Simon
How it began.
At age 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 any more water plants. This was indeed the case. Interest in aquatic plants had been piqued. Soon a lively trade flourished.
Simon van der Velde 1972
and how to proceed
1986
Years later in 1986, Simon received several letters from Africa offering aquatic plants. Curious and knowing there was a market, he hesitated to go there. A free opening KLM flight to Conakry in West Africa made the choice easy. Tropical aquatic plants were brought back with him. Unfortunately, these could not grow without the right climate and so a piece of space in a nursery was rented....
1995
In 1995 Simon got the opportunity to buy a greenhouse in Bleiswijk. This location houses a section of pond plants including very many water lilies and oxygen plants. Some other locations grow aquarium plants, floating plants and shore plants.
1998
Since 1998, Van der Velde Waterplanten B.V. has had a water lily and shore plants nursery in China from which plant material is sourced.
2012
Chris van der Velde joins the family business. In addition to the grower's blood, he has inherited his father's commercial spirit and drive for innovation.
2015
Development of the Amazingworld concept, with such side branches as Swampworld, Desertworld, Waterworld, Veggieworld and Fruityworld.
2017
Van der Velde wins an important award in the flower and plant world, namely The Dutch Tulip Award.
2018
Out of the idea of sustainability, Ecoworld is launched. A product line where packaging is produced co2 neutrally.
2022
I believe that a water feature, in the form of a pond or aquarium, can contribute to moments of rest and relaxation. Therefore, I would like to share my knowledge and make sure that people can build their own pond and enjoy it. This without having to do a lot of maintenance. For that reason I have summarized all the questions that have been asked over the years regarding ponds and water features in Simons Pondadvies Boek.
Simons Vision
Pure nature
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 water plants, many of which are unfortunately not hardy. This means that every year you have to buy pond plants all over again... We have deliberately chosen a small assortment of all hardy water plants, with which a clear, biologically balanced pond can easily be achieved.
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.
With the right planting plan, you won't need an expensive pump, filter or water improvers.
POND PLANTING ADVICE
Do you already have a pond or want to build one? Make a choice below for the right advice
Why water plants from Simon van der Velde?
What customers say about us
I had my garden landscaped by a gardener. Only the pond still had to be done, but it turned out the gardener had little or no knowledge of it. So I went looking for a pond specialist and called vd Velde and explained what my pond looked like and what my wishes were. After which he indicated that when he was in the area he would drop by. A few days later I arranged to meet Simon and he made sure we now have a beautiful pond.
For our fish pond, we were looking for native aquatic plants to create more shelter for our newly hatched fish. Simon visited our location and recommended the purchase of marsh plants and oxygen plants. After 1 growing season, our fish stock has increased and the new fish stocking has grown tremendously. This is partly due to the perfect composition that have provided adequate shelter for our fish.
Simon came by and gave me advice that appealed to me immensely! A week later the pond was decorated by van der Velde. After six months of greenery, the pond had become the showpiece of the garden! Simon, thank you!
i wanted plants in my koi pond and almost all koi specialists told me that this was not possible. until i got into a conversation with simon at a birthday party. he told me that a swamp filter connected to my koi pond would relieve the filter so i would have to clean it less often and get plants and flowers in my koi pond. simon advised me how to realize my wish in a cheap and simple way. i am extremely satisfied with the advice and the result.
Simon thanks for the lovely batch of beautiful plants. As you pointed out 100% bloom guarantee and everything is blooming beautifully.
Father and son the perfect combination
Simon's son Chris has been working in the family business since he was 15 years old and also studied ICT and Logistics. At 20 he started for himself with an online webshop where he started selling Amazingworld and Ecoworld products.
Translating Simon's knowledge to the digital world
Not much later, Chris also got the idea to share his father's years of experience and knowledge, with the goal of inspiring and advising as many people as possible through this website
