In 2021, long-time friends Philippe and Kurt established The Maple Nursery, a small yet steadily growing facility specializing in Japanese maples. Philippe had been employed as a programmer in the IT sector, while Kurt was (and still is) a developer of investment products at a Belgian bank.

Kurt's passion for gardening had its origins in a vegetable and flower garden, and it evolved over time as he expanded his garden with many maples, ginkgo's and other multistem trees.

Meanwhile, Philippe had been immersing himself in the world of bonsai since 2019, where his affection for maples first blossomed.

A visit to Esveld Arboretum in May 2021 cemented their shared love for these trees. As they devoted more time to learning about maples, they realized that this was a calling they could not ignore.

With the assistance of their friend Wim, a professional grafter and nature guide for children, they embarked on grafting their initial batch of Japanese maples in the summer of 2022.

The nursery started to take shape, featuring a substantial greenhouse and approximately 2,000 grafted plants in the first year, followed by 5,000 plants in the second year, and so on. In 2023, they acquired a former nursery of ornamental grasses to expand their production and transition their nursery from an extensive hobby to a fully-fledged professional occupation.