CN111448140A

CN111448140A - Method and device for producing packages with flower bulbs

Info

Publication number: CN111448140A
Application number: CN201980006093.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: 约翰内斯·诺科拉斯·亨德里克斯·范德·斯曼
Original assignee: Garden International Ltd
Current assignee: Garden International Ltd
Priority date: 2018-05-31
Filing date: 2019-05-27
Publication date: 2020-07-24
Also published as: NL2021030B1; WO2019231315A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and a device for producing a package with flower bulbs (10). Accordingly, a package is provided for holding, storing, transporting and planting multiple flower bulbs directly into the earth that allows for pre-planting, allows for ready selection by the consumer of flower bulbs of potentially different varieties, biocompatibility and color, and provides a method for holding the bulbs in the correct position with optimal inter-bulb spacing. The package has a high degree of flexibility and can be customized and displayed.

Description

Method and device for producing packages with flower bulbs

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for producing a package with flower bulbs.

Background

Various flower bulbs (flower bulbs) are used to decorate a landscape or garden. It is common practice to plant bulbs by selecting one or more bulbs, then digging a hole and placing the flower bulb in it. The bulbs are covered with soil and then watered, usually according to the moisture profile of the soil. Thus, planting separate bulbs of different varieties can be spaced a predetermined distance from each other and planted in different combinations of varieties to form a desired landscape or flower pattern in the garden.

However, this practice may cause difficulties for those who are not familiar with gardening. They may have difficulty planting bulbs in a particular pattern, e.g., a color pattern of a particular area shape, because it is difficult to imagine what the flower pattern will eventually look like from all bulbs with similar colors. This difficulty is compounded by the fact that one bulb may flower at a particular time of year, while others may flower at different times of year.

Furthermore, different varieties of bulbs may require different conditions. For example, certain floral varieties may be biologically incompatible.

Accurate positioning of the bulbs in the pre-dug holes ensures that the bulbs are in the optimum position for growth, which is also difficult and time consuming, especially when one intends to plant a large number of bulbs.

Different varieties of bulbs may also require different inter-bulb distances to achieve healthy growth. Certain varieties of bulbs may require a greater distance between bulbs than others.

Due to these difficulties and the required technical knowledge, persons not familiar with gardening may be hesitant to plant bulbs in the soil.

Disclosure of Invention

Thus, there is a need for such a package with flower bulbs: it can be planted directly into the ground and allows the consumer to make a ready choice of flower bulbs of potentially different species, biocompatibility and color, while providing a means for the bulbs to be held in the correct position with optimal inter-bulb spacing.

In one aspect, the present invention relates to a method for producing a package with flower bulbs, the method comprising the steps of: providing a bottom sheet of flexible extensible material, the extensible material comprising fibers; providing a top sheet of flexible material, the flexible material comprising fibers; stamping the base sheet in predetermined spatially separated zones to imprint a plurality of spatially separated cups onto the base sheet; placing a predetermined number of flower bulbs in the cup-shaped portion on the upper surface of the base slice; applying glue at least on the area of the bottom sheet surrounding the cup; the top foil is placed on the upper surface of the bottom foil and pressed against this so that the bottom foil and the top foil are in contact with each other at least over the area surrounding the cup-shaped portion onto which the glue is applied, to seal the spatially separated areas in which the flower bulbs are enclosed, so that an elongated mat is obtained having spatially separated areas in which the flower bulbs are enclosed.

The packaging with flower bulbs is provided for holding, storing, transporting and planting a plurality of flower bulbs directly into the soil.

The material from which the sheet is made preferably consists essentially of the fibres. Those skilled in the art will recognize that a material consisting essentially of a particular substance may also contain unavoidable impurities or additives, depending on the desired characteristics of the material. Thus, the amount of such impurities or additives should be less than 5 wt.%, preferably less than 1 wt.%, most preferably less than 0.1 wt.% of the material.

