It could all have been so different for Jan van den Top. A skilled mathematician, he enjoyed putting his talents to work during a career as a construction engineer. However, Jan found the confines of office work constricting, as was increasingly drawn to the outside world – in more ways than one.

Jan is a little camera shy, and prefers his plants to take centre stage. Here, he lets a future introduction 'Magic Fire' do the talking.

An interest in nature plus a love of traveling were hobbies that weren’t compatible with his working routine, and Jan realized that in order to fulfill his dreams he would have to make a dramatic lifestyle change. Adhering to the motto “you only live once”, he gave up the career and decided to go it alone as a nurseryman.

That was back in the early 1980s, and since then Jan van den Top has progressed from nurseryman to garden center owner to Heuchera and Hosta specialist extraordinaire. The first breeder of these 2 genera in The Netherlands, he currently has around 600 Hosta varieties in his collection along with an impressive selection of Heucheras.

Jan's garden centre and retail nursery in Barneveld, The Netherlands

While his new incarnation as a nurseryman and plant breeder indulges Jan’s interest in nature and has brought him great success, he still makes sure he has time enough to balance this business with his other pleasure, traveling.  

Winter trips to destinations such as the Philippines, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand get him away from the cold weather he dislikes.  

Perhaps surprisingly for such an enthusiastic plantsman, these trips are not used as plant collecting missions, but opportunities to experience different cultures through interacting with the local people. Of course, an interesting find along the way won’t be ignored, but Jan also appreciates having a holiday!