Nederland: bloembollen

At the end of April, the annual Bloemendagen (Flower Days) are organised in the village of Limmen. Important elements are the mosaics of hyacinths which are displayed all over the village. These flowery works of art are made by groups of residents/neighbours/friends/family.

The so called ‘Top of North Holland (Kop van Noord-Holland) offers one of the largest areas of bulb flower fields in the world. During spring (mid April till mid May) tulips, narcissus, hyacinths and other bulbs show their amazing colours in blooming bulb fields. This bulb growing area developed after World War I around the town of Anna Paulowna and after World War II there was even a huge expansion. Main picture: Fritillaries imperialis/crown imperial/keizerskroon Small pictures: tulips, hyachint field, Fritillaria meleagris/snake's head/kievietsbloem, tulip field PiP: blooming bulbflower fields

Red and yellow tulips in the Noordoostpolder between Emmeloord and Espel.

The Noordoostpolder is a landmass of reclaimed land in the former Zuiderzee on average more than four meters below sea level. It turned out that the bottom of this sea is very suited for the cultivation of tulips. Nowadays it has one of the largest area of bulb fields in the Netherlands with many multi-acre fields of tulips that bloom every spring. During the so called ‘Tulip Festival’- from about mid April until around the beginning of May (depending on weather conditions - visitors can enjoy the vast tulip fields along a special bike and car route. The tulip route through Noordoostpolder has a length of about 100 km’s, leading visitors past the most beautiful tulip fields. See for more information and exact dates: www.vvvnoordoostpolder.nl/en/activiteitenkaart/detail/tulpenfestival-2018--6e4d42c1-c794-4577-8d22-923f67027d53

Unlike other years - as a result of the corona crisis - we only could visit the flower bulb fields in the so called Kop van Noord-Holland for just one day. Yet we were able to enjoy the exceptional splendour of colours: from white to almost black !! Our favourite bulb field this year was the bright orange (= Dutch) coloured field adjacent to the nature reserve the Wildrijk .

A tulip bulb seems so ordinary, but if you look a little bit further you can see what's special about it. That special aspect is inside. A bulb has everything it needs to get a flower to bloom at the right time. If you cut the bulb in half, you will see the flower already. Around it are the skirts in which the food needed for the flower to grow is stored. Another special feature of flower bulbs is the fact that they are the first to bring colour to gardens and parks after a winter. When the flower bulbs bloom, spring has begun. Small tulip bulbs are planted in the autumn. In the ground, the little bulbs make roots and then go into rest until after the winter. The tulip bulbs need this cold period in order to be able to flower in spring. When winter is over, a stem comes out of the bulb with leaves and the tulip starts to bloom. It is often a big shock when the bulb grower enters the bulb fields with a machine to chop off the flowers (PiP4). A tulip grower doesn’t take care about the flowers. For him it is all about the bulbs. By chopping the flower in time, all the energy goes to the bulb. The bigger the flower bulb, the more money the farmer can make. A large bulb produces a solid flower in the garden and also produces small (new) bulbs, which serve as planting material for the next season. In June and July, the tulip bulbs are grubbed up, cleaned and sorted according to size. The large bulbs are then sold for floriculture or for gardens or parks.

The ‘Wildrijk’ is a nature reserve between the villages of Sint Maartenszee and Sint Maartensvlotbrug. Personally I consider it as one of the hidden gems of the province of North Holland. Sint Maartenszee is located in the Zijperpolder . In the past, several wealthy Amsterdam merchants owned beautiful wooded estates in the west of the Zijperpolder, nearby the dunes along the North Sea. The ‘Wildrijk’ also dates from that time - the 16th century - and was a landscaped estate. During the excavation of the Noordhollandsch kanaal many pieces of forest were cut down by workers. Fortunately the ‘Wildrijk’ has been spared. Nowadays it is a fairly small forest; especially in spring it is almost a fairytale to walk around (PiP4 and 5) between the numerous blooming wild hyacinths; most of them are blue (PiP1), but there also pink (PiP2) and white ones. Besides the hyacinths, the ‘Wildrijk’ also offers white daffodils (PiP3) and some other spring flowers.

The Wildrijk is one of the smallest (800 x 240 meters) forests in the Netherlands. Yet this nature reserve is one of the most beautiful spots of the province of North Holland, especially in spring. During that time of the year it is surrounded by colourful bulb fields. The forest is covered with a blue carpet of thousands and thousands of wild bluebells, with some pink or white species. The flowers alternate with the fresh green of ferns. Other special plants also grow here; this fauna owes the Wildrijk to the clean water, which is led directly from the nearby dunes along the North Sea. The Wildrijk is located in the Zijperpolder , where in the past wealthy merchants from Amsterdam owned wooded country estates. Later, during the construction of the Noordhollandsch Kanaal , a lot of forest was cut down by workers. In 1940 the area came into the possession of Landschap Noord-Holland , a Dutch foundation which aims to protect the landscape and nature of the province of North Holland.

Flowering tulips between Schagerbrug and Callantsoog (nearby De Stolpen).

Today the Netherlands produces billions of flower bulbs each year (of which two thirds are exported worldwide).The business of growing flower bulbs began almost 400 years ago, and The first Dutch flower bulbs grew in Leiden, in the botanical garden of the university. They were planted there by Carolus Clusius, a scientist who wrote the first major book on tulips in 1592. Leiden was the first bulb region of the Netherlands, but initially the tulips did not leave Clusius's botanical garden. Only after a theft cultivation could spread. Once, the value of tulips was enormous. They were imported to the Netherlands from Turkey in the mid-16th century and gradually seized the passions of rich Dutchmen. In the Dutch Golden Age tulips became popular in paintings and festivals; tulip collecting amongst the elites became a popular pastime. In the mid-17th century, tulips were so popular that they created the first economic bubble, known as "Tulip Mania" (tulipomania). As people bought up bulbs, they became so expensive that they were used as money until the market in them crashed. But the Netherlands is still the centre for the trade of flowers and bulbs.

Traditional bulb fields can be found around the area between Castricum and Bergen. These - often smaller - fields are located at the foot of the dunes. Bulb growers find an ideal soil for growing their bulbs, consisting of a mixture of dune sand and clay; in Dutch called ‘geestgrond’.