In a preferred embodiment, the material forming the sheet consists essentially of cellulose fibers. The cellulosic fibers provide strength to avoid tearing of the material. Such a material consisting essentially of cellulose fibres is preferably paper, in particular recycled paper. Paper of any size can be taken from a roll or pile of paper and is inexpensive compared to other materials. Preferably, recycled unbleached paper is used, as this will allow less harmful compounds to penetrate into the ground. The sheet material is permeable to water and to nutrients, since, if the package produced according to the method of the invention is located in the soil, it softens immediately, allowing the bulbs to come into contact with water and nutrients immediately after planting. After planting, the material from which the package is made can be disintegrated in the ground. In this regard, it is preferred that the packaging and fibers are biodegradable.

The sheets used to produce the packages should be flexible (flexible properties) allowing the packages to be folded or rolled up easily and compactly. For these purposes, for example, cardboard (grammage)>180g/m²) Is a material that is too rigid. Due to its flexibility, the package can be stored in an economically attractive manner. This can be achieved by rolling or folding a wrapped sheet having a plurality of spatially separated regions within which the flower bulbs are enclosed. This makes the cost price considerably lower than the cost price of packaging known in the art.

Preferably, during the steps of the method, the bottom lamella (which may have bulbs and top lamellae depending on the stage of the method) is driven in the direction in which the steps of the method are carried out. Preferably, therefore, the steps of the method are performed on or along a conveyor track. This may be achieved, for example, by using a conveyor belt or by using rails on both sides of the sheet for pulling the sheet forward on the conveyor track. The use of rails is preferred as this facilitates the incorporation of functional parts in the production equipment, e.g. stamping devices, glue spraying devices, drying devices, etc.

The method of the invention comprises the step of stamping the base sheet in predetermined spatially separated zones to imprint a plurality of spatially separated cups of predetermined size protruding from the lower surface of the base sheet onto the base sheet. With the cup-shaped portion on the base wafer, flower bulbs can be placed and held in place due to the raised edge of the cup-shaped portion. In this way, the bulbs can maintain their preferred spatial distribution and orientation throughout the production step. The bottom sheet is preferably stamped by one or more die sets comprising a cup shape at the lower surface of the bottom sheet and a punch having a convex shape matching the cup shape. The cup-shaped portion may have any shape, for example, circular, rectangular, square or any other predetermined decorative shape, for example, a star shape. In a preferred embodiment, the cup-shaped portion has a circular shape. Preferably, a plurality of cups, for example 4 or 6, are punched simultaneously.

The stamping step requires that the material of the bottom sheet be stretchable to a certain degree. Thus, preferably, the bottom sheet is an extensible paper. In a preferred embodiment, the bottom sheet is an extensible paper that is extensible to at least 5%.

In order to keep the flower bulbs in place while keeping the spatially separated cups in shape, it is preferred that the bottom sheet can keep shape to some extent. This can be achieved by relatively thick paper. Therefore, in a preferred embodiment, the base sheet has a grammage of 75-150 g/m²An extensible paper of, for example, 90 to 120g/m²For example, about 100g/m²。

Although the top sheet may be the same material as the bottom sheet, it is preferred that the top sheet is made of a thinner material than the bottom sheet. This saves costs and the flower bulbs are held in place by the cup. In a particularly suitable embodiment, the top sheet has a grammage of 40-80 g/m². Preferably, the top sheet comprises two layers of paper bonded on top of each other. This can improve strength. In a particularly suitable embodiment, the top sheet comprises two layers of tissue paper bonded together, e.g. having a grammage of 28g/m²。

Once the cup is formed, a predetermined number of flower bulbs are placed into the cup on the upper surface of the base slice. The number of flower bulbs depends on the size of the cup and the size of the bulb. Although the bulbs can be placed manually into the cup, the bulbs are preferably placed by a flower bulb counting machine. Such machines are commercially available and are specifically designed for counting a large number of all kinds of flower bulbs. These machines can form a large buffer of bulbs by using a system of expected numbers and are provided with a discharge side which can be adapted to distribute the bulbs to the cups of the bottom sheet.

In order to seal the spatially separated regions in which the flower bulbs are enclosed, glue is applied to at least the region of the bottom lamella surrounding the cup-shaped portion. The glue is preferably applied by spraying the glue, for example, by using a glue nozzle.

