This special tour of Holland has been designed for gardeners with more than average horticultural interests and background. Using local guides who are experts in their fields, you will visit beautiful spring gardens and have an opportunity to see behind-the-scenes activities of the Dutch bulb industry and horticultural growers.
This trip is sponsored by the Cylburn Arboretum Association in Baltimore, MD in cooperation with the Hortus Bulborumin Limmen, Holland. Travel arrangements by Via Waye Travel & Cruises, Towson, MD.
Keukenhof (www.keukenhof.nl) in Lisse
This will be an all-day visit, so the pace will be comfortable. We will have a guided tour by specialist bulb growers and learn much technical information about bulbs and the bulb industry. There will be plenty of opportunity for viewing and photographing the gardens on your own. Even if you have seen Keukenhof before, this visit will be especially enjoyable due to the expert guidance the group will receive.
A leisurely lunch will provide a break in the mid-day and give you an opportunity to relax with fellow tour participants.
Hortus Bulborum (www.hortus-bulborum.nl) in Limmen
You may not yet have heard of this very special garden, but in 2008 the Hortus is celebrating its 80th anniversary!
There is so much at the Hortus that you will never have seen before. In this garden museum you will find antique tulips, daffodils, fritillaries, irises, and crocuses, many dating from the 16th, 17th and 18th century. Yet most of these species and cultivars are no longer grown in today’s gardens. Why not, and why are these bulbs being maintained so carefully here?
The full story will be told by our guide Leslie Leijenhorst, author of the critically acclaimed Hortus Bulborum, treasury of historical bulbs. Published in 2003 to celebrate the garden’s 75th anniversary, this volume is the definitive history of the Hortus Bulborum. The book is now a collector’s item and it is still available at the Hortus, so here is your chance to obtain an autographed copy for your reference collection.
As the garden’s ambassador extraordinaire, Leslie lectures throughout Europe on the origin, development and significance of the Hortus Bulborum and on gardening with antique and rare bulbs. He is a professional journalist and publishes articles on a great variety of topics. His website, www.hetschrijflokaal.nl, provides much fascinating information on gardens, architecture and design, travel destinations, and more.
If you are a garden photographer, you will find this visit a very special opportunity to view an outstanding collection of antique and rare bulbs in glorious bloom! Our all-day tour will include a visit to the bulbs fields of the nearby Anna Paulowna polder, the most extensive area of contiguous acreage of bulb production in Holland. Lunch will be enjoyed at a local restaurant.
Palace Het Loo (www.paleishetloo.nl) in Apeldoorn
From 1686 to 1975, Palace Het Loo was the favorite summer residence of the queens and kings of the House of Orange. Since then Palace Het Loo and its garden have been maintained as a national museum. The gardens date from the 17th century and were restored from 1970-1984 to exacting standards based on historical records and drawings. The opulent baroque gardens reflect the French design style of the era of William and Mary in Holland. With its water features, fountains, formal hedges and parterres, the total effect is sumptuous formal style. The plantings are based on official plant lists of the period and include bulbs from the Hortus Bulborum. This truly is one of the great formal gardens of Europe and a showpiece example of the proper restoration of an old and distinguished garden.
You will enjoy a guided garden tour and there will also be ample time to view the interiors of the magnificent Palace. The restaurant at the Palace is a lovely place to linger and the gift shop is outstanding, with a wide variety of gifts, books and collectibles.
The town of Boskoop is the center for production nurseries of trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants in Holland. The tour will feature several nurseries as well as provide an overview of this hot bed of horticultural introductions. We will visit with several nursery owners and propagation experts whose fabulous new plants are introduced to the world each year.
Westland: a visit to Holland’s region of greenhouse vegetable and flower production
We will be touring greenhouse production facilities in the area just south and west of The Hague and Rotterdam. There are hundreds of acres of commercial production greenhouses here. You will see these as you fly in over Holland from the North Sea. We will tour the facilities of several growers to learn all about vegetable and flower production. You will not often have a chance to get this insider view, so this is indeed a very special part of this tour.
Three days are reserved for visiting sites of interest on your own. The public transportation system in Holland is very easy to navigate and will allow a visit to any number of places on or off the beaten path. There is even enough time to visit Brussels, Bruges, or Paris!
If you send payment in full with reservation, please deduct $100.00.
Looking forward to hearing from you!