Conor Powerssays now is the time to visit the world's largest flowering garden
If you're in need of a fix after recent sleet and hailstorms, the world's largest flowering garden, Keukenhof, has just opened 40km southwest of Amsterdam, just outside the flower-festooned town of Lisse.
The 80-acre park is planted with more than nine million bulbs. Even if a cold spring makes the outdoor bulbs bloom late, as was the case last year, four pavilions house the most dramatic displays, including one devoted to tulips. This huge hall alone justifies the trip. Just when you think you've seen every possible permutation of colours, you move on and discover that you haven't.
"Keukenhof" means "kitchen garden", and that's what it was for Countess Jacoba van Beieren, who used the huge park as a herb garden for her estate in the 15th century. It wasn't until 1840, however, that the landscape artists Zocher & Son gave it the look it pretty much retains today. And it wasn't until 1949 that the mayor of Lisse opened the Keukenhof to the public. Now almost a million people visit each year.
Children are welcome - and easily occupied. They have plenty of space to run around, and there's a large playground next to a sweet shop and cafe. There's also a working windmill that you can go inside and explore. Next to it is a little clog factory where you learn how the wooden shoes are made - and even buy a pair. Between the displays, ducks, bridges, giant chess sets and the like, there's more than enough to keep smaller ones busy, although our five-year-old kept asking to play in the tulip displays.
I know how he felt. After four hours my left knee was beginning to twitch and I felt a growing and bizarre temptation to remove my shirt and trample through the flower beds. Even if, like me, you are only mildly interested in flora, the Keukenhof is a wonder, one of the finest places to bring on spring fever.
GETTING THEREAer Lingus flies to Amsterdam from Dublin five times a day and from Cork up to twice a day. Fares start from about €85 return, including taxes and charges. Entry to Keukenhof costs €13 for an adult and €6 for four-to 11-year-olds. Buses run from Schiphol Airport and from Leiden Central Station in Amsterdam. The park is open until May 20th. See www.keukenhof.nl
Jane Powers's Planet Matters column returns next week