After placing the top sheet on the bottom sheet with the flower bulbs placed therein and pressing the top sheet against the bottom sheet, the top sheet will adhere to the glue-covered areas of the bottom sheet to obtain an elongated mat with spatially separated areas with the flower bulbs enclosed therein.

In a preferred embodiment glue is applied from above onto the flower bulbs in the cup-shaped portion and onto the surrounding portion of the bottom sheet. This ensures complete adhesion of the top sheet to the bottom sheet. Furthermore, it ensures the adhesion of the top lamella to the bulbs, so that the bulbs are held firmly in place with their preferred spatial distribution and orientation throughout the following production steps. For this reason, it is also preferred that the glue is applied to the bottom sheet from above before the flower bulbs are placed in the cups. In this way, the bulbs maintain a predetermined position from the moment they are put into the cup, which is particularly advantageous in an automated process.

In a preferred embodiment, the bulbs are pressed against the bottom sheet after placing them in the cup, in particular when glue is applied to the bottom sheet from above before placing the flower bulbs. This enhances the fixation of the bulb in the preferred position. Pressing the bulbs against the bottom sheet may be done manually or automatically by any suitable pressing means.

One particularly suitable glue is a water based cold glue (waterbased cold glue). Cold glue is an adhesive that sets at room temperature (i.e., 20 ℃). Such glues cure rapidly without the need for very high temperatures that are detrimental to the bulbs. After placing the top sheet on the upper surface of the bottom sheet and pressing the top sheet against the upper surface, in a preferred embodiment, the method comprises the step of drying the glue at an elevated temperature. In such an embodiment, the assembly of flakes and bulbs is exposed to an elevated temperature (e.g., 30 ℃) that is not harmful to the bulbs for a predetermined period of time (e.g., 8-10 seconds) to accelerate the curing of the glue.

The glue used in the process of the invention may suitably be a biodegradable glue.

After application and curing of the glue, an elongated mat with spatially separated regions within which the flower bulbs are enclosed can be obtained. The entire mat may be shipped to a retailer who may divide the mat into individual packages, wherein each package contains a single sealed region having flower bulbs enclosed therein.

In a preferred embodiment, the method of the present invention is directed to providing a ready-to-use consumer package having flower bulbs. Preferably, therefore, after applying and curing the glue, the method comprises the further step of separating the one or more spatially separated regions having flower bulbs enclosed therein from the elongate mat.

Preferably, the method of the present invention produces individual ready-to-use consumer packages having flower bulbs enclosed therein. Preferably, therefore, after applying and curing the glue, the method comprises the further step of dividing the spatially separated area with enclosed flower bulbs into individual packages with flower bulbs enclosed therein, wherein each package is derived from a single spatially separated area with flower bulbs enclosed therein.

For separating individual flower bulb packages, preferably at least the bottom sheet is provided with perforation lines between the spatially separated regions with closed flower bulbs. This may be achieved by providing a pre-perforated bottom sheet or by performing the step of providing in the method at least the bottom sheet with perforation lines between said spatially separated areas with closed flower bulbs. The top sheet may also be provided with a perforation line matching the perforation line of the bottom sheet when the top sheet is laid over the bottom sheet. The method may further comprise the step of making lines of perforations in the bottom and top sheets when they are adhered together.

When the bottom sheet or both the bottom sheet and top sheet comprise a perforation line, preferably the separating step comprises tearing along the perforation line.

In order to achieve separation of the individual ready-to-use packages, it is preferred that each of the divided regions with closed flower bulbs is surrounded by a perforation line applied to at least the bottom sheet of said region, and that the divided region with closed flower bulbs is separated from the mat by applying pressure on the top sheet side of the divided region to punch it down from the elongated mat along the perforation line around it, to obtain individual packages with flower bulbs closed therein, each package originating from an individual spatially separated region with flower bulbs closed therein. This pressure may be applied, for example, by using one or more hollow or semi-hollow punches that match the dimensions of the individual packages (e.g., match the perforation lines around the separation region).

