Why go
The interest lies in comparing garden styles and bulb displays rather than expecting uninterrupted fields of tulips. Winding landscape paths, historic bulb varieties and combinations of bulbs with other plants offer different views of flower growing. The garden also tells a story about Dutch growers presenting their work to a wider market.
The full story
Keukenhof’s name recalls its connection with a castle kitchen. The grounds formed part of a fifteenth-century hunting estate and supplied herbs for Jacqueline, Countess of Hainaut. Later owners reshaped the estate, including the construction of a country house in 1641. In the nineteenth century, Jan David Zocher and his son Louis Paul Zocher were commissioned to design the landscape around the castle. The flower exhibition was established in 1949 to give growers a place to show their varieties and support the flower trade. That purpose helps explain the emphasis on designed displays and different garden styles. Keukenhof sits in the Duin- en Bollenstreek, the dune and bulb region. The nearby agricultural fields are separate from the garden and may be privately owned with restricted access. Plan around the garden’s current seasonal opening, and remember that flowering depends on the weather; a fixed calendar date cannot guarantee a particular tulip display.