Keukenhof tulip

Enjoy the first Keukenhof tulip picture of 2009: a single Greigii tulip with a little morning dew standing out of the 7 million other Keukenhof tulips.

Apert from the millions of tulips, Keukenhof presents its visitors with all other spring flower bulbs like narcissus, hyacinths. Also showcased are shrubs, water arrangements, fountains and a dozen of art works:

Keukenhof Amsterdam tulips surrounding artworks.

2009 theme: USA, New Amsterdam – New York, 400 years.

This Keukenhof spring flower season from March 19 till May 21 will focus on the historical relationship between the Netherlands and the US.

400 years ago, Henry Hudson, on behalf of the Dutch East Indian Company set foot on what is now Manhattan but then became New Amsterdam. .

Now called New York, thecity was originally founded by the Dutch and Dutch history and names (Harlem...) still play an important role nowadays.

A humongous Keukenhof Tulips flower mosaic of the Statue of Liberty, using more than 25,000 bulbs has been created.

Visitors will be able to follow an amazing American themed spring flowers route and see an American style garden.

Of course you will be able to buy fresh flowers, but when you are traveling, we recommend you buy tulips or other flower bulbs, plant them in autumn and enjoy a Keukenhof tulip in your garden next spring season!

Keukenhof gardens Amsterdam

Enjoy 7 million tulips in the Keukenhof Gardens Amsterdam from tomorrow March 19 till May 21.

This year the Keukenhof Tulip Gardens celebrate their 60th anniversary. For 60 years, the Keukenhof Gardens in Amsterdam have been the most beautiful place in the world for tulip lovers like me.

In addition to the millions of blooming spring flower bulbs and fantastic flower shows, Keukenhof has the largest sculpture garden in the Netherlands and is the most photographed spot in the world.

What I love the most every year in Keukenhof is standing in between the countless hyacinth flowers, closing my eyes and breathing in the perfume of the hyacinths.

This year's Keukenhof Tulip Gardens theme will be the celebration of the 400th anniversary of the voyage of Dutch Henry Hudson to the USA, in particular to Manhattan.

That's why the centerpiece of the Keukenhof Tulip Gardens this year will be a mosaic of the Statue of Liberty. The above picture shows you the gardener planting 36.000 flower bulbs to make the tulip mosaic.

This year, the Keukenhof Gardens in Amsterdam will have more than 7 million tulips flowering!

Tulip flowers

Tulip family

Tulips in Latin are called "Tulipa" and they belong in the lily family. Lilies in Latin are "Liliaceae". (see picture of lily flower on the right: yes, it is a lily, but if you don't look carefully, you could think it is a tulip flower...)

Tulips are bulbous plants, that's why the title of this site is Tulip Bulb. You normally buy the tulip bulbs, and if you are in a 4 season climate: you plant the tulip bulbs in your garden before winter, and you will have tulip flowers in April.

Tulip flowers are large, showy flowers with six petals. There are around 100 tulip species, a tulip species is a tulip with a different first name, like my first name is different than my sisters', yet we are all from the same family.

Tulip flowers worldwide

Tulip flowers can be found in southern Europe, north Africa, and Asia; from Anatolia and Iran east as far as northeast China and Japan.

The centre of diversity of the tulip genus is in the Pamir and Hindu Kush mountains and the steppes of Kazakhstan. (see picture of a wild tulip from Kazakhstan on the right)

Tulip Bouquet

Well, when my sister married her hubby from the Netherlands, the tables were full with tulip wedding bouquets... For me who normally loves flowers with perfume, I was nicely surprised that I also fell in love on the spot with tulips...

Must have been the lovely-dovely ambiance around the tulips from my sister and her husband from Holland :-)

Tulip Bulb

My first tulip bulb post :-)

Ever since my sister married a Holland guy, he keeps on bringing back tulips from the Netherlands... well, he brings them in as tulip bulbs and then... they shoot out of the tulip bulb and mostly produce a tiny tulip flower.

Yet I became to love tulip flowers and now we have even a Tulip Flower association here in my own hometown Taiping.

My dream? To see the real tulips from Amsterdam and visit the Holland tulip festival.