A decorative pattern may be provided to the package. Thus, in one embodiment, the top sheet may be pre-decorated with a decorative pattern applied thereto, or the method may comprise the further step of applying a decorative pattern on the top surface of the top sheet.

The method may further comprise the step of placing the separated individual packages into another package or holder for display purposes. Such a retainer may be formed from a folded block of material that is provided to an individual package having flower bulbs to protect the pieces.

According to the method of the present invention, a package is provided for holding, storing, transporting and planting multiple flower bulbs directly into the earth, which allows for pre-planting, allows for ready selection by the consumer of flower bulbs of potentially different species, biocompatibility and color, and provides a means for the bulbs to be held in the correct position with optimal inter-bulb spacing. The package has a high degree of flexibility and can be customized and displayed.

In a second aspect, the invention relates to an apparatus for producing a package with flower bulbs, a first supply device for supplying a bottom sheet of flexible material; a first stamping device equipped with one or more punches of predetermined shape spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance, located downstream of said first supply device, for stamping onto said bottom sheet a spatially separated cup projecting a predetermined depth from the lower surface of said bottom sheet of flexible, stretchable material; a flower bulb dispensing means, located downstream of said punching means, comprising a flower bulb counter and means for placing a predetermined number of flower bulbs into said spatially separated cups; a conveying device comprising a conveying guide and a drive device capable of moving the bottom sheet on or along the conveying guide from the first supply device; one or more glue-spraying devices equipped with one or more glue nozzles located above the conveying guide, one or more glue-spraying devices equipped with one or more glue nozzles located above the conveying guide for applying glue on at least the area around the cup on the bottom sheet; a second supply means for supplying a top sheet of flexible material downstream of said one or more glue supply means for supplying said top sheet onto said bottom sheet; a pressure device downstream of the second supply device and above the transfer rail for pressing the top sheet towards the bottom sheet.

In a preferred embodiment, the apparatus further comprises a drying tunnel located downstream of the pressure device and above a portion of the conveyor track for causing temperature induced drying of the glue between the top and bottom sheets.

In another preferred embodiment, the apparatus further comprises second punching means provided with one or more punches of predetermined shape spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance, said second punching means being located downstream of the pressure means and the drying tunnel (if present) for punching out a package of predetermined shape enclosing the flower bulbs between the bottom and top sheets.

Preferably, the apparatus further comprises a drying tunnel: which is located downstream of the pressure means, over a portion of the transfer guide, and upstream of the second stamping means (if any), for causing temperature-induced drying of the glue between the top and bottom sheets. This accelerates the drying of the glue, which makes the package faster to produce.

Preferably, the apparatus defined above is used to perform the method of the first aspect of the invention.

As described above, in the method of the present invention, it is preferable that: glue is applied to the bottom sheet from above before and after placing the flower bulbs into the cups. The apparatus according to the invention therefore preferably further comprises one or more glue spraying devices equipped with one or more glue nozzles located upstream and downstream of the flower bulb dispensing device.

Since the individual ready-to-use packages with flower bulbs produced by the method according to the invention are preferably round, it is preferred that the first and second punching means are equipped with one or more round punches. Preferably, a plurality of cups, for example 4 or 6, are punched simultaneously, and therefore the first and second punching means are preferably equipped with a plurality of punches, for example 4 or 6.

As described above, a decorative pattern may be applied to the top surface of the top sheet. Thus, the apparatus may comprise means for applying a decorative design on top of the top sheet, e.g. a paint brush means.

Although the bulbs in the cup of the bottom sheet can be manually pressed into the cup, this is preferably done in an automated manner. Preferably, therefore, the apparatus further comprises means for pressing the flower bulbs into the cup-shaped portion, upstream of the second supply means. This can be achieved by a roller of a press plate or any other device capable of pressing the flower bulbs into the cups.

