Keukenhof Gardens in Holland

In 1949, the mayor of Lisse along with some leading bulb exporters and flower growers created an open air flower exhibition on today's site of Keukenhof Park. Over the years, the size of the park, number and variety of bulbs, and the number of visitors has grown into the infamous garden that is loved by millions today.

Keukenhof literally means 'kitchen garden' and was so named because it was the herb garden outside the castle kitchen of Jacoba van Beieren. The herb garden along with a vast hunting area around that castle now comprise the modern Keukenhof Park grounds.

The Dutch ornamental bulb industry shows off its best bulbs during the annual park exhibit as well as in the indoor shows where they present their most beautiful cut flowers. Each year, 93 local growers and exporters supply Keukenhof with their 'cream of the crop' bulbs for planting within the garden. For a complete list of these suppliers, visit the official website.

Five of these suppliers have bulb sales points within the park where you can order Spring blooming flowers that will be mailed to you for planting in Autumn. They also sell the large Amaryllis bulbs, cut flowers, and summer bulbs that you can purchase and carry home with you. If you have a garden, what better way to increase its beauty than with tulips direct from the Netherlands!

Each year, nearly 1,000,000 people ranging from locals to presidents of foreign countries to tourists flock to Keukenhof to pay tribute to the best bulb garden in the world.

In 2009, Keukenhof is scheduled to be open from March 19th - May 21st. Getting to and from the park has been made easier with public buses running directly to the park from Schipol Airport (Amsterdam's main airport) and Lisse. In addition, many bus tour companies offer Keukenhof Garden tours from Amsterdam. There is also plenty of parking if you drive directly to the garden.

Handicapped access is excellent with paved walkways and accessible bathrooms and restaurants throughout the park. Baby changing facilities are also available. There are a number of restaurants throughout the park, but we honestly did not find the food all that appealing.

Finally, be sure to check out the gift shop, they have just about any souvenir you can think off including shot glasses, postcards, key chain gifts, wall posters, placemats, and much more. We bought a gorgeous wall calendar with beautiful flower photos.

For more extensive information about visiting Keukenhof, visit their official website.

My Tips - The park covers nearly 2 acres with many walking paths, garden rooms, and pavilions to peruse. We took one of those bus tours from Amsterdam which worked out great in terms of transportation and ease of getting in and out of the park. However, they allowed only 2 hours of actual time in the park. It was NOT nearly enough time to see everything so be sure to allow more time to relax and truly soak up the beauty of the park. Also, be sure to buy a map for your visit - the park is large and can be a bit confusing. And buy your souvenirs and gifts on your way out of the park so you don't have to tote them all over with you.

Four indoor pavilions stand on the grounds of Keukenhof Park - Oranje Nassau Pavilion, Beatrix Pavillion, Willem Alexander Pavilion, and Juliana. Throughout the park's eight week opening, the indoor exhibitions change weekly. Growers from across the Netherlands display their flowers in the exhibitions where they are competitively judged. The best of the best come out for these competitions where gifts and prizes are awarded for a wide range of categories such as best presentation or best flower quality.

During our visit we spent a good bit of time in the Willem Alexander Pavilion where tens of thousands of tulips in every possible color and variety were on display. Daffodils, azaleas, hydrangea and other flowering bulbs and shrubs were also on display, but the tulips were the real show stoppers.

Apparently in May, the Willem Alexander Pavilion hosted the largest lily flower show in the world - over 30,000 lilies were displayed.

As you enter Keukenhof, you will not only be greeted by millions of blooms, but also by the manmade lake and meandering streams that cover a large portion of the park. The lake is home to many swans and ducks that float along without a care in the world. Children feed them from a nearby dock and a bountiful bouquet of flowers surround them and the lake. The lake provided a stunning backdrop for our pictures.

With nearly 1 million visitors descending on Keukenhof within an 8 week period each year, the gardens can get very crowded - especially around the lake. So if you are looking to escape the crowds, head for the woodland garden area just Southeast of the picturesque windmill. There are countless paths meandering through the woods featuring blooming bulbs and flowering shrubs.

Climbing the nearby windmill yields great views of the park and the nearby tulip fields, but it can be quite crowded with long lines.

More than 50 artists have created 150 pieces of artwork to make the largest sculpture park in the Netherlands. These works of art blend in seamlessly with the blooming flowers throughout the park. Galerie Noordeinde carefully selected the sculptures and many of the artworks are on display in the recently renovated Juliana pavilion. Some of the photos below were taken from Flickr.

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