Page 32 - ARUBA TODAY

A32 FEATURE
Thursday 8 March 2018
Nature's pageantry on display during Dutch tulip season

By COLLEEN BARRY Amsterdam's Dam Square,
LISSE, Netherlands (AP) — which can be picked for
Nothing says springtime like free. The Netherlands is the
the tulip season in the Neth- largest tulip producer in
erlands. The vast Dutch sky the world, producing more
hangs low against rectan- than 2 billion tulip bulbs a
gles of color— majestic pur- year. According to Dutch
ples, regal reds, bright yel- trade figures, 77 percent
lows, eye-popping whites. of all flower bulbs traded
Tulip fields dot the coun- worldwide come from the
tryside from Haarlem to Netherlands, the majority
The Hague. But the cen- of which are tulips.
terpiece of tulip-watching The outdoor bloom begins
is Keukenhof park, located closer to mid-March — and
in Lisse, some 30 kilome- with it come more folksy
ters (20 miles) southeast of tributes, with residents in
Amsterdam. Here, the tulip small towns creating floral
hunter is rewarded with ar- sculptures from tulips and
tistic compositions of tulips hyacinths, showing them
with their seasonal breth- off along roadsides. Once
ren, hyacinths, daffodils, a year, there is a 42-kilome-
crocuses and other spring- ter (26-mile) parade of tulip
time varieties. This April 14, 2017 photo provided by Martino Masotto shows a closeup of tulips in the in the Keu- floats and decorated cars
Gardeners begin planting kenhof park in Lisse, Netherlands. from Noordwijk to Haarlem.
the 32 hectares (nearly 80 Associated Press The thrill of the tulip bloom
acres) with over 7 million has inspired one intrepid
tulips, daffodils and hya- More than a million tourists
cinths in mid-September visit the gardens each year,
to prepare for the eight- and compete for close-up
week spectacle that runs shots of tulip gardens, no
for a period spanning from less frenetic than a red car-
mid-March through mid- pet shoot.
May. The hand-planting by The full grandeur of the bulb
40 gardeners takes three imported from Turkey in
months. the 16th century becomes
The color combinations are clear on close inspection.
the envy of any fashion The exotic-looking crown
runway. Gardeners show imperial tulip resembles
off their fancy, placing a a pineapple with tufts of
carpet of tiny blue Siberian leaves above umber-col-
squill against the ruffled ored flowers. That the tulip
blossoms of pinkish foxtrot is a member of the lily fam-
tulip variety. Elsewhere, ily becomes abundantly
they contrast the deep clear when gazing upon
hue of unopened red tu- the Madalyn, with its sharp- This April 14, 2017 photo provided by Martino Masotto shows show a field of spring-flowering bulbs
lips against a backdrop of tipped petals. near Lisse, Netherlands.
yellow daffodils. White daf- Keukenhof can make for a Associated Press
fodils pop against a bed of full-day outing, offering also
whiter hyacinths. flower shows, a walk up a typical windmill for a view or by car.
of adjacent flower fields, a It is not uncommon to find Dutch business man to
canal boat ride, children's clusters of amateur pho- plant fields abroad. Last
playground, restaurants tographers at the edges spring, he drew thousands
and food trucks, which give of vast tulip fields trying to of tourists to a field of
the whole place a relaxed, capture the intensity of the 250,000 tulips near Milan —
festival atmosphere. fiery red tulip, or the stria- exporting their fascination
Exhibits offer information tions of contrasting hues — and making a business sell-
on topics like the Tulipma- once the purview of some ing the cut flowers.
nia bulb bubble of the 17th of Europe's most renowned But perhaps the reason so
century, when a single bulb painters. many people flock to see
could fetch as much as a Today, the tulip is a major the Dutch tulip fields in the
canal-side house in Amster- part of the Dutch horticul- Netherlands isn't just a trib-
dam. The overblown tulip ture economy — while also ute to nature's pageantry,
market is often cited as an being celebrated as part but the fact that the easy-
example by economists of of the culture. to-grow tulip bulb can be
irrational investment men- Tulip season officially opens transported to any yard
tality. For the modern-day on Jan. 20, signaling the and garden, transforming
tulip hunter, nothing quite start of seasonal exports of them with a flash of spring-
This April 14, 2017 photo provided by Martino Masotto shows a matches the sight of the cut tulips from the nation's time color.
closeup of the Fritillaria imperialis 'Rubra Maxima' tulip resem- colorful tulip fields coming vast network of green- When wandering Keuken-
bling a pineapple against the backdrop of daffodils in the Keu- into focus in the distance houses. To celebrate the hof, inspirations abound,
kenhof park in Lisse, Netherlands. while traversing the Dutch day, Dutch tulip growers and there is the clear edict:
Associated Press
countryside, either on bike bring over 200,000 tulips to Do try this at home.q