Lilies of the valley were a popular Christmas plant around 1900 and were therefore massively subjected to techniques for early flowering in Aalsmeer. Some growers produced lily of the valley all year round. They were used throughout the year in wedding bouquets. Now there is one year-round grower left in Sassenheim. They still work in the same way as their predecessors. Growing all year round requires thorough knowledge of the tubers, the flowers and the conditions under which flowering starts. For example, the Lily of the Valley needs to have frost in order to grow and bloom and then a certain temperature to allow the plants to emerge. A lot of time and attention is needed to keep that process going throughout the year.
There is only one company left that grows Lelietjes-van-Dalen all year round. They are already concentrating more on other flowers to earn a living.
Lily of the valley were a popular Christmas plant around 1900 and were therefore attracted en masse in Aalsmeer. After the First World War there was a dip in the export of the flowers to England because the tubers often came from Germany and the English did not want German stuff.
The only one year-round grower in Sassenheim, the Eggink family, has a fantastic family tradition. See http://www.eggink-convallaria.nl/