Brief description of the drawings

FIG. 1A-FIG. 1I: a schematic side cross-sectional view of the steps of the method in an exemplary embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2: a perspective view of an example of a single package separated from a package pad;

fig. 3A-3C: examples of packages produced by the method of the present invention;

FIG. 4: a perspective view of the apparatus in an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

Detailed Description

The invention will be further explained with reference to the drawings. The following description is intended to illustrate and explain the present invention and not to limit the claims. It should be noted that the dimensional proportions of the components shown in the drawings do not necessarily match the actual dimensions. For example, for ease of explanation, the bottom and top sheets are drawn much thicker relative to the other components, which are depicted as they would be in an actual working environment.

Fig. 1A-1I show how a package with flower bulbs can be manufactured according to a method in an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

Referring to FIG. 1A, first, an extensible paper (e.g., Fibreform 100 g/m)²) Is supplied from a roll 2 of said paper onto a support structure 3. A perforation line 4 has been provided on the bottom sheet to facilitate separation of the individual packages. The bottom sheet is driven over the support structure in the direction of the arrow along and by conveyor tracks (not shown) on both sides of the support structure.

Fig. 1B shows that the bottom foil 1 is subsequently conveyed by the conveying track to a punching zone, where the bottom foil is punched in predetermined spatially separated regions in order to imprint a plurality of spatially separated cups 5 onto said bottom foil. The cup-shaped portion 5 is made of a plurality of aluminium punches 6, the aluminium punches 6 punching the paper into an aluminium punching die 7, thereby adapting the paper here to the shape of the die. In the case shown in the figures, the punch 6 has a convex shape and the die 7 has a circular cup shape matching the punch size.

Fig. 1C shows that, next, the base sheet 1 is conveyed by the conveying track to an area where the nozzles 8 spray the glue layer 9 on the entire upper surface of the base sheet.

Fig. 1D shows that, after the glue 9 has been applied, the flower bulbs 10 are dispensed into the cup-shaped portion 5 by means of an automatic flower bulb dispensing device.

Fig. 1E shows that after placing the flower bulbs into the cup-shaped portion and pressing, arranging them in a preferred position, a further step of applying glue 9 with a further glue nozzle 11 is carried out, so that the bulbs 10 are also covered with glue.

Fig. 1F shows that after this second step of applying glue, a paper sheet 12 is placed from a reel 13 onto the bottom sheet 1 with flower bulbs 10 to form a top sheet. The top foil is pressed onto the bottom foil 1 and the flower bulbs 10 by a roller 14 to provide an optimal contact with the glue 9 on the bottom foil 1 and the bulbs 10. In this way, the bulb 10 can maintain its preferred position throughout the process.

Fig. 1G shows that after applying and pressing top foil 12 onto bottom foil 1 and flower bulb 10, a spatially separated region with a flower bulb sealed therein is achieved.

Fig. 1H shows that after the top sheet 12 is applied, the glue is dried by a heating element.

Fig. 1I shows that after drying the glue 9, the separated areas are separated from the mat at the punching area 17 by applying pressure by means of a punch 16 to the top sheet side with the separated areas of the closed flower bulbs 10 to punch them down from the elongated mat along the perforation lines 4 around the separated areas to obtain individual packages 18 with the flower bulbs closed therein, each package originating from a single spatially separated area with the flower bulbs closed therein.

The result of the last step is further illustrated in fig. 2, which shows the individual package 18 with the flower bulbs enclosed therein separated from the remaining paper mat 19 of the top sheet bonded to the bottom sheet.

The individual packages with the flower bulbs enclosed therein produced according to the above steps are shown in fig. 3. Fig. 3A shows a side cross-sectional view of a package 18, the package 18 comprising a bottom sheet 1 covered by a top sheet 12 to enclose a plurality of flower bulbs 10, the plurality of flower bulbs 10 being adhered to the bottom and top sheets by glue 9.

Fig. 3B shows a perspective view of the package shown in fig. 3A.

Fig. 3C shows how the primary package of fig. 3B may be placed into another package or holder 20 for display purposes. This holder 20 may be formed from a folded block of material, providing a protective sheet for a primary package with flower bulbs.

The method according to the invention may be performed by the apparatus of the invention.

