Happy Friday, GPODers!!
For the past several weeks we’ve been enjoying spring gardens all across North America, but today we’re joining Kielian DeWitt on her recent trip to one of the most iconic locations for spring flowers: the Netherlands.
Kielian has shared her stunning garden in Montana many times in the past (Seasons in a Montana Garden, More Months from Kielian’s Garden, Kielian’s Garden in Montana, Kielian’s Montana Garden in Autumn, and More from Kielian’s Garden to name a few), and last year she treated us to an incredible assortment of photos from the annual Bitterroot Secret Garden Tour™ she helps facilitate as president of the board. If you missed that series, be sure to check it out: A Nurseryman’s Expansive Garden; Meticulously Maintained Urban Garden; An Eco-friendly, Native Plant Garden; The Alice in Wonderland Garden; and Rural Garden on a Montana Ranch. In her latest submission she is sharing two very different sites she visited in the Netherlands—the first is the world’s largest floriculture marketplace, and the second is a very famous botanical garden.
Hello from Holland!
Royal FloraHolland is the largest international marketplace for flowers and plants. It is a cooperative of 3,800 flower and plant growers that allows buyers to purchase cut flowers and plants through a digital marketplace auction system. Over 5,300 suppliers offer 23,000 different flowers and plants for auction. During a typical day, 46 million flowers are sold at a €22 million daily turnover. Roses are the number one seller throughout Europe, with tulips coming in second and phalaenopsis orchids coming in third.
After bids are made and accepted, electric carts carry the sold flowers to lanes labeled for the different buyers. Within one day, the flowers are shipped to and received by each European country.
There is a film at the end of the photographs showing the hectic but organized chaos of a typical working day.
The first half of today’s post is like our own version of the How It’s Made television series I used to watch on the Discovery Channel in the early 200os. When we get lost in our gardens, it can be easy to forget that plants are still a big business that requires connecting buyers and sellers.
Though the operation is very modern and high-tech now, Royal FloraHolland started from humble beginnings. The birth of the flower auction can be traced back to 1910, when discussions were sparked at two local pubs in the town of Aalsmeer, where this auction house is located. Now the current facility is one of the largest buildings in Europe, occupying an area equivalent to 200 football fields. While it looks like a lot of plants in these photos, it’s only a small fraction!
While the Netherlands is undeniably known for its flowers, plants of all sorts are bought and sold through Royal FloraHolland. More than 30,000 species of flowers and plants are traded, and between 1,200 to 1,500 new botanical varieties join the catalog every year.
Above is the video that Kielian mentioned in her introduction. This transport line that allows plants and flowers to move throughout the warehouse is 18 kilometers (11.18 miles) long. It’s like a giant plant highway!
Next up is just a small selection of the photos shared from Keukenhof Park in Lisse, Netherlands. I will be sharing a full post of this iconic garden on Monday, but I wanted to end our Friday with some of these outrageously colorful flowers.
For many gardeners and plant aficionados, Keukenhof is well-known and high on their bucket lists. But this is only a preview of Kielian’s photos, so I won’t get into too many specifics about this iconic spring location just yet; I’ll let the incredible photos speak for themselves.
You might have already seen this garden without realizing it. If you’ve ever seen those photos of massive rows of spring bulbs with Dutch windmills in the distance, there is a good chance it was this garden.
But massing is far from the only design technique employed, and various colors get mixed and match to perfection.
There are so many different kinds of bulbs to enjoy at Keukenhof, but sometimes the classics are just as exciting as the rare varieties. Red tulips are always delightful, and ‘Queensday’ (Tulipa ‘Queensday’, Zones 3–8) is a particularly beautiful cultivar.
Lastly, a pot of mostly white is still an exciting sight when it’s filled with a wonderful mixture of textures and forms. The unbelievable number of different bulbs that can be found at Keukenhof will give you a whole new perspective on spring bloomers.
And this is only a taste of what Kielian captured at Keukenhof, so keep an eye on your inbox Monday to learn more about this iconic spring display and see more fabulous photos.
While you wait for the continuation of Kielian’s submission, consider sharing your own adventures in spring gardens this weekend. Whether it’s photos of your own spring plantings or a public garden or park that had a gorgeous display, we’d love to see it on Garden Photo of the Day! Follow the directions below to submit photos via email, or send me a DM on Instagram: @agirlherdogandtheroad.
We want to see YOUR garden!
Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit!
To submit, send 5–10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden.
Have a mobile phone? Tag your photos on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with #FineGardening!
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