisianthus Instyle, Lisianthuskwekerij Flower XL, Montana Lisianthus, Pippel Lisianthus, Ricardo Jansen Lisianthus, SenZaro, Sunrise Holland Lisianthus, Van de Werken Lisianthus, Lugt Lisianthus, and Kwekerij Waalzicht. Participating breeders and propagators are Evanthia Seeds & Plants, Sumika Agrotech, Sakata Ornamentals, Takii Europe B.V., Florensis, and J.v. Egmond & Zn. Selectie & vermeerdering.
The book launch is set for Wednesday 8 November at the Trade Fair Aalsmeer in the Netherlands.