Have you ever dreamed of visiting The Netherlands to experience their amazing flower fields? Walk alongside endless rows of colorful Dutch blooms that stretch as far as the eye can see? Breathe in the soft, earthy, floral fragrance of field tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths?
Photo: Helen Miller
My husband, Tim, and I recently met a group of American flower friends in Amsterdam to tour the city and surrounding areas of Holland. Our bus, filled with 18 floral professionals, had so much fun learning about the Dutch flower industry during tulip season in The Netherlands. I wanted to share our experience with you.
Holland or The Netherlands? What’s the Difference?
We often hear The Netherlands and Holland used interchangeably, but they are not the same. The Netherlands – meaning ‘low lands,’ is the name of the country. Holland – North and South, are two of its twelve provinces. Amsterdam is located in North Holland.
Photo: Sharon McGukin
A Brief History of Tulips in The Netherlands
Did you know that tulips aren’t native to The Netherlands? They were brought from the Ottoman Empire, present day Turkey, in the 16th century along with a mix of new plants and vegetables. The Dutch embraced the exotic tulips for their beauty. Recording their first commercial tulip planting in 1593.
Ironically, the colorful patterns, streaks and stripes that made the tulips so popular were caused by TBV – a tulip breaking virus. This virus interferes with the bloom’s pigment production and ‘breaks’ the petal color, making the bloom even more desirable.
If you’ve ever read the story of ‘Tulipomania,’ you know that about 1634 – 1637 speculation for uniquely patterned tulips caused frenzied buying, selling, and investing in tulip bulbs. At the peak of tulip mania one tulip bulb might be valued more than 10 times the salary of a local artisan. As the availability of propagated bulbs increased and short-term contract laws were revised, the value of the tulip fell. When the bubble burst many people were financially ruined.
A passion for tulips rebounded when more commercial flower fields were planted in the 17th century. Once again Dutch farmers and businesspeople embraced the tulip and cultivated a thriving flower trade. Known for being hardworking and frugal, the Dutch spent recent centuries efficiently building one of the most organized production and export businesses in
the world.
Today approximately 1.7 billion cut flowers are produced in The Netherlands each year. About 60% of the cut flowers sold globally come from these Dutch flower fields and greenhouses. Our touring band of petalistas happily admired and photographed several thousand of those beautiful blooms.
Photo: Sharon McGukin
Touring the Flower Fields
Holland is recognized for its vast flower fields, especially during tulip season. Not only are the flower fields an amazing feast for the eyes, the fragrance of the flowers - especially the hyacinths, was so strong and delightful, that we smelled it even before we left the bus.
On our way to the Keukenhof Gardens, we passed through South Holland’s Bollenstreek area that is known as the Flower Region of Holland. Tucked behind the North Sea dunes about 40 kilometers from Amsterdam, breathtaking flower fields flow over the countryside like unfurling ribbons of color across the landscape. Suddenly, we were here amongst the flowers! It was an amazing experience, as was our visits to famous flower gardens.
Keukenhof: The Garden of Europe
From mid-March to mid-May, the world famous Keukenhof Gardens in Lisse, South Holland showcases millions of tulips. The Keukenhof Castle was built on the site in 1641. Keukenhof means “Kitchen Garden.” Modern day Keukenhof Garden lies on what was once the castle’s kitchen garden for its 15th century hunting grounds.
Often referred to as the Garden of Europe, this manicured 79 acres of sheer beauty and fragrance boasts over 7 million flower bulbs. More than 1.5 million people from around the world experience this kaleidoscope of color in the eight short weeks Keukenhof is open for
their spring season.
Photo: Sharon McGukin
From October to December each year, over 100 growers donate about 7 million flower bulbs
to be hand-planted by Keukenhof’s 40 gardeners. This mix of 800 different varieties of tulips insures the following spring season will offer a series of breathtaking views for garden visitors.
We also enjoyed visiting the Rijksmuseum Garden and Palace Het Loo Gardens - an English landscape garden known as the “Great Garden” in Apeldoorn. It seemed everywhere we turned in The Netherlands we saw a beautiful park or garden filled with families enjoying the space.
Dutch Flower Auctions: From Past to Present
Visiting the Aalsmeer Historical Garden, gave us a glimpse of the floral industry of the past. A boat tour of the Westeinderplassen – ‘West End Lake’ area revealed the largest fresh water lake of the area, surrounded by hundreds of small islands - many used for flower farming, and some only reachable by boat.
At the horticultural museum we saw old photos and early floral work implements, and gardens. Most amazing were the heirloom lilac plants, some over 100 years old. They have been handed down by generations and are still being grafted to produce new flower stems today.
Photo: Sharon McGukin
Here we visited the ancient auction clock. What began with a wooden clock and a small room of buyers is now the largest flower auction in the world. First established in Aalsmeer, Holland in the 17th century, this hands-on system of rolling carts of floral product past buyers who bid by pressing their button first to make a purchase, started here.
