| | Keukenhof is located outside of Lisse, Netherlands - just south of Amsterdam |
| | | At Keukenhof, you will find a breathtaking display of color |
| | | from 7 million blooming tulips and other bulb flowers. |
|
| | The history of Keukenhof goes back to the 15th century, |
| | | when the area was owned by Jacoba van Beieren. |
| | | She used part of her estate as a herb and vegetable garden. |
|
| | Here the countess personally gathered the fresh ingredients for her kitchen. |
| | | Hence the name Keuekenhof, which literally means 'Kitchen Garden'. |
| | | In 1857, landscape architect Zocher was commissioned to design a park. |
|
| | He designed the basic plan for present day Keukenhof. |
| | | In the years following, the Keukenhof Estate was further developed. |
| | | Today, it is a 79 acre park. |
|
| | In 1949 , a group of bulb growers along with the mayor of Lisse, |
| | | developed the idea of an open-air exhibition of flowers. |
| | | Keukenhof was chosen as the ideal site. |
|
| | Here we are by one of the lakes, enjoying the many varieties of tulips ... |
| | | In the foreground are Dutch hyacinths. |
| | | A most unusual flower, commonly known as Crown imperial. |
|
| | The latin name is Fritillaria imperialis. |
| | | A yellow variey of the Crown imperial. |
| | | Rembrandt Tulips, this particular type is called ... |
|
| | | | Dutch hyacinths, white tulips and Crown imperials. |
|
| | Also throughout the park are statues from Dutch artists. |
| | | Noreen & Kathryn in front of one of many flower beds of tulips. |
| | | The history of the tulip - |
|
| | Tulips are associated with Holland the world over, however ... |
| | | it certainly does not originate there. |
| | | Carolus Clusius, a famous biologist is generally credited as the man who |
|
| | introduced the tulip into Holland in 1593. |
| | | Stories about this special flower spread rapidly. |
| | | Enchanted by its beauty, rich Dutchmen were prepared to spend vast |
|
| | sums of money for a tulip bulb. |
| | | The tulip was hot and a sort of gold-fever developed. |
| | | Of course, this came to an inevitable and bitter end. |
|
| | In 1637, there was a Tulip Crash and tulip mania was over. |
| | | Finally, the tulip did not appear to be quite so rare |
| | | as to justify such high prices any longer. |
|
| | Over-supply led to lower prices and many dealers went bankrupt. |
| | | But the trade in tulips has continued unabated. |
| | | The tulip is now one of the Netherlands most important export products. |
|
| | A beautiful fountain was a good place for a photo of us |
| | | what a truly beautiful place is Keukenhof ... |
| | | here we end with a path of blue Dutch hyacinths leading into the woods. |
|
