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Amsterdam is perhaps most famous for its tulips. Indeed, in 1637,
when "tulip mania" reached its absolute peak in Holland, tulip bulbs
were being sold for ten times more than the average wage in Holland.
Those days have gone but they left a horticultural legacy which affects
the whole economy of Holland.
Not only do the Dutch produce tulips but a huge variety of other plants
including snowdrops, daffodils, lilies, irises and many, many more. In
fact, the Dutch produce 65% (that's over 10 billion, yes, billion) of
the world's bulbs and around 60% of the world's cut flowers. Amazing
statistics for such a small country.
So no visit to Amsterdam should fail to take in a visit to one of the
flower markets even if it's just the floating Bloemebmarkt in
central Amsterdam. The gardens in and around Amsterdam are bathed in
flowers of all sorts for most of the year so these are a must-see as
well. The Dutch are the world leaders in flowers and gardens. |
