Well then. Laden with Chocolate (for home), Beer (for my Uncle), and a very fine cake from Goossens (for sharing), I made my way to visit some family members in Holland :) Of course, they had been following along on my blog (hello! J & M!) and had noted that I have a fascination with all things colorful and had expressed some interest in seeing the Tulip Fields. My wonderful Aunt greeted me at the train station with a gigantic bouquet of Tulips - incidentally, they matched my Spring is Here colorway perfectly (though I didn't take a photo of the bouquet - you'll just have to trust me).
Keukenhof is touted as the most beautiful spring garden in the world. I find it hard to disagree. The park is covered in beautifully landscaped arrangements and also has several indoor pavilions that feature even more flowers (and gorgeous and unique flower arrangements as well). Incidentally the park is only open for a very limited time - during the peak of the blooming season - apparently after the blooms have finished, and the park is closed, the planning for the next year begins anew, with the grounds undergoing a massive overhaul. All the bulbs are replanted each year - something on the order of 7 million bulbs are hand planted on the grounds between September and December!
I have to admit, I had never know that there was such a huge variety of tulips - nor had I any idea that there were double and even triple petaled tulips! Variety was found in every aspect from size of the blooms, stem height, and the color combinations (of both the flowers and the foliage!) - I definitely learned a whole lot! While the flowers photographed below aren't an exact match (I still say the bouquet was pretty darned close!), I think I could have a whole series of colorways named after the stunning array of flowers I had a chance to see on this trip!
1 comment:
Thanks for the Keukenhof link - I hadn't known tne dates it's open. What else did you get to see while you were here?
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