Holland has always been the center of the horticulture universe. For gardening groups a veritable paradise is found in the Netherlands. Even those who have no interest in visiting beautiful displays of the botanical variety will be smitten Holland’s vast array of outdoor gardens. For tour groups with an interest in gardening and an appreciation for the beauty of the landscaper’s art this country is well worth a visit.
The Keukenhof gardens is one of the most visited places in Holland. Over seventy acres of spring flowers featuring tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, and other varieties meet the garden lover with over six million individual plants. Mid April is considered the best time to visit here with peak blooms and a staggering variety of colors. Bulbs are offered for sale and are very popular with many unusual and stunning varieties being developed on site.
Groups visiting the Keukenhof should consider taking a coach. Holland is a small country with an excellent roadway system. The sheer volume of traffic can make navigating daunting for visitors. The ride to the Keukonhof goes directly through the commercial tulip fields which are another good reason for visiting groups to travel together on one coach. There are plenty of opportunities to take pictures on the way to the world’s most photographed attraction!
Spring flowers and tulips are what most gardening enthusiasts envision when contemplating a visit Holland. The many historical gardens of Holland are also well worth planning a visit to. In fact, every year in the third week of June, the Canal Museums organize an open weekend for the private gardens in Amsterdam.
The Versailles of the Netherlands is an appellation often given to the Palais Het Loo. This spectacular historical garden was built by William and Mary in Apeldoom. The design is rather simple for a grand garden of its time, but the history of the site and it’s restoration in 1984 give this destination unique appeal. The statues and fountains indicate multiple influences. The sidewalks radiating from them main garden were designed by a mathematician and protestant refugee named Daniel Merot.
Markelo Holland is home to Kasteel Weldam, whose garden was built in the 1600’s as a canal garden. The castle itself was also constructed in the seventeenth century and includes in its features a surrounding moat. The renaissance garden has evolved with the castle with expansions and also a reconstruction of the old canal garden. Today Weldam is ranked by some critics as among the best of Holland’s Gardens.
Environmental factors, like the soil ideally suited to bulb production, certainly have a significant role in the quantity and sheer beauty of Holland’s gardens. There is much more than favorable conditions here though. A passion for grand gardens blended with genius in design and execution have left us with a certain gift for the generations. Given some of the darker aspects of human nature recorded in history, the gardens of Holland provide a welcome and needed illustration of our higher potential.
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