Dutch Floral Adventure - Tulip Tour of The Netherlands w/ Sharon McGukin

Join floral expert Sharon McGukin and flower friends who share memories of a breathtaking tulip tour through The Netherlands. From vibrant flower fields to historic flower auctions, wooden shoes, cheese-making, and world-class gardens like the iconic Keukenhof. This podcast shares a rich blend of Dutch culture, floral history, and personal behind-the-scenes moments from a petal-filled tour that’s sure to inspire your next floral adventure.

How we Bloom podcast is an oasis of flower ideas. Host Sharon McGukin of Smithers-Oasis North America interviews floral guests who dare to do things differently. We listen, learn, explore new opportunities and that's how we bloom!

Transcript

Tim Farrell: 0:06

Wow, Sharon. That moment that we all hopped off the bus to be in that enormous field of hyacinths for florists, it was like our mecca. It was like a little piece of paradise.

Sharon McGukin: 0:20

Join me as we walk together through one of the most flower loving countries on earth,

Julie Poeltler: 0:32

I felt like I was Dorothy in the movie, the Wizard of Oz, because dreams do come true overlooking the flower fields, the color, enjoying the fragrance, the people that were there willing to share their information, how to grow, how to graft. It was just an overwhelming experience.

Sharon McGukin: 0:50

Thanks, Julie Poeltler for sharing your Tulip Tour experience. Have you ever dreamed of walking alongside endless ribbons of live color that stretches to the horizon, standing before the amazing Dutch fields of tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths? Hi, I'm Sharon McGukin, and in today's episode of How We Bloom, I'm taking you on a tulip field adventure through The Netherlands, sharing stories from my recent floral journey with flower friends. And giving you a behind the scenes look at what we saw in one of the most extraordinary flower cultures in the world, learning their floral history and understanding how important their flower culture is to daily life. Let's start with a clarification. Is it Holland or The Netherlands? People often use Holland and The Netherlands interchangeably, but they're not the same. The Netherlands is the name of the country, meaning low lands. Holland, that's two of the 12 Dutch provinces, North and South Holland. Amsterdam is located in North Holland and is home to the famous flower fields that we visited. There's nothing like seeing it in person. As our bus approached the Bollenstreek, Flower Region, the scent of hyacinths reached us before the fields came into view. It was intoxicating. Ribbons of color, rows and rows of tulips and other spring bulbs in bloom. In every shade you can imagine, unfurling across the landscape like a painting. Tim Farrell described it perfectly.

Tim Farrell: 2:48

That moment that we all hopped off the bus to be in that enormous field of hyacinths for florists it was like our mecca. It was like a little piece of paradise.

Sharon McGukin: 2:57

And it truly was. Interestingly, flowers aren't native to the Netherlands. They were brought from the Ottoman Empire present day Turkey in the 16th century, along with a mix of new plants and vegetables. The Dutch embraced the exotic tulips for their beauty. Recording their first commercial tulip planting in 1593. Ironically, the colorful patterns, streaks and stripes that made the tulip so popular were caused by TBV. A tulip breaking virus. This virus interferes with the bloom's pigment and production and breaks the petal color, making the bloom even more desirable. If you've ever read the story of Tulip Mania, you know that about 1634 to 1637 speculation for uniquely patterned tulips caused frenzied buying, selling, and investing in tulip bulbs. At the peak of tulip mania, one tulip bulb might be valued more than 10 times the salary of a local artisan. As the availability of propagated bulbs increased and short term contract laws were revised, the value of the tulip fell when the bubble burst many people were financially ruined. A passion for tulips rebounded when more commercial flower fields were planted in the 17th century. Once again, Dutch farmers and business people embraced the tulip and cultivated a thriving flower trade. Known for being hardworking and frugal, the Dutch spent the last few centuries efficiently building one of the most organized production and export businesses in the world. Today, approximately 1.7 billion cut flowers are produced in the Netherlands each year. About 60% of the cut flowers sold globally come from these Dutch flower fields and greenhouses. Our touring band of Petalistas happily admired and photographed several thousand of those plants growing in the fields. We visited Koukenhof Gardens in Lisse, South Holland, which is in bloom for only about eight weeks a year from mid-March to mid-May. It sits on land that was once used as a castle's kitchen garden in the 15th century. It's truly a feast for the senses. This manicured 79 acres of sheer beauty and fragrance boasts over 7 million flower bulbs, hand planted there annually by just 40 gardeners. This mix of 800 different varieties of tulips ensures the following spring season will offer a series of breathtaking views for garden visitors. More than 1.5 million people from around the world experience this kaleidoscope of vivid color, soft breezes, and a sweet floral scent that follows you like perfume. If you're a flower lover, Koukenhof is an experience not to be missed. Marlin Hargrove summed it up best saying...."

