Keukenhof Flower Show

Keukenhof Flower Show

Late March-late May

The world's largest flower show takes place in Lisse, South Holland, Netherlands, at the Keukenhof, a former 15th-century estate and hunting lodge that has been turned into a park dotted with lakes. As many as five or six million bulbs blossom here between late March and the end of May, either in hothouses or in the flowerbeds that border the ponds and fountains. There is a museum in Lisse devoted to the history and cultivation of bulbs, and young girls ( meisjes ) in 15th-century dress sell guidebooks to help acquaint visitors with the 800 varieties of tulips, hyacinths, and daffodils that fill the 70-acre park with color. Thousands of people flock to the gardens each spring, although some prefer to view the bulbs from the windows of the Leyden-Haarlem train.

CONTACTS:
Keukenhof
Stationsweg 166a
Lisse, 2161 AM Netherlands
31-252-465-555; fax: 31-252-465-565
www.keukenhof.nl/nm/english.html

SOURCES:
GdWrldFest-1985, p. 142