Fig. 4 shows a perspective view of the device in an exemplary embodiment of the invention. The apparatus shown in fig. 4 has a first supply means in the form of a reel 2 for supplying a base sheet 1 of stretch paper. The bottom sheet is moved away from the supply by a conveyor, which includes a conveyor rail and a motor to move the bottom sheet from the spool along the conveyor rail. In the present embodiment, the base sheet is conveyed by the conveying rails 20, and the conveying rails 20 are driven by a motor (not shown) and include conveying rails on both sides of the base sheet. The bottom foil is drawn forward by means of clips on said rail, wherein these clips hold the bottom foil on the rail.

The first punching means 21 is equipped with four circular and convex aluminum punches spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance and is located downstream of the reel 2 for punching spatially separated cups 5 projecting from the lower surface of the base sheet by a predetermined depth onto the base sheet 1.

After punching the cup-shaped portion 5, glue is applied over the entire top surface of the bottom foil 1 by means of a glue-spraying device 22, wherein the glue-spraying device 22 is equipped with glue nozzles 8, which glue nozzles 8 are located above the bottom foil.

After the application of the first glue layer, a flower bulb dispensing device is provided for filling the cup-shaped portion 5 with flower bulbs 10, wherein the flower bulb dispensing device is located downstream of said first punching device 21, comprising a flower bulb counter 23 and means 24 for placing a predetermined number of flower bulbs into said spatially separated cup-shaped portion. The bulb dispensing device is provided with a reservoir 25 for accommodating a large number of bulbs.

After applying the bulbs 10 into the cup-shaped portions of the bottom sheet, another glue application step is performed by the glue application means 11. In this way, the bulbs 10 are also covered with glue. A control panel 26 is provided so that the device can be controlled according to the user's wishes.

As the bottom sheet moves forward along the transport guide, a second supply means in the form of a reel 13 then supplies the top sheet 12 onto said bottom sheet. The top foil 12 is pressed against the bottom foil and the bulbs by means of two rollers 14 to ensure that the bulbs 10 are sealed between the bottom foil and the top foil.

Next, the elongated mats of bottom and top sheets are moved forward through a drying tunnel 27 located downstream of said reel 14 and above a portion of the conveying track to cause temperature induced drying of the glue between the top and bottom sheets.

After drying the glue, a second punching device 28 equipped with a punch 16 punches the separate areas out of the elongated mat at the punching area 17 by applying pressure by means of a circular punch 16 on the top sheet side with the separate areas enclosing the flower bulbs 10 to punch them down from the mat along the perforation lines 4 around the separate areas to obtain individual packages 18 with the flower bulbs enclosed therein, each package originating from a single spatially separated area with the flower bulbs enclosed therein. The punching area 17 is arranged so that the punched packages fall into the area below the punch 17 for collection and further processing or sale.

Next, the remaining paper mat 19 of the top sheet adhered to the bottom sheet is removed and may be recycled for additional use.

Claims

1. Method for producing a package with flower bulbs, comprising the steps of:

providing a base sheet of flexible, stretchable material, the stretchable material comprising fibers;

providing a top sheet of flexible material, the flexible material comprising fibers;

stamping the base sheet in predetermined spatially separated zones to imprint a plurality of spatially separated cups onto the base sheet;

placing a predetermined number of flower bulbs in the cup-shaped portion on the upper surface of the base slice;

applying glue at least on the area of the bottom sheet surrounding the cup;

the top foil is placed on the upper surface of the bottom foil and pressed against this so that the bottom foil and the top foil are in contact with each other at least over the area surrounding the cup-shaped portion onto which the glue is applied, to seal the spatially separated areas in which the flower bulbs are enclosed, so that an elongated mat is obtained having spatially separated areas in which the flower bulbs are enclosed.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the further step of separating one or more of said spatially separated regions having flower bulbs enclosed therein from said elongated mat.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein said separating further step comprises separating said spatially separated region having enclosed flower bulbs into individual packages having flower bulbs enclosed therein, each package originating from an individual spatially separated region having flower bulbs enclosed therein.

