“Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine for the soul.”  – Luther Burbank, American botanist

Keukenhof

Our European travel was focused and centered around one thing: FLOWERS!  And The Tulip Festival would start us off in a big, blooming way.

Keukenhof, aka the “Garden of Europe,” is an annual, internationally known spring tulip and flower show. It’s located in Lisse, South Holland, aka the flower bulb region, and approximately 25 miles from central Amsterdam. It’s one of the world’s largest flower gardens and can only be described as a feast for the senses. This year marked its 75^th anniversary. Let the show begin!

No matter how much of a flowery narrative I can conjure up, it won’t even come close to describing the magnificence of the gardens. So, after a brief bit of background information, please enjoy our photos of all the colors, shapes and different flowers, and hopefully it may inspire a future visit to this magical place.

Keukenhof’s history dates back to the 15^th century when the area served as a hunting ground for the Countess Jacoba van Beieren.

In the 1800s, the landscape architect, Jan David Zocher and his son, Louis Paul Zocher, redesigned the garden in English landscape style; which included winding paths, ponds, and lawns.

In 1949, a group of leading flower bulb exporters and growers decided to utilize the Keukenhof Estate to showcase Dutch flower bulbs, particularly tulips. The park opened to the public in 1950, with the then-mayor of Lisse officially naming it Keukenhof.

Since its opening, Keukenhof has hosted an annual flower exhibition, attracting millions of visitors from around the world. The garden typically opens its gates to visitors for a limited period each year, usually from March to May, coinciding with the blooming season of tulips and other spring flowers.

The number of bulbs planted in Keukenhof can vary from year to year; it’s estimated that millions of flower bulbs are planted annually to create its stunning displays of tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, and other spring flowers. An important aspect of the flowering garden is to produce bulbs for sale. Of course, they’re available on site to purchase. The following pictures were taken from a 15-minute film introduction to Keukenhof.

We spent several hours wandering and strolling about the expansive gardens of 32 hectares (79 acres). David’s shorter gait recorded close to 13,000 steps! All along, what continually impressed me most was the elegant fringed tulip, known as Tulipa Arma. I’ve never seen this variety before, and thankfully, it was prominently featured throughout the garden grounds; keeping me entranced with its stunning and unique beauty. Do you agree?!

Over the years, Keukenhof has expanded its floral displays and added various features such as themed gardens and pavilions showcasing different types of flowers. There’s even a windmill that’s over a century old. It was built in the Northern Netherlands in 1892 and was used as a pumping mill. In 1957, the cruise company, Holland America Line, purchased the windmill and donated it to Keukenhof.

If you recall from your history class, you might recall the financial history of tulips is famously marked by the first “meme stocks” of the 1700’s “Tulip Mania.” It’s a period during the Dutch Golden Age when tulip bulbs in The Netherlands became the cult-like subject of speculative frenzy. It led to a dramatic rise and subsequent crash in their prices; great fortunes were earned and lost on tulips.

Not only does The Netherlands have a strong bicycle culture, but Keukenhof has become synonymous with the country’s famous tulip culture, and is widely regarded as one of the world’s most iconic flower gardens.

The vibrant floral displays and sheer amount and variety of tulips and other bulbs mesmerized me, to the point I floated through the gardens on a floral high. Meanwhile, busy bee David shot away, pointing his camera lens from flower to flower, getting pickier and pickier as he went along – looking for the perfect blooms!

Next: The train to Brussels.