Holland loves flowers

Flowers and Holland are inextricably linked. Especially in the provinces of North Holland and Flevoland, tulip bulb fields, long narrow ditches and green strips of grass add a colourful palette to Holland’s countryside landscape. Flowers are not only one of Holland’s main export products; they also attract many tourists from all over the world, year after year.

The Dutch and flowers

The Dutch love flowers as well. Every year they spend up to €60 each on flowers. The Dutch will bring a bunch of flowers to every occasion: as a ‘make up’ after an argument, to a birthday, to a wedding or to a funeral. Every year, when the Pope delivers his Urbi et Orbi, the Dutch wait for those magic words: "Thanks for the flowers from the Netherlands."

The first flower still-life paintings from the 17th century often came with an educational message. The short blooming period of the flower was often compared to the equally short lifespan of man on earth. The most famous flower still life is the painting Sunflowers by Vincent van Gogh.

Each spring, 750,000 visitors come to the Keukenhof, the world’s biggest flower garden. During this event, the famous Flower Parade takes place. This is a huge parade of floats richly decorated with flowers.

National flower: the tulip

The Dutch embrace the tulip, be it unofficially, as their national flower. It was Carolus Clusius, Director of the Leiden Botanical Garden, who planted the first tulip bulb in the 16th century. The flower originates from Turkey or Iran, where it was already very popular amongst the sultans. In the 17th century, tulip mania reached Holland and it is still an important export product. During the 80’s and 90’s famous Dutch football players Ruud Gullit, Marco van Basten and Frank Rijkaard were known in Italy as the tulipani, or the tulips.

The bulb region

The coastal region between Haarlem and Leiden is the traditional bulb growing area because it is where the bulb growing tradition originated, due to its mild climate and chalky soils. Flower bulbs are planted in autumn. During spring (starting in March) one can drive through expansive, colourful flower fields, a sight to be seen. In the summer, the bulbs are lifted, peeled and dried, in preparation for trade. Flowers most commonly seen in the bulb region include tulips, hyacinths, daffodils, lilies and gladioluses.

Import and export of flowers

Flowers are one of the main export products of Holland. The main importing countries are Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Italy and Russia. In order to continue the flower trade all year through, Holland also imports many flowers from, in particular, Africa and Israel, making the country the main importer of the European Union. Often the entrepreneurs in ornamental flower cultivation in Africa are of Dutch origin.

Most of the flowers are grown in greenhouses. The Westland area and the city of Aalsmeer are the epicentre of the worldwide flower trade. Holland has approximately 10,000 hectares of glasshouses. One third of this is dedicated to cut flowers.

A lot of research has been carried out into reducing energy consumption as a result of using glasshouses. This has led to experiments with solar panels on glasshouses or floating glasshouses and geothermal energy.

The promotion bureau for Dutch flowers Flower Council of Holland provides facts and figures with regards to the import and export of flowers. The website of the Dutch Agency, part of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, provides more information about the business side of Holland.

Tourist attractions

• Keukenhof: the world’s largest open air flower garden, open between March and May
• Floriade 2012: world horticultural exhibition, once every ten years, from April to October 2012, theme ‘Living Nature’
• Skating, cycling and walking routes through the flower fields of Zijpe in North-Holland and Flevoland
• Flights giving tours over the bulb growing area
• Visit to the FloraHolland auction house in Aalsmeer
• Car trip through bulb growing area (from A6, turnoff Emmeloord);
• The Black Tulip Museum;
• The world’s largest painted tulip panorama (63 metres long, 4 metres high);
• Amsterdam Tulip Museum;

Flower events

• Holland's Flower Festival/the West Friesian Flora: largest indoor bulb flower exhibition in Holland

• Flower Parade every April in the bulb growing region

• Sailing Westland Parade August/70 km long/300,000 visitors)