Swannanoa – December 18, Marco Rozenbroek posted on the Friends of Swannanoa, NC Facebook group page, “That was a great day of planting the spring garden at Grovemont Park, Swannanoa. Tomorrow, Thursday, we will start at 8:30 again. Anybody who wants to be part of the Swannanoa Beautification Team, come on over and plant some bulbs together, meet some new neighbor friends, and let’s beautify our neighborhood together!!! Hope to see some of you tomorrow. Thank you.”
Included were bunches of spring flower emojis and a photo of a bright, sculpted tulip garden. This contrasted sharply with the bleak midwinter made even duller after Hurricane Helene caked everything in mud. Rozenbroek needed volunteers to help him plant about 10,000 bulbs donated from a company in the Netherlands.
Having served four years on its board, Rozenbroek remains very active with the Swannanoa Community Council, which is something like a business improvement district for “downtown” Swannanoa. The group has owned and managed the library, Grovemont Park, and Grovemont Square for about 50 years, and they host festivities to bring the community together and support local efforts.
Rozenbroek said he buys bulbs for his large garden from the company Dutch Grown. “I reached out and asked if it was possible to do a donation,” he said, hoping he might get a few boxes to add some splashes of color in spring.
Ben and Pete Rotteveel are the fourth-generation owners of the family bulb business, Dutch Grown. Ben said Dutch Grown was founded in 1882 and is “one of the oldest and most respected wholesale flower bulb exporters in the Netherlands.” The family grows all its “high-quality flower bulbs” on its farm in Voorhout. Since 2007, under the brothers’ leadership, the company has expanded to take online orders (dutchgrown.com), sells in any quantity, and ships two weeks faster thanks to a warehouse stateside in Michigan.
Ben explained, “Marco Rozenbroek reached out to us via email and included photos of the devastation. While we were already aware of the impact of Hurricane Helene, these images were truly heartbreaking. He shared that the community is working tirelessly to rebuild, with much of the effort being carried out by dedicated volunteers.”
Ben recalls that he and Pete, “both immediately agreed to make this donation without hesitation.” He explained, “At Dutch Grown, our motto is, ‘To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.’ When tulips bloom in spring, they bring hope and joy to the entire community.”
They knew from Rozenbroek that Swannanoa had a park, so they put together a generous shipment. “We were hoping that all the flower bulbs would be planted there so this spring visitors could enjoy all the beautiful flowers,” said Ben.
“It wasn’t just tulips; it was daffodils, alliums, and peonies,” said Rozenbroek. They also received 125 amaryllis bulbs, which couldn’t be planted outside in the winter but were paid forward to Bounty & Soul for paying forward again in their Christmas boxes.
Rozenbroek was very grateful for the shipment that drastically altered his scope of work. He said he grew up on a tulip farm in the Netherlands, and he knew, “You don’t want to plant bulbs in the frost.” That gave him just a few days, as the next week would be marked by bone-chilling temperatures. “Receiving the bulbs was the first thing. The second thing was getting them planted.”
By good fortune, he met up with Halsey Congleton, who is attending Warren Wilson College. He designed the layout for the tulips as a student project. Next, they had to make the walkways, and they were able to get enough wood chips from a guy who normally supplies them for the park and surroundings. Rozenbroek said the first day of planting was good but kind of slow, but the next day, more people showed up, and one guy had a tiller.
Rozenbroek said this is how they do things in Holland. It was, in fact, a cousin that inspired him to plant in the park. He told of one small Dutch village that plants 250,000 bulbs in their park. “Come on over in spring,” he said. “I think we did a very good job.”
Ben and Pete wanted to share the following from the Netherlands: “We extend our heartfelt hopes that all those impacted by the devastation of Hurricane Helene can rebuild their lives and find stability once again. We also wish to express our deepest admiration and gratitude to the incredible volunteers who have stepped up to help.”