When springtime arrives in all its visual glory, I occasionally cross The Big Pond to catch European gardens at their seasonal floral finest — and I’m rarely disappointed. Recently, I took a trip to the Netherlands, where flowering plants from fall-planted, spring-blooming bulbs are, simply put, national institutions.
Whimsy — and wonderful flowers — on parade
And in the Netherlands, the belle of the spring-bling ball is Keukenhof Gardens (keukenhof.nl), with its 80 acres annually displaying over 7 million bulbs. Tulips, of course, are the main attractions, but they have plenty of eye-catching competition from impressive concentrations of daffodils, hyacinths, crocuses, anemones, irises, lilies, and fritillaries, as well as stately trees and colorful perennials.
Waiting for me were broad open beds of blooming bulbs, some massed in busy kaleidoscopic mixes, while others were concentrated swaths of striking singular colors. And whether the flowers were tucked into winding beds or regimented straight rows, being gorgeous was the one thing they all had in common.
The spring beauty of Keukenhof is, unfortunately, fleeting. Due to the bulbs’ limited bloom times, the gardens are only open from the middle of March until May, so, if you are interested in going, plan accordingly.
I could have taken a 45-minute jaunt by train or bus to Keukenhof from Amsterdam, but instead, it took me eight days to arrive at the garden’s gates. No, I didn’t get lost. Instead, I sailed on Viking’s “Tulips and Windmills” cruise (vikingrivercruises.com), which included opportunities to explore cities such as Hoorn, Arnhem, Brussels, Antwerp, Haarlem, Ghent, and Bruges before, on the final full day of the excursion, arriving at Keukenhof — a Dutch treat that was certainly worth the wait!
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