Tulip Fields In Netherlands – Tulip Picking

The tulip fields in the Netherlands are featured on many postcards from the Netherlands. The two are inseparable if you ask me. To be honest, for many years I didn’t really understand why so many people would travel all this way just to see the fields of tulips in bloom. Now that traveling abroad isn’t possible a staycation was in order. We explored the colourful flowerbeds with this iconic flower.

Tulip fields in Netherlands – Tulip Picking

I live in the province of Noord Holland. The tulip fields in the Netherlands are colorful and plenty in this part of the country. Recently we hopped into the car and drove around to explore the endless rows of flowers in every color of the rainbow. You could also see the tulips on a bicycle tour. Before I tell you where I went and show off all my photos I want to take a moment to share some important information.

Be Respectful

You can find amazing tulip fields in the Netherlands, whether it’s tulips, hyacinths, daffodils or any other spring flower. That is the moment when the perfect Instagram opportunity comes along. Pause for a second and remember that most of these Noord Holland tulips are someone’s small business.
More and more often visitors walk into the fields and trample the flowers and bulbs in the process. Some people even take the freedom to pick the flowers for their perfect picture. Unfortunately farmers can’t sell those damages tulips. Please stay out of the fields and admire them from afar. Or visit places where you can come closer to the flowers, like at Keukenhof, or at picking gardens. Do it for the flowers and the farmers, they will be grateful.

Bloemfontein, Bergen

Have you ever picked flowers in a place where that was maybe not allowed? For example in your parents’, grandparents’ or neighbour’s garden? I’ve picked flowers in garden before. I’m not sure if that was much of a secret as I thought. But I would not be surprised if that was the case. When I visited the Bloemfontein in Bergen I felt like a little kid in my grandparents garden. I had butterflies in my stomach and got so excited. I asked Symen many times, ‘oh this is so much fun and do you like it too?’!

The Perfect Photo Opportunity

The bulbs on this field aren’t producing flowers good enough to be sold. They were planted in the fall. On this field people can come by and pick tulips. You pay € 3,50 for 10 tulips and € 10,- for 30 flowers. If you choose the ones that aren’t open yet they will last for over a week. This place is not just great for picking, but also for taking photos. Here you can walk in the fields. It is the perfect place to experience the beautiful tulip season. This location is also open to pick flowers later in the year, after tulip season is over.

Poldertuin, Anna Paulowna

Jan David Zocker designed the Vondelpark in Amsterdam and the gardens of Paleis Soestdijk. He also designed the Poldertuin. They built this garden with it’s characteristic winding paths and water features with bridges in 1855. Every fall many volunteers plant thousands of bulbs in the ground which bloom in the spring.

Mini Keukenhof

You can call this garden the mini Keukenhof. So many different bulb flowers are on display. You can get very close to them to take the most amazing photos of and with the tulips. While you walk on the windy paths different colours appear left and right. There are miniature tulips and ones that are the size of my head! I knew that there are a lot of different kinds of tulips. But I never knew there were that many.
The garden is open to visitors on foot daily. The entrance to the garden is free. From mid March until the middle of May the Poldertuin is at its prettiest. Dogs are allowed as well, but they need to be on the leash. Take your time to experience the garden. Bring lunch or a coffee and enjoy it sitting on one of the benches and enjoy the tulip fields in the Netherlands.

Other Places to see Tulips

Ottawa

I used Google for this one, although I know about the long tulip history that Ottawa, Canada has. As a thank you for all the help the Canadians offered the Netherlands in World War II, and as a token of friendship, the Netherlands donates tulips to Ottawa every year. Don’t miss the Canadian Tulip Festival at the beginning of May.

Turkey

Turkey is not just the origin of Sinterklaas. It is also the birthplace of the tulip. For the last 300 years Istanbul hosts a festival in one of the largest parks in the city every year. But the flowers will be displayed all over the city, not just in the park

Oceania

Are you in Oceania and would you love to see flowers in bloom this spring? Between mid September until the middle of October you can visit the Tesselaar Tulip Festival. It is the largest the largest flower festival in Australia. This tulip festival has been around since 1954 and showcases nearly a million tulips in Dandenong Ranges National Park, Victoria.

Washington State, USA

Do you want to be amazed by a million blooming tulips in April? Check out the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival in Washington. Every year the locations of the tulip fields rotate, so make sure to check out the website before you make the trip.

India

At the beginning of April the Indira Gandhi Tulip Festival in Kashmir takes place. The Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden is the largest tulip garden in Asia. It has seven interfaces with not just the tulip flowers, but ranunculus, daffodil and hyacinth.

Your own Tulip oasis

If you enjoyed the tulip fields in the Netherlands, consider planting your own! Do you have yard, big or small? Or even just a balcony? Tulips will look beautiful in every place you would like to brighten up. They do very well in your garden, border or window boxes and they come in all sizes and colours!

Kinds of Tulips

Each kind of tulip has its own specifics. You can find them on the label when they are store bought. When you visit the tulip fields in the Netherlands and buy bulbs from the farmer or elsewhere, check with them to find out where they will be the happiest. Make sure to ask in what width plus depth they need to be planted. In general you plant your bulbs in fall, and they bloom in the spring. Most tulips love full sun or partial shade. They really enjoy well-draining soil because they hate wet feet. When you plant them, place the bulbs in the ground with their pointy ends up and water them well only once after. In the spring you water them moderately, and hopefully soon you can enjoy your beautiful flowers, almost like the tulip fields in the Netherlands!

Tips and tricks

Would you like to reuse your bulbs from year to year? Cut the flower short after it blooms. Only seven weeks later you can dig the bulbs up and store them. The best temperature is 40 to 45 degrees Fahrenheit in a dry environment for approximately ten weeks before you can re-plant them again.

Do you want to explore the tulip fields in the Netherlands near Amsterdam on your own one day? Check out the website from Holland Boven Amsterdam with all the tips for seeing tulips in this part of the Netherlands. When you drive in the country side you will see many fields full with the most amazing colours of flowers. You can see the tulips bloom all over the country. But since I live in this part of the country I would like to shine a little bit more light on the North and especially on the Netherlands flower fields and tulips here!

For other great day trip ideas in the Netherlands, read Martine’s article ‘a staycation day in Giethoorn and Weerribben-Wieden‘. For museum lovers, we recommend these 10 museums in the Netherlands.