4. A method according to any of claims 1-3, wherein at least the bottom sheet is provided with perforation lines between the spatially separated regions with closed flower bulbs; alternatively, the method comprises the step of providing at least the bottom sheet with perforation lines between the spatially separated regions within which the flower bulbs are enclosed.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein the separating step as defined in claim 2 or 3 comprises tearing along the perforation line.

6. A method according to claim 4, wherein each divided region with closed flower bulbs is surrounded by a perforation line applied to at least the bottom sheet portion of said region, and the divided region with closed flower bulbs is separated from the mat by applying pressure on the top sheet side of the divided region to punch it down from the elongated mat along the perforation lines therearound to obtain individual packages with flower bulbs enclosed therein, each package originating from an individual spatially separated region with flower bulbs enclosed therein.

7. The method of any preceding claim, further comprising the step of placing the separated individual packages into another package or holder for display purposes.

8. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein the top sheet is provided with a decorative pattern applied thereto, or the method comprises the further step of applying a decorative pattern on the top surface of the top sheet.

9. The method of any preceding claim, wherein the bottom and top sheets are paper and the bottom sheet is stretch paper.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the bottom sheet is an extensible paper that is at least 5% extensible.

11. The method of claim 9 or 10, wherein the base sheet has a grammage of 75-150 g/m²The stretch paper.

12. The method of any of claims 9-11, wherein the top sheet has a grammage of 40-80 g/m²。

13. The method of any of claims 9-12, wherein the top sheet comprises two layers of paper bonded on top of each other.

14. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein glue is applied from above onto the flower bulbs in the cup-shaped portion and onto the surrounding portion of the bottom sheet.

15. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein glue is also applied to the bottom sheet from above before the flower bulbs are placed in the cups.

16. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein the glue is a water-based cold glue.

17. The method of any preceding claim, further comprising the step of drying the gum at an elevated temperature.

18. An apparatus for producing a package with flower bulbs, comprising:

a first supply device for supplying a bottom sheet of flexible material;

a first stamping device equipped with one or more punches of predetermined shape spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance, located downstream of said first supply device, for stamping onto said bottom sheet a spatially separated cup projecting a predetermined depth from the lower surface of said bottom sheet of flexible, stretchable material;

a flower bulb dispensing means, located downstream of said first punching means, comprising a flower bulb counter and means for placing a predetermined number of flower bulbs into said spatially separated cups;

a conveying device comprising a conveying guide and a drive device capable of moving the bottom sheet on or along the conveying guide from the first supply device;

one or more glue-spraying devices equipped with one or more glue nozzles located above the conveying guide and intended to apply glue on at least the area around the cups on the bottom sheet;

a second supply means for supplying a top sheet of flexible material downstream of said one or more glue supply means for supplying said top sheet onto said bottom sheet; and

a pressure device downstream of the second supply device and above the transfer rail for pressing the top sheet towards the bottom sheet.

19. The apparatus for producing packages with flower bulbs of claim 18, further comprising a drying tunnel located downstream of said pressure device above a portion of said conveyor track for causing temperature-induced drying of the glue between said top and bottom sheets.

20. Apparatus for producing packages with flower bulbs according to claim 18 or 19, further comprising second punching means provided with one or more punches of predetermined shape spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance, said second punching means being located downstream of said pressing means and downstream of said drying channel, if any, for punching out packages of predetermined shape enclosing a flower bulb between said bottom and top sheets.

21. The apparatus for producing packages with flower bulbs of any of claims 18-20, further comprising one or more glue spraying devices equipped with one or more glue nozzles located upstream and downstream of said flower bulb dispensing device.

22. Plant for producing packages with flower bulbs according to any one of claims 18 to 21, wherein the first and second punching means are equipped with one or more circular punches.

23. An apparatus for producing packages with flower bulbs according to any of claims 18 to 22, further comprising means for applying a decorative design on top of said top sheet.

24. Apparatus for producing packages with flower bulbs according to any of claims 18 to 23, further comprising means for pressing flower bulbs into the cup-shaped portion upstream of the second supply means.

25. The method according to any of claims 1-17, performed by the apparatus according to any of claims 18-24.