When you step into the red Ilex field in Venhorst, you feel it right away: this crop is all about timing, patience, and choices you only see the result of years later. At KMB Flowers, grower Mark Bouw is in the middle of his peak weeks – the moment when a whole year of work has to come together in just a few harvest days, especially since this is a staple for Christmas.
I drove a long way to visit Mark and learn more about why he is such an important grower for the Radical Wonders label by Coloríginz.
The Peak of the Ilex Season
We walk between long rows of Ilex Verticillata, heavy with berries. Harvest will last for about another week and a half. After that, it is done for the season. Most of the stems have already been sold to fixed customers with pre-agreed quantities. Now it is all about harvesting, grading, and shipping precisely.
Mark is calm but focused:
"The coming weeks are the most important. That is when it has to peak. That is when we have to move the volumes."
Additionally, he is satisfied with the conditions under which his crop has been growing. Good Ilex weather is paying off. Mark says:
"This season has treated the Ilex well. It was what growers call a light year – more light, less dark, and less wet weather. And you see it in the production and in the quality, which was above average."
I must say, indeed, that the bunches at KMB Flowers look full, with strong, straight stems and a clean berry set. For florists, that means reliable quality and fewer surprises on the workbench.
From Sunflowers to Ilex – The Growth of KMB Flowers
You will find KMB Flowers tucked far away in Venhorst, the utter eastern part of the province of Noord-Brabant, at a 2-hour drive from the nearest Royal FloraHolland flower auction. Mark Bouw did not start with Ilex. About 12.5 years ago, he stepped in as a grower with sunflowers as the core crop, which they still are. Today, KMB Flowers grows roughly around 140 hectares of sunflowers in the Netherlands, another 25–30 hectares of sunflowers in Spain, about 40 hectares of red Ilex, and around 10 hectares of colored Ilex varieties, with clear growth potential in orange for the earlier part of the season (October–November).
I asked Mark: "Are you then the biggest?" He answered "Almost," with a smile. Why? "Because that is the best place to be, not to be the top dog." It says a lot about the mindset in Venhorst: grow big enough to matter, but stay close enough to the crop to steer on quality.
Two Red Workhorses: Ilex Magical Berry and Magical Amarante
KMB Flowers grows two red varieties, Ilex Magical Berry and Ilex Magical Amaranth. Both come from the Magical assortment of breeder Kolster, and each has its own character and structure. Magical Berry gives slightly finer, more branched stems, while the Magical Amaranth produces heavier stems loaded with berries.
Mark adds:
"A practical plus for florists and wholesalers: these varieties do not require netting for cultivation. The stems remain straight and do not bend, making processing easier and keeping the product uniform."
In trade, most of these stems end up under a straightforward label: Ilex Verticillata Red. Whether it is the variety Ilex Magical Berry, Ilex Magical Amaranth, Ilex Oosterwijk, or Ilex Crimson – names often disappear once they hit the clock or the order list.
Quality You Cannot Build In One Season
Those full, heavy stems at KMB Flowers are not the result of one magic trick in the field. For a grower like KMB Flowers, it is a mix of selecting the right varieties, implementing uniform crop management, understanding each cultivar's characteristics, and building the plant over many years.
And that last point is key. Ilex is a long-term crop. From planting to full production, you are looking at almost nine years. In the first two years, there is no harvest. From the third year on, you will get a few stems per plant. The plant increases volume around year seven, being fully up and running for commercial production around the ninth year.
Mark:
"Imagine, from purchase to a fully productive crop is almost nine years. Only then do I finally start seeing a return on my investment."
So, let's count backwards: Mark started planting his Ilex in 2016. Those plants are now in their economically interesting phase. Some of that development occurred in collaboration with Coloríginz on the chain's operational side. This wholesale sourcing company had a specialist label for its Ilex assortment called 'Radical Wonders'.
Why Ilex Is Interesting for Florists
Having visited KMB Flowers and witnessed the top-notch quality myself, I can assure every florist that if you are designing with red Ilex from this grower, you can count on strong, straight stems that are easy to process and arrange, a heavy berry set, especially on varieties like Magical Amarante, a product shaped by light levels and weather, but stabilized by good variety choices and crop management, and a supply that is largely pre-planned, which means consistency for regular customers.
For you as a florist, red Ilex is an ideal material for seasonal statements in shop displays, Advent and Christmas designs, large arrangements in hospitality, retail, and corporate spaces, and structural work where lines and silhouettes matter as much as color.
Behind every stem is a grower who has spent almost a decade getting that Ilex to the level you can unpack in-store. That is the quiet story in the background of every red branch you place in a design.
As mentioned, the Ilex from KMB Flowers is ready and available at Coloríginz under the Radical Wonders label.
