Cor Bouwmeester, Perennial Specialist

Cor Bouwmeester

When Dutch Gardens visits Holland's famed Keukenhof Gardens each Spring, we invariably pay a visit to the nearby town of Noordwijkerhout, and the farm of Cor Bouwmeester. Cor grows more than 400 different varieties of perennials, and produces a mind-boggling seven million plants each year, many of which are offered in the Dutch Gardens catalog.

This leading Dutch grower is well known for discovering new and improved varieties, and he always has something exciting to show us. One of his many recent introductions, now available from Dutch Gardens, is Purple Emperor Sedum, which has showy red flower heads and beautiful burgundy foliage.

Like most Dutch growers, Cor became involved with plants at a young age by working in the family business. He started growing perennials when he was just 17, and then went on for degrees in both horticulture and business. His wife and three sons are currently actively involved in the business, as is his father.

Cor has a particular interest in irises, and grows all types of them. He is especially interested in the low-growing varieties, and is hoping to develop a new range of colors and forms. He recently purchased more than 200 bearded iris seedlings from a breeder in the U.S., and is gradually selecting out the very best, with the goal of growing out and then introducing these new selections to gardeners in the U.S.

Cor is well respected in the Dutch horticultural community for his commitment to organic gardening. He has been experimenting with organic alternatives for many years and today is successfully growing several test acres of beautiful plants without using a single chemical. His success is pointing the way for other Dutch growers to use more environmentally-friendly techniques.