Keukenhof 2011 season opens March 25

If you are visiting the Netherlands between March 25 and May 20, you may want to add the Keukenhof Gardens to your itinerary. The gardens are home the largest collection of tulips and other flowers in the world, and showcase the Dutch brilliance in horticulture.

The theme for this year is “Germany Land of Poets and Philosophers” and the opening will be performed by the wife of the German President, Mrs. Bettina Wulff.

The gardens are open daily from 8AM till 7:30PM and admission is EUR14.50 for adults and EUR7 for kids. For a small surcharge, you can order tickets online that include a bus ride from The Hague, Leiden or Schiphol.

[Photos courtesy Keukenhof.nl]

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World’s largest collection of tulips in bloom at Keukenhof in the Netherlands

Nowhere in the world will you find more tulips than at Keukenhof in the Netherlands. Keukenhof started in 1949 as a showcase for Dutch bulb growers to display their newest creations, and it has since then grown into one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country.

This year, Keukenhof will open on March 18th, and will stay open until May 16th. In that short period of bloom, almost one million people will visit the 9 miles of pathways twisting around 4.5 million tulips in 2000 different varieties.

The theme for the 2010 season is “From Russia With Love”, and the official opening will be performed by Svetlana Medvedeva, wife of the President of the Russian Federation, in the presence of Her Royal Highness Princess Máxima of the Netherlands.

Keukenhof is conveniently located between Amsterdam and The Hague, making it a mere 30 minutes drive from both cities. Best of all, the drive to the town of Lisse (where Keukenhof is located) passes through some of the tulip fields the Netherlands is so popular for. If you are in the Netherlands this spring, a trip to Keukenhof is a “must do”.

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KLM celebrates its 90th birthday with its own tulip

If you have ever flown into Amsterdam airport between April and May, you have probably seen the massive tulip fields surrounding the airport.

I’ve always found it one of the most beautiful airport approaches in the world, filled with vibrant colors.

So, it makes sense that KLM decided to celebrate their 90th birthday with something special – their own tulip.

The KLM “tulipa” is a cross between a China Pink and a tetraploid tulip, developed for the airline by the leading Dutch agricultural university.

The tulip can even be ordered online for your own garden, but the retailer currently only ships within Europe. Later this month, you’ll be able to order your own Tulipa bulbs from Colorblends.com.

Another way to see Tulipa is at the temporary Keukenhof tulip gardens set up inside Schiphol airport and of course, at the “real” Keukenhof just 20 miles from the airport.