The time for good wishes is already well behind us, but since this is the first time I'm speaking to you in 2026, I'd still like to wish you a good and, above all, prosperous 2026. It's been a while since you heard from me. After our shipping weeks in the autumn, Iris and I took some more rest. We enjoyed reading by the fireplace and also took the time to explore the neighborhood. The past year was a hectic one, with a lot happening both personally and professionally. Especially the move to the Achterhoek in the summer, immediately followed by the shipping weeks, was challenging in terms of organization and worries.
The nice thing about living in a new environment, especially if it's on the other side of the country, is that there's a lot to discover close to home. So we didn't go on holiday, but stayed home and explored the surroundings. We took beautiful walks and visited charming villages. What's also really something to get used to for us is that we now live so close to the German border. We spent an afternoon at a wildlife park in Anholt, which truly feels like a holiday for us because we could never just cross the border for an afternoon before. During the Christmas period, of course, we also visited a Christmas market in Germany. We went to Bocholt, which isn't very big, but very cozy!
We also baked "oliebollen" (Dutch doughnuts) for the neighbors. It was a really nice way to introduce ourselves to more people and tell the neighbors what we do with our webshop and nursery.
In addition, we've already been busy with preparations for the spring season of Clay & Roots. In March, we will resume shipping peony root tubers. Starting January 24th, peonies will be available to order again in our webshop.
At Jan's nursery, there's not much happening at the moment. The perennials have almost completely died back, and in the coming period, we will remove the old foliage. When a longer period of frost is predicted, we cover the potted plants in the cultivation field with fleece cloth. This protects the plants from frost and dehydration. You might not think of it first, but dehydration is the most dangerous thing for potted plants during prolonged frost. The snow in early January was therefore very welcome, as it provided natural cover for the plants against the frost.
End of December, fleece cloth as protection against frost.
Early January, snow on the cultivation field.
Furthermore, we are busy making plans to expand the cultivation field. We would like to grow more perennials in P9 pots, so that we can offer a wider assortment through Clay & Roots. Ultimately, we are working towards being large enough to obtain an organic certificate for our nursery.
We previously sent this update to our Newsletter subscribers. In the coming months, we will send a personal update with stories from the nursery approximately once a month.
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Greetings from Marc
