Flower bulbs and flower meadows complement each other perfectly. A fruitful combination

A good thing, as bees and butterflies find nutrient-rich habitat there from early summer. But what about the months leading up to that?

Bloembollen Vanacker has been considered a reference in Belgium since the 1970s. The wholesaler specializes in - how could it be otherwise - all types of flower bulbs, but behind the scenes it is also explicitly committed to biodiversity. To this end, the company has in recent years not only included a full range of seed mixtures for flower meadows in its range, but also develops solutions that allow beneficial insects to be protected and supported from early spring onwards.

Extend flowering period

"The growing attention to wildflower meadows is an important boost for biodiversity," says business manager Geert Vanacker. "But the mixtures have their limitations. Even when sown early, the first flowers will not emerge until late spring or early summer. That means that bees and butterflies have already had to go hungry for several months."

In that respect, flower bulbs can be a nice addition to seed mixtures, Vanacker believes. "Early-flowering plants such as crocuses and daffodils already provide the necessary food in February and March. Combining them with flower bulbs thus significantly extends the flowering period of a flower meadow. Moreover, the plants return year after year and contain relatively large amounts of nectar and pollen. The bulbs in our early flowering bee mixture were specially selected because of their high nutritional value for bees and butterflies."

Planting and seeding in one motion

To simplify the construction of such long-blooming flower meadows, Bloembollen Vanacker has developed a unique planting-seeding machine in recent years. In one movement, it ensures that the bulbs are planted and the seed mixture is sown. "It involves a sequence of all the necessary operations: the soil is milled, the bulbs are planted, the soil is crushed, the flower seed is sown and, finally, the surface is rolled. All this by driving across the field once and with complete control over both planting and seeding density."

With an eye for finish

Flower bulbs, by the way, are not only a nice addition to flower meadows. Existing lawns also receive an upgrade in biodiversity with bulbs and tubers, without necessarily having to break up the entire area to do so. "An undergrass planter cuts open the sod, plants the bulbs and then seals everything up nicely. At least, that's the intention. We therefore continue to continuously optimize our machines so that we can guarantee a nice finish in all conditions. Our current model, for example, is not only equipped with computer control for optimal planting density and two separately controllable trays, each 50 centimeters wide, but also with a turning system that allows bends to be made in a flowing motion - without disturbing the soil structure - and a roller to roll the turf back up nicely afterwards. In addition, two experienced operators always accompany our machines, both to operate the machine and to check the final result. This is also the case with the plant seeder."