KEUKENHOF – THE DUTCH HEAVEN OF COLOURS

The most beautiful spring garden of the world Keukenhof in the Netherland will not open this year. The flowers will bloom but the beauty will not have its countless beholders. Many of you must have seen this garden in the past and like me have been mesmerized by its beauty. The only garden in the world which can match its grandeur is perhaps the Butchart Garden in Vancouver Island, near Victoria, off the coast of British Columbia in Canada.

Though it is famous for its tulips and is often referred to as Keukenhof Tulip Garden but daffodils, crocuses, roses, lilies,carnations, irises and hyacinths are all show stoppers at different parts of the flowering season. Every year, over a million tourists visit Keukenhof, one of the largest and most magnificent flower gardens on the planet. This year everything is different, and very few people will be able to lay their eyes on the beautiful flowerbed arrangements of the world-famous park, as it, too, closed its gates for the first time in 71 years to meet quarantine guidelines. Luckily, the park’s governance arranged for Albert Dros, a famous professional landscape photographer from the Netherlands to visit and photograph the gardens, so that you, too, can take a sneak peek of the striking beauty of Keukenhof this year. Be sure to visit his website https://www.albertdros.com/ and be blown away by both the genius of the photographer and the pristine beauty of the garden.

Blue River (Source: www.albertdros.com)

Also known as the Garden of Europe, the stunning flower garden is situated in the country most well known for its dreamy landscapes featuring windmill and tulips - the Netherlands, in a town called Lisse. Keukenhof Park takes up an area of 32 hectares and includes a man-made stream, a windmill, a castle, and a forested area. A mind-boggling 7 million flower bulbs are planted at Keukenhof every fall.

Two of the world-famous annual features of the park are the so-called Blue River, an alley of blue grape hyacinths emerging in-between the trees and the Keukenhof windmill, the standout element of the famous Dutch garden.

History

The history of Keukenhof dates back to the 15th century. Countess Jacoba van Beieren [Jacqueline of Bavaria] (1401-1436) gathered fruit and vegetables from the Keukenduin [kitchen dunes] for the kitchen of Teylingen Castle. Keukenhof Castle was built in 1641 and the estate grew to encompass an area of over 200 hectares. The history of the beautiful garden starts in 1857, when Baron and Baroness Van Pallandt, the owners at the time, tasked landscape artist Jan David Zocher and his son Louis Paul Zocher, who also designed Amsterdam's Vondelpark, to create a park around the Keukenhof castle. That park, in the English landscape style, still constitutes the basis of Keukenhof and later became the foundation for the gardens. The attention to detail in every flowerbed and the intricate designs they create when seen from above is truly captivating.

In 1949 a group of 20 leading flower bulb growers and exporters came up with the plan to use the estate to exhibit spring-flowering bulbs, signaling the birth of Keukenhof as a spring park. The park opened its gates to the public in 1950 and was an instant success, with 236,000 visitors in the first year alone. 2020 will be the 71th edition of Keukenhof, with ‘A World of Colours’ as its theme. Alas there will be no visitors!

A man-made stream, parts of which can be even explored by boat, is another beautiful feature of the garden. There are also several sculptures scattered throughout the gardens, which become selfie points for the visitors whose numbers increased to 1,500,000 in 2019.

Serious business with pleasure

Keukenhof is not merely a pleasure garden but a lot of business is happening here. It is the international and independent showcase for the Dutch floricultural sector, with a special emphasis on flower bulbs. In the space of eight weeks Keukenhof shows what the Dutch floricultural sector has to offer. The park’s focus is on the 7 million spring-flowering bulbs, which allow the 100 participating companies to show their living catalog. 500 flower growers present an enormous variety of cut flowers and pot plants at the over 20 flower shows. That's what makes Keukenhof an excellent opportunity to network and meet business contacts. Trade events for growers are also organized regularly. Keukenhof has strong ties with all the relevant organizations in the floricultural and tourist sectors.

Almost 100 Royal Suppliers send their best range of spring flowering bulbs to Keukenhof. The garden’s landscape artists create special design for each exhibitor taking into consideration the colour, the height and the flowering time of the bulbs.

When to visit?

The garden opens from mid March to mid May and 2nd and 3rd week of April is busiest. As the flower bulbs are planted in different layers in the park, the flower park is great every day during the season. However, there are three different periods.

First period – From the opening the park will have lots of blooming flowers. There are some great indoor flower shows with many blooming tulips. Outside there are daffodils and crocuses in bloom.

Second period – After the daffodils and crocuses it’s time for the hyacinths and the early tulips to bloom in the outdoor gardens. The indoor flower shows are still amazing with great colors.

Third period – In the last period the tulips will bloom in the outdoor gardens. The trees will be green and the indoor flower shows are still showing amazing flowers.

Tickets are available online. The garden is run by a charitable trust and receives no government aid. So ticket sale and sale of food, beverages and memorabilia are the real source of its upkeep. Your trip to Europe, specially the Netherlands is incomplete without a visit to this heaven.