Simon
Simon van der Velde
How it began in 1972...
At the age of 9, fishing was Simon van der Velde's biggest hobby/leisure activity. After school he caught bait fish for the local shopkeeper in the village. Since fishing went very well for him and he got 10 cents per fish, this made him a nice pocket money. One day Simon fell into the water and went under. Soaking wet, he took his 20 or so fish and was paid 2 guilders. When Simon stood soaking wet in the store, the shopkeeper took a water plant from his wet coat. The shopkeeper put the water plant in the goldfish bowl and gave Simon 25 cents. Simon had quickly calculated that 25 cents was more than 10 cents and asked if the shopkeeper needed more aquatic plants . This was indeed the case. Interest in aquatic plants had been piqued. Soon a lively trade flourished.
And how to proceed
1986
Seductive Offer
1987
African Adventures
1995
A New Home Base
1998
International Expansion
2012
Chris Enters
2020
Simons Knowledge Digitizing
2022
Roy's Accession
2022
Launch of Simons pond book
2023
Introducing vdvelde.com
Simons Vision
You read more and more often that you are advised to test the water of your pond for KH, GH and PH values. Do not be tempted to buy all kinds of measuring equipment and water improvers. None of this is necessary: if your fish are swimming nicely and the plants are growing nicely, then the water in the pond is of good quality. Those are the indicators!
More beautiful every year
Garden centers usually sell a wide range of aquatic plants , many of which are unfortunately not hardy. This means you have to buy new pond plants every year... We have deliberately chosen a small assortment of all hardy aquatic plants, with which it is easy to achieve a clear, biologically balanced pond.
35 years of sharing expertise
With the right approach and a good planting plan, you can save a lot of money and maintenance. The planting plan immediately affects, for example, the depth of the pond. So don't dig first and only then think about the planting plan, but do it the other way around. Plants are quite capable of filtering the water themselves and keeping it clear, clean and healthy. A good planting plan ensures that algae have little or no chance to grow.
Simons 6-step plan for a naturally biologically balanced pond without pond pump, filter and chemicals
An example of implementing Simon's step-by-step plan for redesigning an existing pond
A few of Simon's projects in a row
Simon van der Velde has contributed to the development, construction and maintenance of balanced ponds at more than a thousand ponds. His expertise ranges from mini ponds and garden ponds to large water features for government agencies. Thanks to his knowledge, he avoids common mistakes, which can save costs.
Simons pond advice book practical information and tips for a virtually maintenance-free water feature
A few of Simon's international projects
Due in part to his global connections, Simon has been involved in numerous projects internationally, ranging from large private ponds to community lakes. He has traveled in more than 50 countries and can advise on all types of water features. Van der Velde aquatic plants also delivers plants throughout Europe.
About Van der Velde Water plant nursery in Bleiswijk
- We grow more than 50,000 water lilies annually , 100% organic
- Have a greenhouse area of 10,000 m2
- Delivery throughout Europe from 1 box to full trucks