As the clock clicked down seconds, we pressed the antique buttons pretending to buy product. Though flowers no longer roll through here, Marlin Hargrove won bragging rights for pushing his button first.
To remain relevant, the flower auctions changed with the times. Soon, rows of flower racks on moving tracks passed tiers of seats in a huge auditorium that held hundreds of buyers. The first person to push their button, stopping the clock, bought that rack of flowers. Each buyer trying to purchase at the lowest price. A stressful task requiring good timing. If they bought too soon - the price was high. If they pushed too late, they missed the sale entirely.
Photo: Sharon McGukin
A tour through Royal FloraHolland flower auction in Aalsmeer led by Jacqueline Boerma IMF of the Boerma Instituut brought us up-to-date in the present. The Aalsmeer Flower Auction is the ninth largest building in the world by area – the equivalent of 200 football fields. This international marketplace of flowers and plants now hosts online auctions for the distribution of flowers to wholesale and retail buyers around the globe.
Approximately 43 million flowers are sold daily, making it the largest flower auction in the world. As technology changed the way we do business, it pushed the flower auction from analogue to digital clocks. Today 2500 global buyers purchase Dutch flowers via 35 auction clocks online.
Next, we visited a Dutch Wholesaler and an Importer of African flowers. Then, we participated in a hands-on floral class.
Dutch Master Class - Boerma Instituut
While in Aalsmeer, we enjoyed a day of design in an inspiring Dutch Master Class instructed by Mike Boerma at the Boerma Instituut. Join us for the details in an upcoming How We Bloom Podcast and Floral Hub Blog.
Dutch Flower Parade Experience
We spent our final day in the midst of an international crowd attending the annual flower parade. Thousands of excited people filled grandstands or waited alongside the crowded rural lanes of the parade route. A fun jazz band warmed up the crowds by playing American favorites such as “Celebration” and “We will Rock you” as we danced and sang along.
Photo: Sharon McGukin & Helen Miller
We watched in awe as the parade of 17 fresh flower floats, a mix of flower bedecked cars, trucks, motorcycles, bicycles and flower-fashioned people moved along its 26-mile path. The parade was cheered from 9:00 AM – 9:30 PM, as it wound through eight picturesque villages.
Beyond the Flowers: Culture & Craft
In-between our exciting floral experiences, what else did we see?
Photo: Sharon McGukin
Museums and Art
There are over 600 museums in the Netherlands. Approximately 29 – 32 million visitors enjoy these treasures each year, with the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh museums being the most popular. The Rijksmuseum showcases over 8,000 works of Dutch art and history. Including masterpieces by Van Gogh, Rembrandt, and Vermeer. For many, the Anne Frank House is a must see. These popular sites require tickets purchased in advance.
Photo: Sharon McGukin
Windmills
Over 10,000 windmills once doted the Dutch countryside. While we romanticize their quaint beauty, they were actually used for pumping water or grinding grain. They were once an integral part of the wind-based process of reclaiming the land from surrounding waters. About 1,200 of the historic Icons remain today.
Photo: Sharon McGukin
Wooden Shoes
We watched a wooden shoe maker carve a klomp (clog) using antique clog machinery. The Dutch are known for their love of handmade klompen – whole-foot wooden shoes. Worn for safety from animals stepping on toes or feet getting wet and dirty. For warmth and comfort they are worn a size too large with thick woolen socks.
1 million Dutch, especially farmers, still wear traditional clogs today. Made of lightweight poplar, the wooden shoes keep feet dry in this land of water and are a good investment – they typically last for decades.
Photo: Sharon McGukin
Cheese
Inside the former stables of the 175-year-old farm we discovered the art of cheese-making. Farmer Kees-Jan milks the cows and makes the cheese. We enjoyed a tasting of his varied flavors of fresh Gouda.
Photo: Sharon McGukin
Boats & Bikes
Boats fill the canals and there are so many bikes! In this strong cycling culture, it is estimated there are 24.1 bicycles in a country of 17.6 million people. It felt like we saw most of them, and were narrowly missed by a few of them! It’s especially amazing to watch parents bike with their kids and sports equipment or groceries, all aboard one bike.
A Blooming Adventure
This fun-filled floral journey reminded me of how deeply flowers are woven into the culture, economy, and spirit of The Netherlands. If you ever get the chance, go. Walk alongside the tulip fields. Breathe in the fragrance of the hyacinths. Experience flowers growing in the fields for yourself. To enjoy tour photos our group shared, go to Dutch Floral Adventure on Facebook.
Stay tuned for more behind-the-scenes stories in our How We Bloom podcast and Floral Hub blog as we explore the growing and blossoming world of flowers. From others we can learn of new opportunities that are also available to us and … “that’s … How We Bloom."
How would you organize your own tulip-filled adventure in The Netherlands?
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