Marlin Hargrove: 6:30

I thought I knew what beautiful was, but I was really humbled when I saw the koff.

Sharon McGukin: 6:38

We also visited the Palace Het Loo Gardens, an English landscape garden, known as the Great Garden of Apeldoorn. Another highlight was seeing the flower auction in Aalsmeer. From past present, we visited the historic auction site, the Aalsmeer Historical Garden Museum, and then the modern Royal Flora Holland building. It's the ninth largest building in the world by footprint. It holds the equivalent of 200 football fields. Imagine 43 million flowers are sold there each day. At the Horticultural Museum, we saw old photographs and early floral work implements, gardens that included many varieties of flowers. Most amazing were the aged lilac plants that can be over a hundred years old and passed down through generations and still be grafted to produce new flower stems. It was amazing. We watched the process take place and visited some of the island farms. You have to take a boat to reach where these aged lilac plants are still nurtured. It was incredibly interesting. As was the auction clock. What began as a wooden clock in a small room of buyers is now the largest flower auction in the world. First established in Aalsmeer, Holland in the 17th century. This is a hands-on system of rolling carts of floral product past buyers who bid by pressing their button first to make a purchase here. Timing was everything bid too soon and you overpaid, bid too late and you missed it. We even got to play with the ancient auction clock for fun. We pressed the antique buttons pretending to buy. Though flowers no longer roll through here Marlin Hargrove won bragging rights for pushing his button first. Today it's all digital. 2,500 global buyers purchase Dutch flowers via 35 auction clocks online. But the passion for flowers and the precision of Dutch growers hasn't changed. While in Aalsmeer, we enjoyed a day of an inspiring hands-on Dutch Masterclass, instructed by Mike Boerma at the Boerma Instituut. Join us for the details in an upcoming How We Bloom Podcast and Floral Hub Blog. When we interview the Boerma's. We ended our trip with the annual Flower Parade. We watched in awe as the parade of 17 fresh flower floats that were amazing to see, and a mix of flower, bedecked cars, trucks, motorcycles, bicycles, and even flower fashioned people moved along its 26 mile path from 9:00 AM to 9:30 PM. The parade was cheered as it wound through eight picturesque villages. A jazz band warmed the international crowd up by playing American favorites like"Celebration" and"We Will Rock You","Hey Jude," as we danced and sang along in the grandstands or along the side of the lanes, it was so much fun. In between our flower experiences. What else did we see? Art and museums. There are over 600 museums in The Netherlands, approximately 29 to 32 million visitors enjoy these treasures each year with the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum being the most popular. We also saw windmills once over 10,000 windmills dotted the Dutch countryside while we romanticized their quaint beauty. They actually were used for pumping water or grinding grain. They were once an integral part of the wind based process of reclaiming the land from surrounding waters. About 1200 of the historic icons remain today. Wooden shoes. We watched a wooden shoe maker carve a Klomp or clog using antique clog machinery and the wood of a tree. The Dutch are known for their love of handmade Klompen, whole foot wooden clogs, worn for safety from animals stepping on their toes, or feet getting wet and dirty. For warmth and comfort when worn a size too large with thick woolen socks inside our trip to the Netherlands could not have been better without this group of. Passionate florists and plant lovers and the beauty and the joy that we got to witness also, that flowers are a universal language and they bring so much joy, passion, and beauty to so many.

Helen Miller: 11:49

When we went to the gardens and to Keukenhof and to the auction houses, how passionate people are about flowers and how special they are.

Sharon McGukin: 12:02

This fun-filled, floral journey reminded me of how deeply flowers are woven into the culture, economy, and spirit of the Netherlands. If you ever get the chance, go walk alongside the tulip fields, breathe in the fragrance of the hyacinths, experience flowers growing in the fields for yourself. Smithers- Oasis, North America and I want to thank you, our listeners for joining us today on this floral adventure. If you like to read the full blog post and see the photos from our tour, visit oasisfloralproducts.com. If you've enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and be sure to hit subscribe. You don't want to miss the inspired solutions Our upcoming guests will share with you for your personal or business growth. If you have topics or guests you want to hear, please message me. We'd love to hear from you. Until next time. I'm Sharon McGukin reminding you that like the unfurling petals of a flower, we grow by changing form, soaking inspiration in like raindrops. Absorbing energy from others, like warmth from the sun. This opens us up to new ideas and that's How We Bloom.