Going Dutch Van Wingerden came to the U.S. in 1967 when his parents emigrated from Holland, along with three of his uncles and their families. “I always say I am a very lucky person that I was born over there,” he said. “I got a certain amount of upbringing over there. I was 13 years old when I came over here, and I said I’m luckier yet to live in America, living the American dream.”
In the greenhouse Here’s the dirt on growing daisies: Van Wingerden doesn’t use any. Gerberas grow hydroponically in his greenhouses. “You take it out of the soil, and you put them in a pot with what we call a substrate,” he said. “We use cocoa fibers.” Carpets made with cocoa fibers are long lasting, and the growing media is the same, he noted. “It keeps its structure instead of becoming mush.”
Life in the slow lane “I am in my last five or 10 years of work,” Van Wingerden said. His son Ivor now runs the Ocean Breeze branch in Nipomo. One niece, Casey Rosenberg, is general manager in Carpinteria; another, Cagney Miller, runs the mass-marketing arm, Mobi’s. “I don’t think I’ll ever retire, because I wouldn’t know what to do with myself, but I’m very proud of my nieces and my son, that they are one of the few flower growers left in America,” Van Wingerden said.
The impact of imports What might surprise people about the flowers they find in the store? “We have taken polls, and the consumer thinks that everything comes from America,” Van Wingerden said. In reality, only 20% are from America; most of the rest are from South America. “Ask where your flowers come from,” he suggested. “Are they certified American grown?” Details
on U.S. blooms are available at americangrownflowers.org.
Kevin Hecteman khecteman@californiabountiful.com
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