THE MAPLE NURSERY

At the time, Philippe worked as a programmer in the IT sector, while Kurt works (and still does) as an investment product developer at a Belgian bank.

Kurt’s passion for trees grew gradually as he expanded his garden with numerous maples, ginkgos and other multi-stemmed trees. Philippe, on the other hand, discovered his love for maples through the world of bonsai, which he had been involved with since 2019. A visit to the Esveld Arboretum in May 2021 reinforced their shared admiration for these exceptional trees. As they spent more time delving into maples, they realised that this passion was a calling they could not ignore.

With the help of their friend Wim, a professional grafter and nature guide for children, they ventured into their first batch of Japanese maples in the summer of 2022. This marked the first step towards their own nursery. They built a large greenhouse and started with about 2,000 grafted plants in the first year, followed by 5,000 plants in the second year, and so on.

In 2023, they bought a former ornamental grass nursery to further expand their production capacity and transform their nursery from an extensive hobby into a fully-fledged professional enterprise.

When Grower's choice May/June 2025 The Maple Nursery presents Acer palmatum ‘Ukigumo’.