The company, Our services, Our Terms and Conditions
1. The Company
Our History
Three weeks after her 20th birthday, Vivian Dolorita registered her one-man business 'Vivian's Nursery' with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry on October 31, 1984. Vivian started with a small nursery of 200 m2. Her main activity was the supply and care of indoor plants in office buildings. After living abroad for a number of years (1987-1989 Sanford, Florida and 1 year in the Netherlands) Vivian and her family returned to Curaçao in 1990. Vivian's Nursery became a NV on August 30, 1991. Vivian and her partner Ben Kleine are co-owners of the company.
The nursery
In the front garden (200 m2) of their house in the Popo district, they started growing and selling plants.
First year olds such as Vincas (Magdalenas), Petunias etc. in small pots. Shrubs, trees and palms in larger pots soon followed. A year later, a piece of land behind the house was rented and a shade hall of 400 m2 was built on the nursery of 2,400 m2. At the end of 1993 the company moved to the Groot Piscadera Project (adjacent to the Savaan district), where a 1 ha plot of land was leased from SOLTUNA. Here, purified sewage water is used for irrigation. A shade hall of 1,500 m2 was soon built for shade and indoor plants. Connected to a 'mist house', for cuttings of plants. In 1997 another hectare was rented. Now in 2020, the nursery covers 4.5 ha.
Landscaping
In 1992, the construction of the garden (designed by EDSA, Fort Lauderdale, Florida) of the Sonesta Hotel (now Marriott) under construction was awarded to 'Landsdaping Unlimited' from Aruba. Owner Roy Maduro approached Vivian's Nursery with a request to do the work as a subcontractor. Projects by the same project developer soon followed: Promenade Shopping Center (design Diana Henriquez, Caracas, Venezuela) and the entrances of Villa Park Zuurzak and Harmonie. Other commercial projects: Zeelandia Office Park, the Central Bank, Hato Airport, MCB (Lio Caprilles Banking Center), ORCO Bank, Papagayo Hotel, entrance road Blue Bay Resort, Indigo Resort (Blue Bay), Bay Side Hotel (Blue Bay), CITCO (Smeets square), Puerta las Palmas, entrance St. Barbara Resort, entrance Seru Boca Resort, Hyatt Hotel, renovation garden Marriott,
Staff
Both Vivian (horticultural school SOLTUNA on Curaçao) and Ben (Tropical Agricultural School, Deventer, The Netherlands) have an agricultural background. Since there are no training courses in landscaping work on Curaçao, our staff members are educated at work (training on the job). Currently (2021) there are 32 employees.
2. Our Services
Plant
cultivation In the Nursery, plants are grown for our construction projects, for 'retail' (retail) and for 'whole-sale' (wholesale). However, on request, plants can also be grown to order for projects of our colleagues in the landscaping profession. Agreements are made regarding the type of plant, size on delivery, quantities, price and delivery date.
Most plants, trees and palms are grown by ourselves from seed or cutting, which is sourced locally. In addition, we order cuttings, seeds and seedlings from abroad, which are then grown.
Landscaping Department
For both private and commercial projects we make garden designs with corresponding quotations. The offers provide an overview of plant material, soil, fertilizer, gravel, irrigation, etc. The customer is invited to view the plants on offer in the nursery, so that they are aware of what will be delivered. If necessary, changes can be made to the design and thus the quotation. Planting material for these projects comes from our nursery, but occasionally mainly large trees and palms are imported from abroad.
Quotations are also made for garden maintenance. We do the garden maintenance either weekly or every other week. Once a month cannot be fitted into our schedule. By garden maintenance we mean, in addition to removing weeds, pruning the greenery, fighting plant diseases and pests, as well as checking the irrigation system. Clogged drippers are replaced as well as batteries for the irrigation controllers. We prune in a natural way as much as possible. The natural shape of the plants is maintained as much as possible. We do not make balls or cubes from your trees and shrubs. Hedges are pruned as such.
3. Our Terms and Conditions