De Graaff Brothers

De Graaff Brothers, also known as De Gebroeders de Graaff or Gebr. de Graaff, was a Dutch horticultural family enterprise based in Lisse, in the Duin- en Bollenstreek, or Dune and Bulb Region of the Netherlands. The region became one of the principal centres of Dutch bulb cultivation, floriculture, breeding, and trade. The business was founded by Cornelis de Graaff in 1723 and remained associated with the de Graaff family across multiple generations. The company became particularly notable during the nineteenth century through the work of Jan de Graaff and his two sons. They developed the Reginae group of Hippeastrum hybrids by crossing Hippeastrum vittatum and Hippeastrum striatum with Hippeastrum psittacinum and selected European hybrids. Their breeding programme produced commercially and horticulturally important cultivars, including Graveana and Empress of India. The family's work formed part of the broader transformation of Dutch bulb growing from local specialist agriculture into an internationally connected ornamental-plant industry. The brothers' horticultural achievements received formal recognition. In 1891, they were awarded a First Class Certificate by the Dutch Horticultural Society for, among other work, the development of Hippeastrum 'Koningen Wilhelmina'. This recognition placed the firm among the specialist breeders and growers whose named varieties helped shape the period's ornamental bulb market. The de Graaff name later extended into the United States. During the twentieth century, another Jan de Graaff, born in 1903 and deceased in 1989, continued the family's horticultural activities through the de Graaf nursery in Oregon, identified in historical material with Oregon Bulb Farms, established in 1928. He became known internationally as an expert on lilies. The American continuation illustrates how the family's horticultural knowledge and commercial identity moved beyond the Netherlands while remaining connected to bulb and flower production. Historical catalogues associated with De Graaff Brothers document commercial offerings such as hyacinths, tulips, daffodils, and crocuses. The available evidence supports describing the organization as a specialist breeder, grower, and wholesaler of ornamental bulbs rather than as a modern consumer-facing brand. Its present corporate status, ownership, product continuity, and relationship to later nursery businesses are not established by the available source material.

De Graaff Brothers originated as a Dutch family horticultural business founded by Cornelis de Graaff in 1723. Its base was Lisse, in the Dutch Dune and Bulb Region, an area that became strongly associated with the production and trade of ornamental bulbs. The business operated within a family tradition in which cultivation, selection, breeding, and wholesale distribution were closely connected. The company achieved wider recognition in the nineteenth century. Jan de Graaff and his two sons worked on the breeding of Hippeastrum, using crosses involving Hippeastrum vittatum, Hippeastrum striatum, Hippeastrum psittacinum, and selected European hybrids. Their work produced the Reginae group of hybrids and varieties such as Graveana and Empress of India. These efforts contributed to the development of named ornamental varieties at a time when specialist breeders and nurseries were expanding the range of bulbs available to European and international horticultural markets. The firm's breeding work was acknowledged by the Dutch Horticultural Society. In 1891, De Graaff Brothers received a First Class Certificate for the development of Hippeastrum 'Koningen Wilhelmina', among other achievements. The award is evidence of the company's standing within nineteenth-century Dutch horticulture, although the available material does not provide a complete catalogue of all its cultivars or a detailed account of its commercial finances. By the early twentieth century, the de Graaff horticultural name had also become associated with activity in the United States. Another Jan de Graaff, born in 1903, continued the family's work through a nursery in Oregon identified as Oregon Bulb Farms, established in 1928. He developed an international reputation as a specialist on lilies and remained active in American bulb horticulture until his death in 1989. This American activity should be understood as a later continuation of the family horticultural tradition; the available sources do not fully establish the legal or ownership relationship between every Dutch and American entity using the de Graaff name. Surviving catalogues show that De Graaff Brothers marketed wholesale bulbs including hyacinths, tulips, daffodils, and crocuses. A 1929 wholesale catalogue, for example, presents the business as a supplier of several major ornamental-bulb categories. Such catalogues are valuable evidence of the firm's commercial role, but they do not by themselves establish that every listed variety remained continuously available or that the enterprise operates under the same form today. The available historical record is therefore strongest on the company's origins, breeding activities, awards, catalogues, and family-based international expansion. It does not establish a current headquarters, current management, active website, present ownership, or definitive legal status. De Graaff Brothers is best documented as a historically significant Dutch horticultural family company and bulb-trade name rather than as a clearly active contemporary consumer brand.

• 1929

  Wholesale bulb catalogue issued

  [3]Wholesale Catalogue of Hyacinths, Tulips, Daffodils, Crocuses etc. De Graaff Bros Inc. 1929archive.org

  A surviving De Graaff Brothers wholesale catalogue covered hyacinths, tulips, daffodils, crocuses, and other ornamental bulbs.

• 1928

  Oregon Bulb Farms established

  [1]De Graaff Brothersen.wikipedia.org

  A later American continuation of the de Graaff horticultural tradition was associated with Oregon Bulb Farms, identified in historical material as established in Oregon in 1928.

• 1891

  First Class Certificate for Hippeastrum breeding

  [1]De Graaff Brothersen.wikipedia.org

  The brothers received a First Class Certificate from the Dutch Horticultural Society for horticultural work including the development of Hippeastrum 'Koningen Wilhelmina'.

• 1723

  Family horticultural business founded

  [1]De Graaff Brothersen.wikipedia.org

  Cornelis de Graaff founded the family business that later became known as De Graaff Brothers in the Lisse area of the Netherlands.

A specialist Dutch horticultural breeder, grower, and wholesaler focused on ornamental bulbs and named flower varieties, with a historical reputation for Hippeastrum breeding and later associations with lily expertise in the United States.

• Ornamental bulb hybrids

  Reginae group Hippeastrum hybrids

  The Reginae group represented the firm's best-known nineteenth-century breeding work. Jan de Graaff and his two sons developed these Hippeastrum hybrids through crosses involving H. vittatum, H. striatum, H. psittacinum, and selected European hybrids. The group included named varieties that helped establish the company's reputation among specialist horticultural breeders.

• Hippeastrum cultivar

  Graveana

  Graveana was one of the successful Hippeastrum hybrids associated with the de Graaff family's nineteenth-century breeding programme. It is cited as an example of the named ornamental varieties developed through the family's selective crossing work.

• Hippeastrum cultivar

  Empress of India

  Empress of India was another notable Hippeastrum hybrid associated with De Graaff Brothers. Its inclusion in historical accounts reflects the firm's role in creating and commercializing named ornamental bulb varieties during the nineteenth century.

• Hippeastrum cultivar · 1891

  Hippeastrum 'Koningen Wilhelmina'

  Koningen Wilhelmina was a Hippeastrum variety for whose development De Graaff Brothers received a First Class Certificate from the Dutch Horticultural Society in 1891. The award is one of the clearest documented markers of the firm's horticultural achievement.

• Bulb assortment

  Wholesale ornamental bulbs

  Historical catalogues associated with De Graaff Brothers list wholesale offerings including hyacinths, tulips, daffodils, and crocuses. These products positioned the business as a trade supplier serving the broader bulb and floriculture market rather than solely as a breeder of one plant type.

1. 1De Graaff Brothersen.wikipedia.org
2. 2De Graaff Brothers materials, Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortoriumlib.ncsu.edu
3. 3Wholesale Catalogue of Hyacinths, Tulips, Daffodils, Crocuses etc. De Graaff Bros Inc. 1929archive.org
4. 4Jan de Graaf, Oregon Bulb Farms, 1956oregonencyclopedia.org