Tulips from Amsterdam: Netherlands' national symbol jeopardized

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Herman Emmink - Tulips from Amsterdam (original, 1957)
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Source: Tulip scam: Most bulbs sold at Amsterdam, Lisse flower markets won't grow

Tulip scam: Most bulbs sold at Amsterdam, Lisse flower markets won't grow

By Janene Pieters on October 16, 2019 - 11:00

Flower market in Amsterdam. (Photo: Phototraveller/DepositPhotos)


Most tulip bulbs sold at the popular flower markets in Amsterdam and Lisse never bloom, according to a study commissioned by the municipality of Amsterdam and the general association for flower bulb culture KAVB. "Research shows that there is structural deception of consumers when selling tulip bulbs at the Flower Market and the so-called 'Bloembollenboulevard' along the N208 in Lisse," the KAVB said in a statement [Dutch only].

The researchers bought tulip bulbs at both locations, the latter of the two translates to "Flower Bulb Boulevard," and tried to cultivate them. Only one percent of the bulbs bought in Amsterdam and two percent of those bought in Lisse blossomed. Moreover, it turned out that no tulip bought in Amsterdam matched the photo on the package, and nearly none of those from Lisse looked like the advertised flower.

Often the bulbs that are not sold before their expiry dates are not removed from store shelves, the city of Amsterdam said in a statement. An unsuspecting customer might purchase an expired bulb six months after its best buy date. "Someone who buys them and puts them in the ground, or even patiently waits until October to plant them, gets no results." The dried-out bulbs will not take root, something bulb sellers should know, the city said.

The KAVB is furious. "Millions of tourists and day-trippers are the victims of this every year. The tulip is our national symbol and the bulb sector is an important sector for the Dutch economy. As an association we think it is very bad that scammers structurally mislead consumers and damage the image of the bulb sector", said René le Clercq, general chair of the KAVB.

The municipality of Amsterdam, the KAVB and the municipality of Lisse asked the Dutch authority on consumers and markets ACM to investigate and tackle these abuses. "The flower bulbs are our cultural heritage with which we can welcome 1.5 million visitors every year", said Kees van der Zwet, an alderman in Lisse. "Then it cannot be that the Bloembollenboulevard sells products that do not blossom at all."

“The municipality of Amsterdam is concerned about deceived consumers and the damaging effect this has on the image of the Flower Market and the image of Amsterdam," said Amsterdam Centrum director Ilse Griek. "I think it is important that fair trade takes place, and that entrepreneurs keep their sales promises to Amsterdammers and visitors. ”

Other, more uplifting news:
‘Colors of the World’ on display at next year’s Keukenhof flower show - DutchNews.nl

‘Colors of the World’ on display at next year’s Keukenhof flower show

October 11, 2019 - By Saga Ringmar

Photo: Keukenhof


The Keukenhof bulb park is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Netherlands and work is now beginning on getting ready for next year’s flowering season.

If you have any tulip bulbs that need planting, now is the time to do it. With summer officially over, the planting season has begun. This means the gardeners of the Keukenhof Botanical Garden have been hard at work setting up the flower display for next spring.

The center piece of the garden next year will be a 50 square meter mosaic made up of 50,000 tulip bulbs. The theme of next year’s flower show is ‘colors of the world’, and the mosaic will feature a massive tulip alongside a rainbow.

‘There are 1.5 million people visiting Keukenhof every year and they come from more than 100 countries,’ said Tom Schreuder, the commercial manager at the Keukenhof, ‘So we thought it was a beautiful theme to use all these colors with meanings and rituals from all over the world.’

Overcrowding

Though the diversity of Keukenhof’s tourists is something to celebrate, overcrowding can be a source of frustration for many visitors. When the garden opens its doors from March 21 to May 10, tourists travel to Keukenhof in droves.

This past spring saw chaotic traffic jams when over 200,000 tourists attempted to see the tulip park at the same time. Eventually the park had to discourage tourists from coming to visit, and cars were dissuaded from going close to the bulb growing region altogether.

Schreuder says the organizers will do their best to control the crowds next year.

‘Last year we were open for 61 days, and we had traffic problems on two days because of Easter and the beautiful weather,’ he said. ‘We hope it won’t happen again next year, but when the weather is beautiful the bulb fields are at their most beautiful and it will be busy in here.’

Photo: Keukenhof

To combat congestion, the park is investing money in directing visitors to public transport instead of using private cars and coaches. The park will also plan events on weekdays to encourage tourists to come on days that are less hectic.

