Keukenhof &c.

[Matt T]

My mum and I were in the Netherlands this week as she treated me to a coach holiday to Keukenhof etc. Luckily there were some great characters on our coach and we had a hoot.

Keukenhof might not appeal to all, but it is certainly a great showcase for the dutch bulb growers and a spectacle everyone should see once. it's clearly a major operation in terms of planning, planting and maintenance as well as investment, but the sheer number of visitors suggest it pays off. We were lucky with our timing, as the tulips and many of the other bulbs were at their peak.

A few general shots to start:
The bulbs are laid out in beds throughout a large (30+ acres) garden landscaped with many wooded areas.
Some of the planting combinations are bright - blatantly garish in fact.
Whilst slightly 'municipal' to the gardener's eye, the overall effect of the massed bulbs is impressive.
Some beds show attractive mixtures of bulbs in complimentary or contrasting colours.
Fritillaria imperialis featured heavily throughout the planting schemes

[Matt T]

Keukenhof sits in the heart of the bulb growing region, and the fields around are full of bulbs, mainly tulips during our visit, but a lot of hyacinths too. The gardens have vistas looking out to the fields around, but attention is also drawn inwards, with a number of pavilions with changing exhibitions throughout the 2 months the gardens are open. The largest of these is the Willem-Alexander Pavilion, which held beds of myriad tulip cultivars planted out cheek by jowl, a good opportunity to pick out those you might like in your own garden...or others that, whilst attractive in their own away you might not choose.

[Matt T]

The Orange Nassau Pavilion probably held most interest for me, with many Narcissus and other interesting smaller and niche bulbs on show. Here, breeders/growers were showing off some of their best plants and new cultivars, some of which are as yet un-named.

These Amaryllis from Sonatini, many small/miniature and (reputedly) garden-hardy cultivars, caught the eye:

Hippeastrum nr. 1669
Hippeastrum 'Red Rascal'
Hippeastrum 'White Rascal'

[Matt T]

H.M. Meeuwissen Voorhout had several stands of cut Narcissus, including some miniatures such as N. 'Little Soldier', N. 'Little Witch' and N. 'Xit' amongst others.

[Matt T]

For me, the best stand was from Kwekerij de Schüllhorn, presenting many plants that would appeal to Scottish Rockers, amongst them:

Scilla litardierei
Scilla 'Indra'
A jonquil hybrid with good scent and flower and still under the number Narcissus S-N-14
Tecophilaea 'Storm Cloud'

[Matt T]

For the purist, in the traditional walled garden we discovered some small beds, easily over-looked by many I'm sure containing a number of  species tulips in four geographical groupings - East Asia, Central Asia, Middle East and Europe.

Here the Middle East planting included Tulipa schrenkii and T. humilis.

[Matt T]

Our holiday included a number of trips and we made the most of our day in Amsterdam by visiting the Hortus Botanicus, which I recommend if you are in the city. A small garden, there is a lot packed in and we easily spent a couple of hours here. A number of containers were planted up with a good collection of species tulips.

Tulipa kolpakowskiana
Tulipa schrenkii, again
Tulipa clusiana
Tulipa montana
and, my favourite Tulipa heweri

[Maggi Young]

For me, the best stand was from Kwekerij de Schüllhorn, presenting many plants that would appeal to Scottish Rockers

Not surprised you liked their display, Matt- I've seen Linda De Goede-van Duin's photos on Facebook and I know the nursery won a professional gold award.

[David Nicholson]

It's long been on the list Matt but we haven't made it yet.

[Alan_b]

I did Keukenhof in a day a few years ago, taking the cheapest Easyjet flight I could find to Amsterdam Schiphol airport and then the coach which goes direct from Schiphol to Keukenhof.  Maybe I was lucky but it was all remarkably easy. 

[Tim Ingram]

Fantastic pictures Matt! No wonder people get so hooked on bulbs. Several of those earlier pictures remind me of the amazing bulb walk at Sissinghurst which just has more and more plants put into it year by year. There are even little pastiches of bulbs planted around the trunks of the pleached limes, and amongst the bulbs are primroses and pulsatillas, and anemones, some euphorbias, and a few large clay pots to give variation. We've tried a (small) imitation of this in a round bed in our lawn where a weeping cherry used to be. It's great fun but it needs more and more tulips and narcissi to give anything like the same effect. A little like a woodland planting; it takes many years to build up a picture but it really is glorious.