Why Exotic Plants?

Herbert Riphagen’s interest in exotic plants began at an early age. He was born in Rantepao on Sulawesi in Indonesia, where his parents were involved in development work. His tropical childhood drew his attention to palms and tropical plants from an early age. The many years he spent travelling after finishing school, particularly through Southeast Asia and South America, grew out of this fascination.

A Lasting Fascination

Exotic plants are appealing because of the enormous differences between species, origins and growth forms. Herbert’s true passion lies with the more tropical palm species and plants. He considers these plants more beautiful, more diverse and more difficult to cultivate, which also makes them more challenging.

Searching for plants, learning about their origins and following their development are precisely what make this group of plants so interesting to him. Their appeal therefore lies not only in the eventual appearance of a plant, but also in the process that precedes it.

Discovering and Cultivating Plants Yourself

In the mid-1990s, Herbert came to the Netherlands with his then Indonesian wife. He wanted to create his own exotic garden here, but these plants were barely available online at the time. He therefore began buying seeds himself and germinating them in the attic.

Initially, these were mainly palm seeds. The hobby grew so quickly, however, that by the end of the 1990s there were already tens of thousands of seedlings, which also attracted interest from palm growers in Spain and Italy.

For Herbert, germinating and cultivating plants himself is an important part of his interest in exotic species. A plant that is unavailable can sometimes still be grown from seed. This requires time, attention and patience, but also makes the result special.

The Former Lack of Awareness About Hardy Palms

At the end of the 1990s, many people thought Herbert was unwise to import palm trees. Experts believed that he was approaching it on far too large a scale because the market for these plants would not be large enough.

This doubt arose mainly because many people at the time did not know that certain palm species were hardy. Herbert later proved to have chosen the right path. Interest in hardy palms grew, and increasing numbers of people discovered that some exotic plants could also be kept in a European climate.

A New Generation of Plant Enthusiasts

The plant market continues to change. According to Herbert, increasing numbers of people, particularly young people, have become involved with plants in their own way since the coronavirus period.

Young people without a garden or balcony may, for example, buy a plug-and-play growing cabinet in which they can control the humidity, temperature and even the colour of the light. In this way, they create their own jungle at home without needing reptiles. According to Herbert, few things are more beautiful than your own jungle wall filled with plants you have selected yourself.

A Growing and Changing Market

Milder winters mean that increasing numbers of exotic plants are also being used outdoors. At the same time, interest continues to grow in tropical species that can be kept indoors, in a greenhouse or in a sheltered location.

According to Herbert, the pioneering work surrounding palms also created a later problem. As palms changed from an enthusiast’s product into a mass-market garden product, the focus increasingly shifted from love and interest towards marketing and money.

For Herbert, the true appeal remains the plant itself: its origin, its development, the challenge of cultivating it and the story behind the species.

Sharing Something Beautiful

ExoticsAtHome wants to share this interest by making knowledge and its own photographic material available, and above all by trying to offer plants that others do not have. This allows both experienced collectors and new plant enthusiasts to discover remarkable species and the stories behind them.

How wonderful it is to share something beautiful.