Geert Coppens
With his head among the roses
Growing up between his father's roses, Geert quickly gets the taste, or rather, smell. As a young guy he joins the business. At first he focuses on packaged roses and shrubs in small pots. Then he switches to container cultivation and open ground and expands to about 10 hectares.
He grows flowering ornamental shrubs and hedge plants and, of course, roses in pots and full soil. What did you expect? And that explains why Geert does not hesitate when Bestselect opens its doors to new members. He is the only one growing roses for the cooperative, strong healthy varieties that also open easily in pots.
Meet our growers
Hans De Neve
For a garden with character
In 1988, Hans De Neve did what he never intended to do. He became a tree nurseryman. Just like his father and grandfather. Grandpa De Neve started between the two world wars with vegetables and tobacco plants, two important foodstuffs. After the war, his father and brother also joined the company, but Hans did not. He saw how hard it was. But his love for plants won out. And it looked like a fourth generation of tree nurserymen would follow.
Read moreLucas De Nolf
A family tree of breeders
Tree nursery Willy De Nolf is, to put it mildly, a family affair. Of the family, only one scion of four is not in the business. Lucas started with his brother in 2012. In 2018, he becomes chairman of Bestselect.
Read morePatrick Damen
Patrick Damen: Plant expert/Bestselect grower/winter triathlete - Bestselect
In the mid-1970s, Frans and José Damen set up a nursery. As the only son, Patrick quickly mastered the trade. With his wife Sandy at his side, he focused on growing shrubs, half-stems, ornamental grasses and plants on 3.5 hectares of land in Meer.
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