The Flower Love of Karin: “I saw it with my father: life is more enjoyable as a farmer.”

Karin Weel grows peonies in the northern part of North Holland. She inherited her love for agricultural entrepreneurship from her father and is now passing it on to her daughter. “Fortunately, I’m seeing more and more female growers.”

“I grew up on a farm. For as long as I can remember, my father grew freesias year-round. I helped out there for a while. My father was able to retire at 65. I didn’t want to take over the business at the time because I didn’t want to grow flowers year-round. That’s why I went to work for other growers first. Eventually, I did start my own business after all. Unfortunately, it was for a sad reason; my uncle became terminally ill. I took over his peony nursery. It’s wonderful that I’ve been able to continue his work. It feels good to be my own boss.”

From generation to generation
“My father is now 84 years old. He’s happy that I’ve finally started my own farm. And he’s proud that I’m doing it as a woman, together with my daughter. You don’t see many women who own a farm, though there are more and more in the peony business. My father still visits me at the farm often. He is and always will be a farmer, someone who loves being out in the fields. He has truly passed that feeling on to me.”

“I’ve passed that feeling on myself, too. I have one daughter, who’s 18. She’s been helping out at the farm for quite a few years now. Not just because I make her, haha. She genuinely enjoys it. And of course, she earns some money from it, too. She’s already partially involved in the business, but she’s going to finish her studies first. I’d certainly like it if she eventually took over for me, but I’m not going to push her. She should only do it if she really enjoys it. If she feels the same way my father and I do: that life is truly a lot more fun when you’re a farmer.”

Mother’s Choice
“The beauty of this profession is that you never know for sure what will happen. You have to work hard, pay attention, and respond to factors that can influence growth. The weather, the seasons, other influences. The first peonies from the greenhouse are ready around Mother’s Day. My peonies are grown outdoors, so they’re usually ready just before or after Mother’s Day. We’re usually a bit later, because it’s a bit colder here in the northern part of North Holland than further south in the Netherlands. In addition, we have to time the cutting of the peonies just right; it’s a very precise process. If you cut them at the right stage of ripeness, you can store them in the cold storage unit for a while. If you’re too early or too late, that becomes difficult.”

“So for me, the period around Mother’s Day isn’t necessarily extra busy. But of course it’s nice when we’re ready just before Mother’s Day. Because the peony is a beautiful flower to give. Especially Mother’s Choice, one of the varieties I grow. Not just because of the name, but mainly because of its appearance. Mother’s Choice is a beautiful, heavy peony with a large bud. When it blooms, it starts out a bit light pink and slowly changes to white. The flower really comes alive in the vase—it’s always amazing to see. I hope all the moms who receive flowers on Mother’s Day are happy about it. Whatever kind of flowers they are—I’m happy for everyone’s business. May they think: I’d love to get a bunch like that again. Or maybe I’ll give one away myself someday. Because giving or receiving flowers is just always fun.”