At KMB Flowers in the Netherlands, sunflowers are the backbone of the business, but a few years ago, grower Mark Bouw started looking for a way to extend the season. The choice came down to a classic outdoor crop that fits well in the ornamental field: Ilex, a seasonal product with strong volumes and solid turnover potential.
This is Mark's story of how the collaboration with Coloríginz' brand Radical Wonders started and quickly turned out to be a wonderful complement to his year-round business.
Ilex for Radical Wonders by KMB Flowers
Mark's first Ilex plants started as a small corner of the farm with young plants in the ground. "I started with Ilex with just a small corner of field plants," he recalls. "At some point, we began processing peonies for a colleague grower nearby, and that is how we came into contact with Ernst Star, co-founder of My Peony Society." Things accelerated when he met Ernst Star, peony pioneer and co-founder of My Peony Society. During those conversations, the idea arose for KMB to expand not the peonies, but the Ilex on a much larger scale for the group that is now active in Radical Wonders.
"We were talking about what we were growing, including the Ilex," Mark says. "Then, Ernst came up with the idea that we could grow it for them. I said that was fine, but then I asked how many stems he was thinking about. He said: 5 million stems. That was just a number he plucked from the air. I told him we could grow that, but we did not have the liquidity to set it all up. He said, "We can help you with that." That is how we started with Ilex in a serious way."
The target Ernst mentioned was a serious figure that required substantial investment and long-term focus. With support on the financial side and a clear sales concept through Radical Wonders and Coloríginz, KMB Flowers took the leap and built up today’s Ilex production.
The Long Game of Growing Ilex Berries
Ilex is not a quick crop. From the moment a young plant is ordered and planted until it becomes fully productive on a commercial level, Mark counts roughly nine years. "From ordering the little plant until the plants are commercially interesting for us, there is about nine years in between," he explains. "You have two harvests where not many stems come off, and only from the third harvest, the plant is almost adult and really good for production."
So, the crop runs on a two-year production rhythm. "That's correct, the cultivation of Ilex takes two years," Mark says. "It actually starts when harvesting the crop. At that moment, you cut back the plant in a certain way so you can grow good, long stems the following year. The year after that, you get the best stems again, and then you can harvest those. The first year brings usable stems, but the best production usually arrives in the second cycle, when plants are closer to maturity."
Any change in cultivation – pruning strategy, nutrition, spacing, or variety choice – only shows its real effect two years later. That long feedback loop is one of the reasons Ilex is considered a specialist crop. "If you think you need to do something differently, it takes two years before you see the result," Mark notes.
There are fewer Ilex growers compared to peony growers, and many of them are quite reserved in sharing detailed cultivation knowledge. Mark: "And most Ilex growers are fairly conservative; they are not all jumping to explain how it should be done. There is less shared knowledge." According to Mark, that makes it even more important to closely observe your own fields, keep learning from mistakes, and fine-tune your own approach season after season.
KMB Flowers focuses on four main varieties for cut Ilex. "We start with Ilex Citronella, the yellow one," Mark says. "After that, we have Ilex Cresgold, Ilex Wintergold, and the red Ilex Verticillata – that is the bulk of what we grow. We have separate fields where the colors do not stand mixed together." So, the season starts in yellow, moves into orange, and then shifts fully into red for the Christmas period, with the last stems leaving the farm around 19 December.
From Heavy Berries to Retail Bouquets
For florists and buyers, the structure and berry coverage of an Ilex stem is crucial. "The longest length we supply is 1.20 meters," Mark explains. "Those have to be the very best stems. The shortest are 40 centimeters, and everything in between. With us, the 1.20, the 1 meter, and the 80 centimeter stems are all heavily berried." For the longest stems, Mark aims for at least 70 cm of continuous berries from the top down. "A stem of 1 meter 20 has at least 70 centimeters of berries, measured from top to bottom," he says.
The long and heavy stems are ideal for large-scale designs and spacious interiors. "I hear that the really long lengths are mainly for hotel lobbies," Mark says. "But that is not the biggest part we make. We mainly focus on supplying retail." Through Coloríginz and the Radical Wonders concept, KMB Flowers supplies Ilex for consumer bouquets and ready-made mixes. That retail focus demands reliability in volume, consistent grading, and stems that can handle the logistics chain.
In terms of assortment, Mark prefers varieties with many smaller berries over types with fewer large berries. Mark: "The smaller berries are less sensitive to damage, which makes processing more practical."
Another important advantage: Ilex is relatively low in disease pressure. It's not exactly and officially an organically growing product, but it comes very close. "We hardly ever spray against fungi," Mark says. "We definitely use crop protection products, but much less than in potatoes or onions." As an outdoor crop, Ilex does not need heating, and the overall use of crop protection is modest, which supports a future-proof position for the crop in a time where environmental impact is under growing scrutiny.
Working With Coloríginz and Radical Wonders
A key part of the success of Ilex at KMB Flowers is the partnership with Coloríginz and the Radical Wonders brand. "With sunflowers, we do everything ourselves – we do not have intermediaries organizing sales for us," Mark explains. "With Ilex, Radical Wonders organizes the sales. That gives a bit of peace, because I only have to focus on the production and processing of the Ilex, and the sales are their specialty. It works very practically, and I get along well with them. They are hard workers, which I appreciate."
By outsourcing the commercial side of the Ilex program, Mark can focus fully on growing, harvesting, and quality control, while Radical Wonders and Coloríginz take care of positioning the product and filling larger retail programs. The collaboration grew out of the original My Peony Society network and was shaped together over the past five to six years. It is a model that has brought stability, scale, and room for further growth, especially in strong red and hard orange color segments, where Mark still sees plenty of potential. "I expect we can continue with this for a long time," he adds. "We still see growth potential in the market, especially in red and strong orange colors."
A Reliable Product for Florists and Consumers
For florists, Ilex is a reliable seasonal product that offers long-lasting color in winter designs. "You can easily keep Ilex on the vase for two to three weeks," Mark says. "The best would be to place it outside in the cold in this time of year – then it lasts the longest – but indoors it still stands easily for weeks." For even longer enjoyment, place arrangements in a cooler environment or outside in colder weather, where the berries keep their decorative value for an extended period.
Because cut Ilex is sold without foliage, there are no leaves to yellow or break down in the vase solution. Over time, the berries slowly dry and harden, but they typically keep their color rather than turning brown, so the stems continue to offer ornamental value even as they age. "At my home, they have stood inside until Easter," he says. "By then the berries are completely hard and dried, but they are still yellow or red at that point – they do not turn brown."
With its strong seasonal story, clear link to Christmas, and the combination of bold color and long vase life, Ilex from KMB Flowers – supplied through Coloríginz and Radical Wonders – is a solid choice for florists and retailers who want to offer a winter product that performs well all along the chain, from the field to the living room or hotel lobby. As Mark notes, Ilex is becoming an essential part of the Christmas palette: "I think that under Christmas, alongside Amaryllis, Ilex is becoming one of the best-known Christmas flowers – and that is where the biggest growth can be."
Header and feature image by @darcy.
