Three times Olympic champion in speed skating Irene Schouten to open the 12th Dutch Lily Days

On 4 June, the world stage for lilies, the Dutch Lily Days, has the honour of being officially opened by a world champion. Irene Schouten, who is 31 and a five-time Olympic medalist and a triple Olympic Champion, will be the guest of honour during the event’s opening ceremony at ’t Zandt-based Zabo Plant, which this year celebrates 40 years in business.

In February this year, Schouten ended her impressive career in speed skating, picking up many Olympic, world and European titles. She was best known for employing her power in the mass start and team pursuit.

To flourish like that, an optimal climate and intensive collaboration is needed in all aspects, along with dedication, insight and content. And it demands the ability to surprise where needed. This is something that the lily sector is also undertaking step by step.

The Dutch Lily Days, the annual open house event for the Dutch lily industry, will run between 4-7 June 2024 at 13 lily companies across the northwest of Holland and bring together a cross-section of the Dutch lily industry and institutional stakeholders. Bringing a rainbow of colours and a plethora of shapes and sizes are tried and tested lily varieties along with many new market entries.

Now in its 12th year, the Dutch Lily Days will showcase the best of Dutch lily breeders, bulb suppliers and growers and offers the opportunity to discover the lilies customers will love.

True to tradition, the dates of the Dutch Lily Days coincide more or less with the FlowerTrials, the annual open days for the bedding and garden plant sector. The latter is four days later, so visitors travelling from abroad can easily combine a visit to both events.

Bulb exporter Zabo Plant, celebrating 40 years in business this year, will host the event’s official opening on 4 June.

At Lily Days-participant Oning Holland, visitors will be invited to cast their ballot for their all-time favourite lily. Last year, the double-flowered Oriental ‘Diantha’ by Vletter & Den Haan topped the Dutch Lily League, Onings Holland’s annual ranking of the top 50 of the world’s most appreciated lily varieties.

The participants in the 2023 Dutch Lily Days are P. Aker, Boot Flowerbulbs, Van den Bos Flowerbulbs, Bot Flowerbulbs, De Jong Lilies, Lily Company, Onings Holland Flowerbulbs, C. Steenvoorden, Gebr. Vletter & Den Haan, VWS Flowerbulbs, World Breeding, Zabo Plant, and Royal Van Zanten Flowerbulbs.

For more information, see FCI’s extensive coverage on last year’s event and visit www.dutchlilydays.com