|
|
|
|
|
In the sixties my father, Jan Harm Bouwman, started with this hobby and I was born in 1966. Just as I already mentioned, I don't know any better
My father started with some cactuses in the windowsill, this was not a long term succes. It did not please my mother that the children as well as the curtains where constantly hanging in the cactuses |
This meant that the plants had to move to a flattened plant-bin in the garden en with that more cactuses came a long, which meant that the plant-bin started to fill-up quickly. When the children felled into the plant-bin my parents realised this was not a good place for the plants. So the decision was made to build a litlle wooden greenhouse in the corner of the garden, my father was very proud of his new acquisition.
When the plants where still in the flattened plant-bin they where easy to move inside before the winter, but with the greenhouse there came more plants and it was not possible to move all of them inside. After much thorough thoughts my father bought an oil heater to warm the greenhouse in the winter. And with al these new expansions my father would be good for a few years forward, without being a bader to anyone.
But anyone who has the cactusvirus knows, if you get the change the expansion of your plants goes on and on. And before you know it the greenhouse will be to small again. My father was lucky enough that the material the greenhouses where made of these days where different from now. Because the wood of the greenhouse did not last to long a bigger greenhouse was born. My father and some of his cactusfriends build a new 6 metre long greenhouse
Of course there was plenty room now, room that needed to be filled again, al with cactuses my father could not place before
To fill this my father went to many cactus conventions, in the beginning these conventions where only for tradin, later the plants where for sale. I went with my father to conventions on a regulair base and people always where giving me plants to take care of, mostly succulents. One of them a very nice lady, mrs. van Vemde, I remember very well.
All of the children had there own little place in the greenhouse where they could put there plants, you have to take good care of them otherwise your space was filled by one of the other kids. I was the youngest and had the advantage that the older ones where soon busy with boy- or girlfriends. Alone with my father I lurned very quickly all the names of the plants and the way you have to take care of them.
But then I also found a girl friend and at the same time I learned that not every one was as easy with a hobby like cactuses, as my mother. So my fathers greenhouse, wich in the mean time changed to one of alluminium, stayed for a long time the only place where I could be buzzy with these plants
I went on with visiting the conventions with my father and sometimes I bougth a plant. Mostly Yucca's or agave, but when I could not resist to buy a cactus, my father placed them in top of his greenhouse with the words "when you get your one greenhouse you can take them with you
But then I met someone, now my wife, who just like me likes cactuses. And than your dream of years comes true, your building your own greenhouse. I will never forget my fathers face and his comment when he saw the greenhouse 'poeh, poeh, an't that something'. This time is much different from the time my father started, these days you have much better heatings and climate regulation for greenhouses and because of that it is easyer to keep other kinds of cactuses.
Sadly my father died soon after I build the greenhouse and he did not see the it when it was all finished. After he died his plants became mine and luckly he could spent the last months of his life to give me much information about his plants. A lot of them are fourthy years old and all have their own story, and now the are standing between my cactuses in the greenhouse
Besides the greenhouse we also have a large garden at the front and at the back of our house, my goal is to put as much cactuses that can stay outside during the winter in the garden
When I look at the story above I think may be for some of you it will be too long, but for my it is exsactly the way I wounted it to be, to tell about the way my hobby began and with that a little ode to my father
Sjaak Bouwman
|
|
