After enduring six weeks without rain, California finally received a much needed soaking yesterday. In normal years, January would have been one of our wettest months, but not a drop of water fell. Our garden had been in a dormant state, showing the stress of drought everywhere you looked. We woke up to clear skies this morning, a short respite before we see more rain beginning tonight. I took advantage of the break in the weather and, coffee cup in hand, went out to observe the garden. Overnight, our daffodils, crocus and hyacinth had broken ground. One patch of hyacinth brought a smile of reminiscence to my face. I had purchased these particular bulbs nearly a decade ago in what many consider to be the loveliest garden on the European continent, the Keukenhof in the province of Zuid Holland, Nederland.
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In 1642, during the height of the Dutch Golden Age, a big wig with the United East Indian Company named Adriaen Maertensz Block completed
his castle in the province of South Holland. The residence was built on former hunting grounds that had been previously owned by the wealthy Countess Jacoba van Beieren, who had also used the land to cultivate herbs for her court's table. Charmed by this history, Block named his home Kasteel Keukenhof or the Castle of the Kitchen Courtyard. For centuries, the castle remained the home for generations of the same family while undergoing many transformations. In 1857, the castle gardens also underwent a
huge retooling under the father-son landscape team of Jan David Zocher and Louis Paul Zocher, who had gained fame for their design of Amsterdam's
Vondelpark.
Much of the present day garden sits on the footprints of the Zocher's plans, although they wouldn't recognize it today. As the years passed, the flower industry in the Netherlands became a world powerhouse due to its ideal soil for growing bulbs. The area around Kasteel Keukenhof was particularly ideal. Flying into Amsterdam in the springtime on a clear day, the land below looks like a surreal quilt of vibrant color.
In 1949. the mayor of the little town of Lisse situated near Kasteel Keukenhof organized an exhibition for the flower growers to show off their work. It was so successful that it became an annual event and the castle grounds would become a showcase for their inventive talent.
Today, the Keukenhof welcomes its guests to view the explosion of over 7 million bulbs planted on the 79 acres of ground. And what a sight it is to behold.
My last visit to the gardens was in April of 2006 to celebrate my friend John's birthday. An avid lover of gardens and a first time visitor to the Netherlands, he was in awe of the spectacle.
The garden was at its perfect peak and the colors and scents intoxicating.
Naturally, this garden attracts a lot of visitors, but it is so large and so well designed that you hardly notice.
There are many intricate paths and hidden spots where one can even take a toke from the discretionary joint without causing a stir, if one is considerately so inclined. Not that I would recommend you do that, mind you.
But it sure does make the colors pop.
Of course, the Keukenhof is touristy but you never get the tourist trap vibe. The Dutch are proud of their accomplishments in the floral industry and take it very seriously. Every meticulous inch of this garden reflects their passion and commitment to this art.
For serious gardeners the beds are annotated with information about the hybrids and their growers. There are seminars and special exhibitions. The garden is also beautifully populated with sculptures, water features, indoor exhibition halls and special events.
This year, the garden will be open from March 20 through May 17. I wish I could make it back to see it again this spring. Alas, I'll just have to be content to watch my Keukenhof hyacinth bloom once again.
Now one to Tops!
TOP COMMENTS
February 7, 2015
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TOP MOJO
February 6, 2015
(excluding Tip Jars and first comments)
Got mik!
1) I love it! one of the first comments proves my by chaunceydevega — 187
2) Keep up the fight, Chauncey by tampaedski — 146
3) Thanks for Posting the Diary, Bill by JekyllnHyde — 144
4) I love the way Chauncey comes out swinging by ontheleftcoast — 137
5) I have to admit that at first I thought he was by Susan Grigsby — 128
6) Tipped & rec'ed by a2nite — 114
7) I tweeted this just before by Vita Brevis — 114
8) Well just in case he ever sees this by BlackSheep1 — 112
9) I wonder if he would feel the child was so... by LiberalCanuck — 107
10) As you state, by elenacarlena — 105
11) Tell me ... by FogCityJohn — 93
12) Your attempts at tone policing, aka by poco — 93
13) He really made his office look like by koosah — 92
14) I have learned and, hopefully, absorbed so much by Smoh — 91
15) Irony Alert by JekyllnHyde — 85
16) This mess just keeps getting messier. by weezilgirl — 85
17) Because our side, the left, who should be allies by ontheleftcoast — 82
18) I won't speak for anyone but myself, but by Calvino Partigiani — 81
19) Well, he does have an account... by JeffW — 80
20) Aluminum? Mercury? Fetal Proteins? Antibiotics? by here4tehbeer — 80
21) the white racial frame is one hell of a drug by chaunceydevega — 78
22) It goes even beyond that.... by 4CasandChlo — 77
23) Thanks - a great addition to... by TheOrchid — 77
24) I'm thinking most POC in this by I love OCD — 75
25) My UID is lower than Obama's UID. (Neener neener!) by Eileen B — 72
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27) Sadly, many people have yet to figure out by mrsgoo — 70
28) I was called "shrill" and "emotional" by Damnit Janet — 70
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30) The contrast between how your diary and Moyers by ontheleftcoast — 67
31) Wow! by FogCityJohn — 67
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February 6, 2015
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