Keukenhof

Keukenhof is breathtaking.

• Keukenhof is also known as the ‘Garden of Europe’, and the word ‘Keukenhof’ can be translated to ‘kitchen garden’ in Dutch, in reference to the herbs that used to be gathered in the area for the castle kitchen.
• Keukenhof is the largest flower garden on Earth, with approximately seven million bulbs covering an area of 32 hectares (79 acres).
• Keukenhof is located in Lisse, in the Netherlands in an area known as ‘Duin- en Bollenstreek’ which translates to ‘Dune and Bulb Region’, known for its floral industry.
• Keukenhof is only ever open to the public for  8 weeks in a year from mid-March to mid-May, with the flower-viewing peak in mid-April.
• Keukenhof was originally a place for hunting in the 1400s, and the Mayor of Lisse organised the first Keukenhof exhibit in 1949.

Keukenhof
Image courtesy of Bertknot/Flickr

•  The Keukenhof gardens are directly opposite a building known as ‘Keukenhof Castle’, which was built in 1642.
• Keukenhof was designed in the 1800s, by the landscaper Jan David Zocher and his son, for the Baron and Baroness van Pallandt the owners of the property and the castle at the time, all of which is now owned by a charitable foundation.
• Keukenhof has competitions for the best flowers grown by exhibitors, with awards like tulip awards and rose awards.
• Many visitors to Keukenhof search for large rows of a certain flower, which can be see in some of the surrounding areas, which they do not find in the garden, but instead find patterns and pictures created with flower bulbs.
• The flowers and bulbs featured in Keukenhof can be bought, with much of the garden dug up and replanted yearly.

Bibliography:
Garrison L, Keukenhof Gardens – Dutch Spring Gardens near Amsterdam, 2013, About.com, <http://cruises.about.com/cs/europe/a/keukenhof.htm>

Keukenhof, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keukenhof>

History of Keukenhof, 2013, Keukenhof Holland, <http://www.keukenhof.nl/en/5/history-of-keukenhof.html>