A Big Congratulations to Miss Alstroemeria, BFA Grower of the Year!

We met this fabulous lady again at FleurEx 26 and we were thrilled for her winning the British Florist Association Grower of the Year award. A HUGE Congratulations to Karolien Tesselaar and her amazing team. This award is just proof of all the hard work that goes into growing the stunning blooms florists use every day.

Lets meet Karolien, the lady behind Miss Alstroemeria

You might remember the name Tesselaar Alstroemeria, but the company is now proudly called Miss Alstroemeria. Behind the name is Karolien Tesselaar, who runs the family business with her husband, Rick, in the Netherlands

Karolien & Rick - Miss Alstroemeria

The nursery has been growing alstroemeria all year round for more than thirty years. That is a whole lot of flower power!

Here is the best part. The name Miss Alstroemeria actually started as a fun nickname for Karolien. She spent years talking about, promoting and sharing her total love for this gorgeous flower. Soon enough, everyone in the flower world started calling her Miss Alstroemeria.

When people start calling you by your favourite flower, you know you are doing something right!

In January 2026, Karolien and Rick officially changed their company name to Miss Alstroemeria. Instead of just growing more and more flowers, they decided to focus on growing fewer flowers of an even higher quality. Check out their Assortment Here

Changing a famous business name takes courage. But Karolien and her team believed in their dream, and this award shows that paying attention to top quality really works.

The British Florist Association Awards really do celebrate the people who make a real difference in the flower industry.

Miss Alstroemeria was shortlisted alongside other brilliant flower growers, and the winner was decided by a judge and public vote. The award was presented at FleurEx26 in Nottingham on 3 October 2026, with Karolien right there to collect her prize.

What makes this extra special is that the vote came from florists who work with her flowers every day. Florists know how important it is to have reliable flowers that look stunning and last a long time for happy customers.

We love alstroemeria at Kay’s Flower School. We might be a bit biased, but we are obsessed with the longevity alstroemeria!

These flowers come in so many colours, from soft pinks and whites to bright oranges, deep reds and lovely purples. Their pretty little markings give them so much personality.

They are also wonderfully useful for florists. They work brilliantly in hand tied bouquets, table arrangements and big displays. Best of all, they last for ages in a vase when you look after them properly. That means our customers get to enjoy their flowers for a really long time.

Here at Kay’s Flower School, alstroemeria is one of the star flowers we send out to our students in their school flower deliveries on Module 1 of the Professional Certificate Programs

Our students are learning how to change their careers and become professional florists. We want them to practise with fresh, beautiful flowers that are a joy to work with.

Alstroemeria is a fantastic flower for beginners. Students learn how to get the stems ready, strip off the lower leaves and place them just right in a design. They see how much magic these flowers add to a bouquet without needing to be the most expensive stem in the bunch.

We love to spread stories of the Flowers and Growers to our Students and now they know the story of the lovely people who grew their Alstroemeria all the way in the Netherlands.

The flower industry is one big happy team. A grower looks after the crop, a wholesaler gets them to us, and a florist turns them into something magical for a birthday, a wedding or just to make someone smile. And flower schools like ours help train the next generation of florists to keep the magic going.

This is why we love celebrating growers like Karolien and her team. Without their hard work, we would not have such wonderful flowers to play with

Congratulations once again, Karolien!

Are you a huge alstroemeria fan just like us, or is there another flower you love to use in your designs? Would you like to move career and train professionally as a florist - Click Here for a FREE Flower Taster Online Course