Holland's Keukenhof Gardens to Celebrate Germany

Do your clients love gardens and flowers? Suggest they visit Holland, where the Keukenhof Gardens will open on March 24, showcasing a flower bulb mosaic of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin.

The theme for Keukenhof 2011 is “Germany: Land of Poets and Philosophers.” Highlights this year are the various inspirational gardens with a German twist, the flowering bulb mosaic of the Brandenburg Gate incorporating more than 100,000 bulbs, and a special theme route. The official opening of Keukenhof 2011 will be performed by Bettina Wulff, spouse of the German President Christian Wulff.
 
Despite the severe winter weather, there is a lot of organic activity going on under the ground at Keukenhof in Lisse. Around seven million flowering bulbs have been planted during the past months and as spring breaks, these will provide the traditional colorful splendor of the international flowering bulb exhibition.
 
For several years now Keukenhof has chosen to feature a different theme country each season. In 2009 the USA – (specifically, New York City) was featured in honor of the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson's voyage with the theme “USA, New Amsterdam - New York, 400.” Last year, Russia was highlighted with the theme ‘From Russia With Love.’ In 2011 Keukenhof stays close to home. From March 24 to May 20, the focus will be on Holland’s eastern neighbors with the theme “Germany: Land of Poets and Philosophers.”
 
The Brandenburg Gate at Keukenhof
The most popular draw at this year’s Keukenhof is sure to be the flower bulb mosaic of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. The final bulbs for this were planted back in October by the German ambassador in Holland, Heinz-Peter Behr. Simultaneously to this event at Keukenhof, the Dutch ambassador in Germany, Marnix Krop, planted the first of a total of 55,000 flowering bulbs at the Parizer Platz near the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin itself.
 
The Keukenhof Gardens are open to the public from March 24 to May 20, and can be visited daily from 8 am to 7:30 pm (ticket office open until 6 pm). The annual flower parade from Noordwijk to Haarlem, the largest in Holland, will take place on Saturday, April 16. Entrance fee is $20 for adults and $9 for children.