Theo Aanholt, A Passion for Gladiolus

Theo Aanholt is one of Holland's top gladiolus breeders.

Unlike most of the growers who supply Dutch Gardens, Theo Aanholt did not come from a bulb-growing family. He began his career as a middleman between growers and Holland's flower auction houses. As a hobby, Theo began breeding gladiolus and he soon became a sought-after specialist.

On his own 10-acre farm in the northern bulb district, Theo now produces more than 150,000,000 gladiolus bulbs annually. The majority of his bulbs are produced as breeding stock for a consortium of eleven growers from other parts of the region. The production area for these growers totals more than 250 acres.

Theo's breeding efforts are focused on producing better-performing garden gladiolus. He is striving for longer flowering periods, shorter stature, sturdier stems and multiple stems per bulb.

A new variation on gladiolus, developed on Theo's farm, will soon be available to gardeners near and far. Shorter in stature, with multiple stems and an extended bloom time, the plant was first discovered in a field of new varieties. Theo initially thought the plant was stunted and he intended to remove it, but he later found more of these shorter plants and initiated a special breeding program. There are now more than 140 varieties of this exciting new type of plant, which Theo calls "Glamini".

For now, we at Dutch Gardens consider ourselves very fortunate to have the following outstanding gladiolus varieties from the Aanholt farm: Shocking, Butterfly Mixture, Ruffled Mixture, Sophie and The Blues.

Many people dream of turning their hobby into a successful business. Theo Aanholt has succeeding in doing exactly that. "Gladiolus are my all-time favorite flowers," he says. "I love improving the quality of the gladiolus and working outdoors in the fields. My work is my hobby."