Netherlands = Tulips

Enjoy the beautiful photographs of Christine's visit to

Keukenhof Gardens

In 1949 the mayor of Lisse and a group of 20 flower bulb growers and exporters came up with a plan to use the Keukenhof estate to exhibit spring-flowering bulbs. 

The park opened its gates to the public in 1950 and was an instant success with 236,000 visitors in the first year and 1.4 million in 2017! 

It is an international and independent showcase for the Dutch floricultural sector, with an emphasis on flower bulbs. For eight weeks the park’s 32 hectares showcase 7 million spring-flowering bulbs, with 100 participating companies showing their living catalogues. The result is beautiful combinations of flowers and colours.

Because the displays are created by horticultural companies, they provide all the details needed to recreate their designs.

In over 20 indoor flower shows, 500 flower growers show an enormous variety of cut flowers and pot plants.

But the day isn’t complete without a bike ride along side roads and paths viewing the nearby fields of tulips.

Then a relaxing glass of bubbly along a canal.

They seem to prune very severely in the Netherlands. This is an ornamental cherry on a restaurant patio in Aalsmeer. Those pink puffs are real blossoms. It may require another visit to observe their pruning methods!



Keukenhof Gardens is open mid March to mid May. They make it easy to get there. There are special buses running from the Amsterdam airport and a major train station. It is an extremely busy place but well organized.