The Keukenhof has has been popular since it first opened to the public in 1950 when 236,000 visitors turned up. But the origins of the park spans further back than that. The name ‘Keukenhof’ dates back to the 15th century when Countess Jacoba van Beieren would gather vegetables and fruit from the garden for the kitchen of Teylingen Castle. Hence the name ‘Keukenhof’ or ‘kitchen garden’.

The Keukenhof Castle, named after the garden, was built in 1641 and the estate eventually grew to encompass 200 hectares. Jan David Zocher and his son Louis Paul Zocher, two landscape artists most famous for designing Amsterdam’s Vondelpark, redesigned the Keukenhof garden in 1857.

Then, in 1949, a group of prominent flower bulb growers decided to use the estate to exhibit their flowers, and this is the park we know today.

This year, as the garden celebrated the official planting season, a woman working for Keukenhof dressed up as the Countess Jacoba van Beieren to pose for promotional photos. She argued that the countess would have been proud to see so many visitors to her beloved garden.

‘She was actually very much in love with her own land, and for her it would be a pleasure to see how many people visit these days,’ the 21st century ‘countess’ said.

 

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The johnny-come-lately contribution for damage limitation:
Know your onions: bulb growers issue advice to avoid 'flower fraud' - DutchNews.nl

Know your onions: bulb growers issue advice to avoid ‘flower fraud’

October 17, 2019 - By Senay Boztas

Plastic tulips are more likely to bloom. Photo: Senay Boztas

Black and blue tulips might look good on the packets – but they don’t exist. The KAVB Dutch bulb growers’ association has issued advice to consumers on how to choose and treat tulips, after a report this week showed evidence of ‘misleading sales’ at Amsterdam’s floating flower market on the Singel.

The report, by Amsterdam city council and the KAVB, involved buying 102 packets of bulbs from 15 sellers in the famous and once-authentic market at the end of April this year. The specialist grower BQ support found that only 14 plants – 1% of the 1362 bulbs – produced flowers, and none matched the picture on the packets.

A similar experiment on the flower boulevard in the major flower town of Lisse found only 2% of bulbs bloomed and only one matched its packaging.

Timing

‘It was no surprise at all,’ KAVB director Prisca Kleijn told DutchNews.nl. ‘The most important thing for tulips is the moment they are grown: tulips grown in the summer should be sold and planted before January. They need a period of cold and then they will come up in March or April. Between January and the summer you shouldn’t buy tulips as they should have been sold long before then.’

She said that consumers – especially the 19 million tourists who visit Amsterdam each year – also risk being misled by packaging. ‘The colors on the packaging sometimes don’t exist,’ she said. ‘In Amsterdam they sell bulbs promising blue and black tulips…but there aren’t any blue or black tulips, and this is a scam.’

Tulips do come in purple and dark purple, she added, but the packaging should not display impossible shades.

‘Supreme quality’ bulbs on sale in the floating flower market Photo: Senay Boztas

Quality

The quality of bulbs is another issue that concerns the experts. When DutchNews.nl visited the flower market earlier this week, some bulbs were out loose in large boxes in the rain, damp and partially sprouting.

Kleijn recommended that a good bulb should look like a good onion. ‘A healthy bulb is hard and whole, and if it is soft or there is rot then it’s no good,’ she said. ‘Although professionals can keep bulbs in special humidity-controlled cool cells for days or weeks, a normal consumer can’t do that: then, it’s better to buy a bunch of flowers.’

Lisa Griek, the executive responsible for the economy in Amsterdam city center, said the council and KAVB have reported 15 market sellers to the ACM consumer protection body for ‘misleading sales’.

‘Shocking’

‘The test results were absolutely shocking,’ she said. ‘Tulips in the market are sold all year round and you can’t do that if you want flowers that grow. We are warning tourists but it is up to the regulator to address this structural deception and a pattern where consumers are being misled.’

She added that the city is working with the market sellers on a plan to revitalize the market, which dates back to 1862 when flowers and plants were sold directly to customers from boats moored at the canal side.

However Raphael Chlopnicki, a worker at De Kroon flower seller, at the market, said he had had success growing his stall’s tulips outside his own home, advising people to keep the bulbs cool and dry in the fridge. ‘April is not the moment to plant!’ he added.

DutchNews.nl chose not to buy any flowers at the market. But Werner Dittrich, from Germany, had more faith in his green fingers and even went back for a small bucket of Queen of the Night bulbs after hearing the news of the study. ‘I will try to grow them in my garden,’ he told DutchNews.nl. ‘I love this market!’

