Hans de Koning Nursery: An honor to supply to Indoor Friesland

There's a lot to consider at an event like Indoor Friesland. Everything has to be considered, for people and animals, for guests and staff. Something you might not immediately think of, but which is crucial for the competition's overall appeal, is the landscaping. "Without flowers and plants, even the most beautiful competition isn't a competition," says Hans de Koning, who, together with his wife Antoinette, owns Kwekerij Hans de Koning in Rohel. He's been coming to the old Indoor Friesland since he was still a stroller. Later, he rode there, and since last year, he's been the proud supplier of the hundreds of flowers and plants on display in the main arena.

Hans is 57 years old and lives in Rotsterhaule. He was born in Rohel near the Tjeukermeer lake in the Joure, Heerenveen, and Lemmer triangle. He is married and has a 31-year-old daughter. Hans de Koning Nursery grows annual bedding plants for associations and the Municipality of South West Friesland, for which everything is done under contract. The company also has a small-scale landscaping business and is active in event design.

Started as a seven-year-old 

Hans clearly finds it difficult to talk about himself, but we get the information we want. However, once the conversation shifts to Indoor Friesland, his enthusiasm grows and we hear the pride in his voice. Hans: “I've been crazy about horses since I was a child. When I was about seven or eight, I went with my cousin and brother to the riding school in Gorredijk for pony lessons. The whole family was horse-crazy, and soon we got our own pony. I kept riding until I was forty. My wife and daughter continued for a while, but my daughter stopped two years ago as well; she's busy running her own beauty salon. We still have our land at home, and I regularly buy a foal at auction that we raise, break, and sell.”

Already in the stroller at Indoor Friesland 

My parents also rode horses, and my first time at Indoor Friesland was when I was still in my stroller. Indoor Friesland was already THE competition for us back then. When I was in primary school, we went with the club. You just had to go, because Indoor Friesland was prestigious. From 1980 onwards, I was involved in the landscaping for Indoor Friesland, which was then held in the Frieslandhal. My parents owned a garden center, and I remember several of us spending days creating flower arrangements for the event. I also competed nationally, and in 1995 I even won the M class with our own bred horse, Doradien. I'm still proud of that. My wife competed in dressage with her, and I jumped.

Conviviality, top-level sport, diversity 

Two years ago, your chairman, Waling Haytema, whom I've known for a long time, approached me. My wife and his wife have also been friends for a long time. He asked me to provide Indoor Friesland 2.0 with flowers and plants. I found that difficult. We used to do that too, but now it's a three-star competition. However, I was invited by the track manager and received all the information I needed, and after that, I decided to take on the challenge. Long story short, that first time last year was a huge success, and this year there will be a follow-up. Indoor Friesland in three words? Conviviality, top-level sport, and diversity.

Preparation already started 

Our preparations begin in early September. We have regular suppliers from whom we order based on the arena manager's requirements. We're given free rein in choosing the materials, but we do receive information about the decorations. Think of heights and colors. You have to secure certain plants in advance, but we also go out and buy them in September. Naturally, we want to select the most beautiful items. When they arrive, they first go into the greenhouse. It's not easy to just choose what you like, especially because October is a difficult transitional month for a nursery. I mean, summer is over and the Christmas foliage hasn't arrived yet. We always work with ferns anyway. They're beautiful, color well on a light soil, and you can create a lot of volume with them. We use a few hundred of them here. About that difficult part: Hydrangeas, for example, are still very beautiful now, but they won't be in four weeks. The same goes for ball chrysanthemums. Everything stays fresh a bit longer in the cold storage, but you have to think carefully and arrange everything properly. However, I really enjoy doing it all. because I have Indoor Friesland very much at heart.”

Beautiful memories​​

I have many fond memories of the event, but my victory in the M-level show jumping is by far the best from the old competition. As for Indoor Friesland 2.0, it's the moment we saw "our" arena for the first time and all the compliments we received. Our flowers and plants in the main arena of the three-star Indoor Friesland competition—it was truly special. We're busy and can't be there every day to enjoy it, but we will come two or three days. I especially love the show jumping, and this year I'd also like to watch the Frisian evening. I absolutely love watching Jeroen Dubbeldam ride then; he's a phenomenon and can make any horse perform. Franke Sloothaak, however, has been my favorite for a long time. He was born in our village, and I spoke to him a few times last year—it was lovely.

Check out other competitions 

We're not just going to Indoor Friesland. We're also visiting the KWPN stallion competition, the Pavo Cup, the Blom Cup, the World Championships in Lanaken, and events held in Ermelo. We'll be looking at the horses, of course, but definitely also at the plants and whether we can learn anything. No matter how big or small an event is, without greenery, it's a dull affair. In fact, I dare say that even the biggest competition isn't a competition without flowers and plants.

Fun is very important 

Last year's Indoor Friesland was a dream for us. Everyone was so enthusiastic, and we had a great feeling about it. We're so happy to be doing it again this year. It's a lot of work, and we're not getting rich from it, but fun is so important. So come on down to Indoor Friesland and don't just look at the horses, but definitely also at the flowers and plants.

Photos: Hans de Koning Archives

Text: Marjan de Wildt for Indoor Friesland