The Keukenhof Tulip Garden: Insights from a Garden Writer

I have always loved Tulips but they really came onto my radar after I read Polly Nicholson's book, "The Tulip" and heard Polly give a talk about her own collection of historic tulips.

My interest was sparked and it wasn't long before I knew I had to visit Holland and see the world famous Keukenhof Garden which has a collection of over seven million flowering bulbs.

Keukenhof is just outside Amsterdam and is open for eight weeks every year from around the end of March until May. What you will see very much depends on the timing of your visit and in early April daffodils and narcissus are usually the main event with a few early flowering tulips.

This garden has been described as the most beautiful Spring Garden in the world so expectations were high and it didn't disappoint. Keukenhof is a little commercial and attracts many visitors but the grounds are so huge that it didn't feel overcrowded at all and was extremely well organised.

I started by visiting the Historic Tuilip Garden which was arranged in a parterre style with low Buxus hedging, water features and some very well pruned trees. Everything was well labelled making it super easy to see what appealed to you and jot down the details. My personal favourites were Narcissus 'Conspicuus' dating back to 1869, Narcissus dubbel 'Pip van Winkle' and Fritillaria 'The Premier'.

There is something for everyone at Keukenhof - you can wander at leisure taking in the colours and feel of the garden, sit and take a break or pause to admire a water feature, sculpture or statue. For those who are curious about the history of the bulbs information boards give a wealth of background history.

In the historic garden there is information on the daffodil that originates from the countries surrounding the Mediterranean and Central Europe. The first daffodils to the Netherlands were introduced by the renowned Dutch Botanist Carolus Clusius (1526 - 1609). Nowadays there are over 26,000 varieties in shades of orange, white, yellow, green and even pink.

From the Historic Tulip Garden a path leads you towards the Oranje Nassau which presently contains a stunning rose display. In this part of the garden many different tulips were flowering and again there was plenty of opportunity to take in the history of this beautiful bulb.

The first tulip bulbs arrived in the Netherlands during the 16th Century mainly through trade with Turkey. A Century later the bulbs were in such high demand that the so called "Tulip Mania" developed (1636 - 1637) when the price per bulb sometimes reached 4,400 guilders as the bulbs were so scarce. Nowadays 15,000 hectares of tulips flower every year.

In the middle of the Keukenhof garden is Willen Alexander and this is where you will find indoor displays of literally thousands of different tulips all in flower. This is a garden lovers paradise as each group of tulips is labelled and so you can easily see which colours and forms appeal to you and note them down for your own garden. For me this display was the highlight of Keukenhof.