The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Flower followers
Bridget heads to the Netherlands and finds the dazzling offering in its ‘kitchen garden’ an irresistible treat for the senses
From Scotland to the Netherlands, where to drink in the sights and scents of spring
Well, the Beast from the East certainly postponed the start of meteorological spring, meant to begin on March 1. No sooner had we seen the promising signs of snowdrops than they were all snowed under by blizzards and drifts.
Not only were there no flowers in Scotland but no flour, either, as bread was scarce on supermarket shelves! I’m relieved that a thaw seems to have set in (touch wood) and now perhaps we can look forward to a little spring sunshine and a few brave bulbs peeping through.
You may catch the end of the snowdrop season in sheltered Scottish gardens such as Castle Kennedy in Dumfries and Galloway (every weekend until March 25), Cambo Country Estate near St Andrews or Cringletie House Hotel near Peebles.
But now it’s time to look forward to Scotland’s National Daffodil Festival 2018, held at the Backhouse Rossie Estate in Fife during April 14-15 (discoverscottishgardens.org). You can see some modern, rare and relatives of the first daffodil cultivars ever created in the UK from a host of Wordsworthstyle daffodils, as well as take a woodland daffy walk.
Yet I have to say that tulips are my favourite springtime bloom and even although they are thought to have originated from Persia and Turkey rather than the Netherlands, the Dutch have made this flower their own.
Keukenhof (which translates as ‘kitchen garden’) is one of the world’s largest flower gardens, located in Lisse in the Netherlands. Known as the Garden of Europe, such is the spectacle of seven million tulips blooming together that despite only being open for eight weeks of the year (from 22 March 22 – May 13 in 2018), a million international visitors are drawn annually to enjoy this heady riot of hues. No
I don’t want to sound like your mother, but comfy shoes are the order of the day as you can end up walking for miles – not least because it’s quite easy to get dazzlingly disorientated
wonder, as not only are you welcomed with a kaleidoscope of colour but the sweetest perfumes, too.
This year’s theme will be dedicated to romance, as this historic park was opened in the Romantic period in 1857. If you feel carried away with the joys of spring by the sight of the magnificent, multi-coloured array of tulips, bobbing and weaving in the breeze, there are plenty of opportune proposal spots like the kissing gate in Cupid’s Garden.
During our visit, most visitors were down on one knee only because they were trying to catch a selfie with their favourite blooms. A pair of giant clogs outside a windmill makes a novel picture-perfect spot to strike a pose with the flower fields stretching behind, while the breath-taking mosaic made from 50,000 bulbs is a show-stopper.
I don’t want to sound like your mother, but comfy shoes are the order of the day as you can end up walking for miles – not least because it’s quite easy to get dazzlingly disorientated. Tulips are the main head turner, but there are other flowers too – such as sweet-smelling hyacinths, daffodils, red roses, orchids and lilies.
Children will also enjoy exploring the maze, playground, a petting zoo and a Miffy House (think the rabbit, rather than feeling miffed).
Around a 45-minute drive from Amsterdam, it’s easy enough to get to Keukenhof (keukenhof.nl) on day tours or hop-on, hop-off buses from Schiphol Airport (fly KLM from Scottish airports). For those who don’t like flying, there is a new Eurostar service from London St Pancras to Amsterdam.
But to soak up the Dutch springtime scenery in splendour, with its powerful palette of bulb fields, windmills and open skies, I’d recommend a river cruise with companies such as Emerald Waterways, Scenic, Avalon, Fred. Olsen or Titan Travel.