The best time to visit Tulip Festival in Holland
- Mar 12, 2017
- 3 min read
What is the best time to see the tulips in bloom at the flower fields?
One of the most frequently asked questions is “what is the best time to see the tulips in bloom at the flower fields?”
Since a couple of years there we provide a weekly update about the flower status in the Keukenhof and the flower fields around it. It starts around mid March and ends mid May. The update gives information about the Keukenhof, flower fields, flower parade and shows photo’s of the Keukenhof and fields.
See the updates on our blog or at our special weekly update page and of course in our newsletter and on our social media.
Product by nature Spring flowers are a product by nature, the weather has got a big influence on it. When the weather is cold the tulips are growing much slower than when the weather is warm. A cold winter and springtime will cause that the flowers are blossoming later than normal. A warm winter and springtime causes the opposite.
The weather One thing we can’t predict in the Netherlands is the weather. For example: due to warm weather a lot of daffodils were flowering in the beginning of January 2012 (on new years day!), in February 2012 it was so cold that the whole country was expecting the 11 cities ice skating tour. The second and third week of March the temperature was reaching 25 degrees C. On the opening weekend of the Keukenhof a lot of flowers were in bloom already! The beginning of April after a warm couple of weeks, the flower farmers were worried about the flowers, due to the high temperatures the flowers were growing too fast! The hyacinths for the flower parade were almost in bloom, way to early for the time of the year. And then a cold period with lots of rain came in and saved the spring flowers, the flower parade and the Keukenhof.
In 2013 it was the opposite. No flowers in the tulip fields until the first week of May. We have never seen them so late. In 2014 all the tulip fields were gone by the third week of April 2014. Mother nature likes surprises. And for 2015 we had a regular spring time again. With blooming in the last part of April and first week of May. And last springtime we had a regular spring but with very cold weather during April 2016. Have a look on our weekly updates.
Best times Due all this change in weather it is hardly possible to give good advice what the best time is to travel in 2017 to the Keukenhof. Based on the past couple of years the best chance to see the blooming at the Keukenhof is the last 2 weeks of April and the first week of May. But we don’t know exactly when the best time will be for next spring.
On a regular spring time a lot of tulip flower fields outside the Keukenhof are headed (taking the flower off) on the 30th of April or within a couple of days after it. If you want to see the flower fields as well make sure that you visit before this date!
Around mid March we can tell if the winter was cold, average or warm. That is the moment when the weekly flower updates starts to give you accurate information about the flower status in Keukenhof and around it. You can sign up here.
Spring flowers are blooming somewhere between March to May. It depends on the flower and the temperature of the months in January, February and March when it is the best time to watch them in bloom.
Snowwhites – February – March
Crocus – February – March
Daffoldils – March and April
Hyacints – April and beginning of May
Tulips – April and beginning of May
Where can I see tulips in the summers, autumn or winter?
Unfortunately I isn’t possible to see any tulips or other spring flowers during the summer, autumn or winter months. From the second half of May until wintertime they don’t grow. From the week before Christmas you can find the red Christmas tulips in the shops. They are grown in greenhouses. And in the first months the number of different tulips grow in the flower shops. During April and the beginning of May it is peak season for the tulips. You can find them anywhere in the flower shops.
We recently made a flower calendar to give you insight in all the other flower activities. Have a look for the flower calendar here.
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