Grape hyacinths and tulips, Keukenhof Gardens, Lisse, Netherlands
© Martin Ruegner/Getty Image
Tulips run the show. Keukenhof Gardens, Lisse, Netherlands
Imagine a flower sparking a financial frenzy. Sounds unlikely, right? Yet in the 1630s, tulips did exactly that in the Netherlands. During tulip mania, rare bulbs became luxury items traded for astonishing sums—some valued at prices comparable to a house. Why so valuable? Unusual colors and striped patterns were scarce and unpredictable, and collectors wanted the rarest varieties they could find.
The bubble eventually burst, but the country's fascination with tulips never faded. Centuries later, that long relationship with the flower found a new stage: Keukenhof Gardens near Lisse, seen in today's image. Opened in 1950, the park began as a spring exhibition where Dutch bulb growers presented their newest varieties to buyers and visitors.
Each autumn, about 40 gardeners plant over seven million bulbs in layered designs so colors appear in waves through spring. Around 800 varieties of tulips lead the show, while grape hyacinths and daffodils add bursts of blue and yellow. The catch? The garden opens to the public for only a few weeks each year.
Related Images
Lake Dobson in Mount Field National Park of Tasmania
Water wheels in the Tashkurgan Grassland, Tashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County, Xinjiang, China
Leopard snoozing in a tree in Namibia for National Napping Day
An old farm in the Shetland Islands, Scotland
Wildflowers in bloom at Lost Dutchman State Park in Arizona
For International Beaver Day, a beaver swimming in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Circular agricultural fields in Morgan County, Colorado
Blossoming cherry trees at a tea plantation in Longyan, China
Bing Today Images
