Things are beginning to looke better
Posted: May 13, 2010 9:01 am
A couple of months ago I went to an information day, organized by the NHV (Dutch Hosta Society).
One of the speakers was one of the better known Dutch wholesale perennial and hosta growers.
They finally seem to take the HVX problem very serious, and do thorough and extensive testing.
As I live in the middle of HVX country, and have seen a lot of HVX over the last couple of years in garden centers all over the country, I'm pleased to see a lot less infected plants now. In fact, I haven't seen any this year so far.
Commercially speaking, this is logical. The hosta export to the US, the main source of income for wholesale hosta growers, had stopped completely. To get back in business, they had to prove the outbreak is under control. Well, it seems they have made it in the end.
A word of praise to the dedicated wholesale and retail hosta specialists like Jan Van den Top and Marco Fransen, and others. From the very start of the HVX outbreak they have done everything they can, at great personal expense, to supply buyers with virus and disease free plants.
One of the speakers was one of the better known Dutch wholesale perennial and hosta growers.
They finally seem to take the HVX problem very serious, and do thorough and extensive testing.
As I live in the middle of HVX country, and have seen a lot of HVX over the last couple of years in garden centers all over the country, I'm pleased to see a lot less infected plants now. In fact, I haven't seen any this year so far.
Commercially speaking, this is logical. The hosta export to the US, the main source of income for wholesale hosta growers, had stopped completely. To get back in business, they had to prove the outbreak is under control. Well, it seems they have made it in the end.
A word of praise to the dedicated wholesale and retail hosta specialists like Jan Van den Top and Marco Fransen, and others. From the very start of the HVX outbreak they have done everything they can, at great personal expense, to supply buyers with virus and disease free plants.