What is your first name or how are you generally known as?
Peter (Don Pedro)

 Have you got any other first names?
Petrus Aloysius

And, your surname?
Boeijkens

When were you born?
………? 24-08-…..?…
What shall I say………1956? Does that sound old or interesting ?

 Can everyone contact you easily via internet, what is your e-mail address?
Yessss,  in spite of my age, you can reach me on 2 e-mail addresses
The first is my business address, which you will find on my website: www.unusualprojects.com

The second is private, but you can also reach me though the Boerma Instituut.

Do you work full-time or free-lance at Boerma Instituut ?
In the beginning, some 25 years ago, I started with the so called hobby-courses. Today I do a lot of guest appearances , in which new techniques, bigger projects and independent working are of great importance.

Have you been doing this for long?
For the past 23 years, I’ve been here on regular basis.

How did you land up teaching at Boerma Instituut?
A very long time ago, Theo Boerma was my floral-art teacher.
At  those days he was still working for the
‘Rijks Middelbare Tuinbouwschool Aalsmeer’.
As soon as he started this unique school, he invited me to reinforce his team.

What did you do before the Boerma Instituut?
Not a lot actually. When I had finished school I almost immediately started my own business, a flower shop. From that point on, my activities started spreading like an oil stain….. if it was up to me, I doesn’t have to stop spreading any time soon…

You teach at a school of floristry ; how would you describe your skills

and knowledge on the art?
 And now the time comes for me to reveal all!

Naturally It all started At the RMTuS, were I was already working on
the bigger floral-projects.

With one of my classmates we designed our first booth’s for the Hortifair. Up to now that project is still my pride and joy, see the website.
I think that one of my specialities would be the bigger projects. Lots of times that can be linked with one of my other hobby’s , which is travelling. Though, is not always the bigger projects that grab my attention.  For instance, very fine bridal bouquets, I can work for hours on end with that.

Always challenging, trying to find new shapes and techniques. Colours, shapes and structures amongst other things from the past few years
can be found on my website.

What would be your personal favourite floral arrangement?
?…………still working that one out……..?

In love, engaged, married or what?
Ah, that’s such a lovely story, which fits in nicely with my live as a floral-artist ( Funny word that is). On one of my trips abroad, I met my wife. This is the year 1987, Soviet Union. In the city of Tallinn a big 
Dutch flower- and plant show was held.

Together with to colleagues, we had done the job. We were asked if one of us was prepared to join a floral-art competition?! Yeah right… entering without any form of preparation  into a international contest is a bit tricky. Sweden, Norway, Poland, East-Germany, Belgium, USA, Kazakhstan, Russia, Denmark etc. were represented there. So, anyway, we did it.

To make a long story short: One part of the competition, which was spread over two days, was to decorate a model on the stage. Before this started, we were all allowed to choose a model from the local model-school. They had planned one morning specially for that. 

All available beautiful models were present, and I was in the middle of it all, feeling like a little boy in a candy store. It won’t surprise you that my choice was fixed on the most gorgeous of them all…..,

this was the case for three years.

We’ve been living together for a while now, better, we got married in 2000!!

P.s. I came in third in the competition….

 Have you got children?
Yes I have.I had a late start, but I’ve got three wonderful sons.
Their were constructed in 1995, 1999 and 2003.
Respectively called: Rene, Joey & Samuel.

2003
Peter and his staff
during the Wim Hazelaar Trofee.

Have you got any hobbies besides Boerma Instituut?
To much to name all of them, but anything that lives and grows has my attention! Very seldom will I say no to something that has to do with this.

Photography, garden architecture, travelling fits in nicely with these hobby’s.

What is your favourite holiday destination?
 Because I like to obtain a lot of different impressions from different country’s, I haven’t  really got a favourite holiday destination. So all the different cultures and landscapes are more then welcome.

What is your favourite food?
A richly filled table with some wild boar or deer complemented with some lovely dark red wine.