 

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Source: Keukenhof plants more bulbs to tackle unpredictable temperatures - DutchNews.nl

Keukenhof plants more bulbs to tackle unpredictable temperatures

January 15, 2020

Planting for 2020 late last year. Photo: Keukenhof


The unpredictable winter weather is forcing the Keukenhof flower gardens to plant ever more bulbs to guarantee a colorful display between March and May, NU.nl reports [in Dutch].

The number of bulbs used has gone up by 30% in the last few years and for this season some seven million were planted between the beginning of October and the end of December.

‘Extremes in temperature are becoming more frequent and nature is reacting. It’s 12 degrees at the moment and the first shoots are showing. It’s only early January so that is relatively soon,’ Keukenhof director Bart Siemerink told NU.nl.

To avoid disappointment for tourists who, in some cases, have booked tickets years in advance, the park has changed its planting scheme to include varieties which will bloom at different times, so covering the whole of the park’s season, Siemerink said.

The period the park will be open, which is determined two years in advance to accommodate travel agents, has also been adjusted to contend with the vagaries of the weather. The park will now close a week earlier than last year, opening between March 21 and May 10.

Some million and a half visitors are expected to visit the park to see this year’s ‘World of colors’ display.

 

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Source: Balcony beauty: Here’s an easy way to enjoy tulips in the city this spring - DutchNews.nl

Balcony beauty: Here’s an easy way to enjoy tulips in the city this spring​

Partner content - Life & culture - March 22, 2021

Photo's: Upperbloom

Spring is drawing near and with it comes something synonymous with Dutch culture: tulips.

Tulip season in the Netherlands runs from the end of March until mid-May and is an annual joy for both locals and tourists alike. But with lock-down still looming large, the usual trip to the Keukenhof Gardens won’t be possible this year. Fortunately, there are a few easy ways to enjoy tulips from your home.

Being surrounded by flowers and plants in your home holds many benefits. A study published in the Journal of Physiological Anthropology found that interaction with indoor plants may reduce psychological and physiological stress and make people feel calmer. This in turn can boost productivity and concentration by up to 47%, another study found.

Whether it’s their visual beauty or their physical air-purifying qualities, a little green space in your home can do wonders for the mind in these unprecedented times.

A blooming business

One person who can testify to this is Sam van der Zanden, co-founder of Upperbloom. In the summer of 2018, Sam received a beautifully filled planter from his mother which instantaneously brightened up his otherwise gloomy balcony.

‘It was the gift that kept on giving,’ Sam says. Determined to make more balconies bloom across Amsterdam and, while understanding that caring for plants take time, Sam and his friend Tom came up with a business idea: balcony planters.

‘We developed a service that will allow everybody in the city to enjoy a green balcony or terrace without the hassle,’ says co-founder Tom van Ruitenbeek. ‘We look after the flowers and plants with the right treatment and potting soil and the only thing you have to do is give them enough water.’

Tom and Sam’s basic but brilliant idea has catapulted them into a flourishing business that currently operates in Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam and Utrecht. Their service is circular in design and they try to maximize re-usability and minimize waste production by using recycled materials for their planters. Creating jobs is also top-of-mind for Upperbloom and they employ people in the greenhouse who would otherwise struggle to find work.

How it works

‘With your Upperbloom subscription, you rent our planters with a clean, modern look,’ Sam explains. ‘You have three designs to choose from: a hanging planter, a high-standing planter or a low-standing planter.’ Starting at € 9.90 per month for two planters, Upperbloom makes it easy and affordable for everyone to enjoy greenery in their homes. After your first purchase, each additional planter costs € 4.95.

Upperbloom offers two or three plant arrangements or swaps per year. Clients can then choose whether they want a new arrangement in spring/summer and again in autumn/winter or one in spring, one in summer and one in autumn/winter.

Looking after your bulbs is easy and all you need is a watering can and some scissors. ‘Water your plants by pouring water into the reservoir. This way, the water goes directly to the roots – which the bulbs love!’ Sam says. The water indicator will show you when the reservoir needs to be filled up again.

Time for tulips

In celebration of spring, the Upperbloom team is taking tulips to balconies across the Netherlands. ‘Depending on stock, we combine Monte Carlo, Monte Orange, Mondial and Ice Folly tulips with some bulbs like Narcissus (daffodils) or Muscari (grape hyacinths) for a burst of spring,’ says Tom. ‘Each of these spring planters consists of roughly 30 bulbs.’

To enjoy tulips from your own home, order your balcony planter from Upperbloom here. DutchNews readers who order a planter before 1 April 2021 will receive one spring tulip arrangement for free. Simply enter the gift code: DUTCHNEWS.


This article was written in partnership with Upperbloom.