In our ‘around the world’ items we visit a different part of the world and tell you more about the local vegetation from that continent or area. In our previous ‘around the world’ item we took you on a journey to the South African (fynbos) vegetation. In this article we keep it close to our home and travel through Europe. We tell you all about the European flora in relation to the products you can find within our range.

Although the flowers & plants originate from a certain continent or area, this does not mean that they are still (commercially) grown in that area today. Other places in the world can be very suitable for growing these flowers or greenery. So you can purchase certain products all year round!  Read on for the European edition of ‘Around the world’.

ARBUTUS

Arbutus is an evergreen tree or a large shrub and can reach a height between 5 and 25 meters. There are arbutus varieties in Europe (around the Mediterranean area) and in North America, although both groups are not closely related; these two species were separated some 25 million years ago. In Europe, the Arbutus tree is also called ‘strawberry tree’, because the fruits that the tree produces look a bit like strawberries. Although these fruits are edible, they are not as tasty as the ‘real’ strawberry.

ASTER

The stem of the aster is decorated by small leaves and shining on top are the flowers with the hearts of gold. The dainty petals of the aster are placed in a starlike shape around the heart. It is this shape that gave the flower her name. In Greek ‘aster’ means ‘star’! The species ‘Tripolium pannonicum’ and the ‘galatella linosyris’ are originally from Europe, most other species are from North-America. This flower belongs to the sunflower family, just like the dahlia and (some) daisies! We definitely can see the family resemblance there.

DIANTHUS

The Mediterranean area is the birthplace of dianthus, which is also referred to as ‘carnation’. You’ll find this flower in the ‘wild’ in Greece, Croatia, Italy and Spain. Throughout the ages, and through human intervention this flower has ended up all over the world which brought on an even bigger dianthus-variation. Dianthus has a huge symbolic value; in the Middle Ages this flower was symbolised the Virgin Mary, in Japan this flower is gifted around Mother’s Day and in the Netherlands the dianthus is a symbol for war veterans.

LAVENDER

Long live lavender! This popular summer flower is always a good fit in the garden. Bonus points for the delicious scent and the fact that bees and butterflies seem to absolutely love this flower. Furthermore, lavender is extremely suitable as a cutflower. Most lavender varieties are from the Mediterranean area. You are probably familiar with the pictures of endless violet lavender fields, with an orange sun setting in the background. The French Provence has become quite famous for these breathtaking sights. You can admire this spectacle in all its glory from July to early August.

LIMONIUM

Limonium is a genus that contains about 120 flowering varieties, and you might know this floral beauty under the name ‘statice’. Many of these varieties love the ocean. It is therefore not strange that the English nickname for limonium is ‘sea lavender’. In Englenad they can spread out over a large costal area. There are also varieties that grow just fine on the mainland and do very well in flowerbeds facing south, since they love to soak up the sunlight.

NORDMANN

In contrary to what you might expect, the Nordmann fir is not from Northern Europe. To find the roots of the Nordmann, you have to travel in the other direction, to the Black Sea-area in countries such as Turkey, Georgia and Russia. Why this tree is called ‘Nordmann’ (or Nordman at our webshop)? The tree is named after Finnish biologist Alexander von Normann, who introduced the tree in western Europe. Throughout the years the Scandinavian countries embraced this tree as one of their own. In these countries Nordmann firs are planted to mitigate the forest decline due to climate change.

OLIVE TREE

For centuries, the olive tree played an important role in cultures around the Mediterranean sea. According to the Greeks, Goddess Athena donated an olive tree to the city of Athens. To this day, an olive tree can still be found at the Acroplis in Athens. Furthermore, for the Jewish culture, the olive tree is a symbol of peace and happiness.

The original distribution area of the olive tree is mainly Europe. But nowadays the olive tree grows in many countries around the world. Mainly due to its delicious olives the tree produces of course. But the branches of the olive tree are also frequently used in arrangements because of its high decorative and symbolic value.

RUSCUS

Although you might not initially suspect it, ruscus belongs to the asparagus family. This plant originates from Western Europe and the Mediterranean area, but also occurs in parts of Asia. Ruscus is available in various leaf variations and stem lengths. The ruscus variety with the finer leaves for example, will look wonderful in a (bridal) bouquet, where the ruscus cascades down the bouquet.