Anneke Van Pee has been working at Floréac for 38 years. Every day, hundreds of plants glide through her hands. The passion is great. Because even after working hours, in her own garden, she is busy taking care of plants every day. The more special the better. With the top favourite: her carnivores.
“As a logistician, my main job is to label the plants with the customer’s price and logo. I have been doing this for about 24 years, but it remains interesting . My colleagues and I see a huge number of plants passing through. New varieties too. I remember it well when we first had to provide carnivores with a label . I was immediately sold.
They are such fascinating plants. They are fed purely by insects and need no other nutrients. When I put my carnivorous plants on the terrace in summer, I can even see the insects being caught! Throughout the summer, we have no trouble with flies. Besides, they are also decoratively just very beautiful plants. With their special shapes. Some species even produce flowers.
Since I got to know these plants at Floréac, they have really become my hobby. I have the most common species at home: Nepenthes, Sarracenia and Dionaea. I enjoy taking care of them immensely. They are challenging plants, but that’s just what I like about them. Carnivores, for example, should not be allowed to have piped water . That’s why I have a rain barrel in my garden especially for these plants. My goal is to keep the carnivores I have as beautiful as possible. Especially in summer, that gives me a lot of satisfaction: when you see the plants grow and their flowers bloom open. Then I am satisfied.
I have always been a plant woman. I’ve been in the plant business for 38 years now, but I still love them as much as ever. With a great fondness for the more special plants that are harder to look after. And have a high decorative value. I like to experiment with shapes and arrangements. Sometimes it fails, but then you’ve tried anyway. It’s the same with my carnivores. And with my tillandsias, air plants. Another passion of mine. But that might be for the next edition of our magazine (laughs).”