Tulip Garden Keukenhof History – Garth is an avid gardener and has been itching for some time to see the seasonal displays of Dutch tulips at one of the most famous and spectacular flower shows in the world – Keukenhof. So we decided to take a long weekend city break and go to Amsterdam. In this post we will show you what a day trip to Keukenhof has to offer.
Keukenhof is located in the small town of Liège, about 30 miles southwest of Amsterdam. It is only open for 8 weeks of the year from mid-March to mid-May. During this short window, more than 1 million people from the Netherlands and around the world travel to see thousands of spring flowering bulbs such as tulips, hyacinths and daffodils, a major visitor attraction as we discovered.
Tulip Garden Keukenhof History
The hardest part for us was deciding when to go because the season depends on the weather every year. Has the tulip lost all its leaves? Will the flowers close? And will the nearby flower fields be harvested? It’s a gamble but the best time to visit is mid to late April. So we chose the end of April to coincide with a major Dutch national holiday – Kings Day (Königsdag) on April 27th every year.
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Keukenhof means “kitchen garden” in Dutch, it was originally a herb garden for the nearby castle. In 1949, the mayor of Lecce decided to use the gardens to create an exhibition space for farmers in the Netherlands to display and advertise their flowers to increase export sales. Today Keukenhof is still a living shop window where a plaque next to each display tells you the name of the flower and which nursery produced it. This proved really useful when we saw tulips we liked, Garth busily wrote down the names so we could think about buying them later in the year.
If you have a green thumb like Garth, you will be overwhelmed by Keukenhof. The gardens are huge – 79 acres, so just take your time and explore them for a few hours. You could easily spend the better part of a day here as there is so much to see.
7 million flowers are planted by hand to create stunning displays. When we entered the garden for the first time through a large display of tulips, we were surprised at what was to come. And there’s also a beautiful lake and over 2,700 trees!
Every kind of tulip, hyacinth and daffodil you can imagine is on display, 800 varieties of tulips to be exact! Keukenhof is famous for planting mass blocks of bold colors, and carpets of every color of the spectrum appear everywhere. From unusual dark shades to the bright pastel colors of tulips, there is always a riot of color everywhere you turn.
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The sheer volume of flowers on display is what makes Keukenhof so interesting. The shows are fun because you can get up close and personal with them, especially good when the scent in the air is really strong. Even Phil as a non-gardener can’t help but appreciate these wonderful displays.
Every year Keukenhof chooses a different theme for some of the exhibitions. We visited in 2017 – Keukenhof’s 68th season and the theme was Dutch Design. The centerpiece was this block floral work inspired by Piet Mondrian’s famous red, blue and yellow combinations – planted in layers to extend the blooming period.
Other gardens to explore at Keukenhof include a formal garden called the Historical Garden and at the other end of the park we heard a beautiful barrel organ playing some old tunes.
Phil thought it was funny to people watch, as many onlookers fought with their selfie sticks to smell the flowers or get the perfect photo. An American couple even told us how to take a good photo lying on their backs on the grass!
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There are 5 pavilions to explore with various displays of plants and cut flowers. The smell was wonderful when we first entered the Willem-Alexander Pond, we were particularly in awe of the various orchids on display and jealous of their begonias in hanging baskets, given our very poor communication skills. Looks like!
Also look out for fun photo opportunities around the gardens, like this giant clog! And remember to buy enough memory cards for your camera if you are a photographer like Garth because you will need them!
From the viewing platform at the top of the windmill you can look across the canal to the many fields planted with tulips and hyacinth bulbs. At the base of Wind Terrace you can take a 45-minute “whisper boat” tour to explore the nearby flower fields through the canals. Alternatively you can rent a bike outside the Keukenhof entrance for €10 and explore the area on your own on 4 designated routes.
After a few hours, feeling full of inspiration we went to Keukenhof Gardens to see where these bulbs are grown in the local area.
Keukenhof Tulip Gardens (amsterdam, Holland)
Next to the Keukenhof are dozens of farmers’ flower fields, and they are just as interesting as the Keukenhof gardens. Our friend drove us around the Lacy area where there is a huge concentration of tulip fields. We stopped at different places to take cool pictures! Remember to respect the farmer’s fields and walk through the tulips to the edges and footpaths!
Rows of tulips create beautiful fabric like patterns because they are so densely planted. Some of the fields we stopped at must have looked amazing from the air (Phil we need a drone!) We loved the mixed fields of tulips that made beautiful rainbow stripes of color. Phil thought the field looked like an abstract painting.
Again timing is critical for best display as growers cut the tops of tulips to encourage healthy bulbs. If you want to see the flowers in full, our advice would be to go in mid-April because the flower heads will all be cut at the end of April. Another tip – the fields are flat and windy so take a jacket.
If you’re flying into Amsterdam like we did, make sure you book a window seat because chances are you’ll get a good view of the tulips and flowers when you land at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport.
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We ended our day with a drink and a walk along the beach in the pretty coastal town of Noordwijk, just 15 minutes from Keukenhof, if you’re lucky you might pass the odd windmill along the way.
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The gardens have a rich and eventful story; From its establishment to what we know now. It constantly goes through floral changes.
Every year in the spring, Keukenhof’s large gardens dazzle visitors with their visual beauty in floral colors. The extravaganza attracts millions of visitors from around the world. And this year is no exception, as the world-famous garden marks its 75th anniversary.
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To celebrate this milestone, it is good to explore the rich history behind the remarkable gardens; Decades later documenting its existence from humble beginnings to its current form. Still, the Garden of Europe retains its true magical charm and continues to amaze guests as it did years ago.
The story of Keukenhof begins in the 15th century in the hunting grounds of Slot Telengien, a castle belonging to Countess Jacoba von Beuren (Jacoline of Bavaria). She was the face of Keukenhof for years. During the 15th century, she owned the area where the garden is currently located.
The Countess was born in 1401 and died in 1436. She ruled Holland, Zeeland and Hainault from 1417 to 1433. She was married four times, spent several years in prison, and was even exiled to England. Her, often, belligerent attitude doesn’t even spare her ex-husbands. In 1433, she was forced to surrender her countries, after which she withdrew from the public eye and died of tuberculosis at the age of only 35, not far from Keukenhof.
Later, Keukenhof was a natural feature of ancient times for hunting and gathering herbs and vegetables. This is where the name Keukenhof (Kitchen Gardens) comes from, as the estate’s large garden provided game, fruit and vegetables for its castle kitchen.
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In 1641, the property was bought by Adrian Martens Block, who was the governor of the Dutch East India Company at the time. Block had built a manor house on the land. At that time, he named the manor Keukenhof – today, it is known as Castle Keukenhof (Castell Keukenhof). The castle, which still stands, is located southwest of the Keukenhof Gardens.
In the following years, the property changed hands several times. But in the 19th century, it was bought by Baron and Baroness von Palundt. In 1857 they hired David Zucker and his son – the landscape architects responsible for Vondelpark in Amsterdam – to rebuild and redesign.
