APANAMA

SPRINGTIME IN THE NETHERLANDS

A vast patchwork of kaleidoscopic colour, Holland's tulip fields are clearly nothing to be sneezed at.

From the air it looks as though a giant toddler armed with a box of super-sized crayons has been let loose on the Dutch countryside... if the lines weren't quite so perfect.

The vibrant blues, reds, pinks and yellows sprawl as far as the eye can see in Lisse, western Netherlands, where farmers hope to make huge profits selling them to florists and supermarkets around the world.

Kaleidoscope: Tens of thousands of tourists have flocked to catch a glimpse of these spectacular quilted farmlands before they are cut and sold to florists and supermarkets around the world

Tens of thousands of tourists have flocked to catch a glimpse of these spectacular quilted farmlands in all their technicolour glory.

In springtime, the lowland

area by the North Sea is carpeted with fields of gladioli,

hyacinths, lilies, daffodils, crocuses… and, of course, tulips

The patchwork quilt of

colours in the Keukenhof park, just outside Lisse in South

Holland, Netherlands , is a veritable feast for the eyes

Amsterdam’s flower market –

the Bloemenmarkt – reflects the country’s passion for cut

flowers and plants

Spring in Keukenhof Garden

is one of the main tourist attractions of the Netherlands

Around seven million bulbs

are planted each year in the park at Keukenhof, in an area of 32

hectares

The bulbs of Keukenhof are

re-planted each year according to the current trends and in

collaboration with a number of gardening magazines

The best way to appreciate

the full glory of the Dutch spring is to hire a bike and cycle

one of the tourist routes among the bulb fields

Tulips originated in the

east and were brought to Holland from the Moslem Ottomen Empire

in the mid 1500s

The Bloemenmarkt – set on

the capital’s Singel canal and said to be the world’s only

floating flower market – has a score of stalls where you can buy

all sorts of plants, flowers, bulbs and seeds

Keukenhof – literally

‘kitchen garden’ – is part of the hunting grounds of the ancient

Teylingen estate

Many flower-gazers are so excited by the views that they have parked caravans along the bulbfields in a bid to soak up every last hue.

More than three billion tulips are grown each year and two-thirds of the vibrant blooms are exported, mostly to the U.S. and Germany.

Attraction: Many flower-gazers are so excited by the views that they have parked caravans along the bulbfields in a bid to soak up every last hue

Popular: Their dazzling colours are thanks to the years in the 17th century when Tulipmania swept the globe and the most eye-catching specimens changed hands for a small fortune

The tulip season begins in March and lasts until August with several shows held across the country, but the flowers are undoubtedly at their most spectacular at this time of year.

The cultivation of flower bulbs began more than 400 years ago and today Holland produces more than nine billion bulbs every year, of which two thirds are exported overseas.

Evenly distributed, this number would allow for almost two flower bulbs for every person on the planet.

Good pluck with that: Farmers can be seen wading through the fields which can hold over 60million tulips at any one time

Their dazzling colours are thanks to the years in the 17th century when Tulipmania swept the globe and the most eye-catching specimens changed hands for a small fortune.

The country's reputation for producing the colourful flower has grown so much that the area between Haarlem and Leiden is now regarded as "De bollenstreek" or the bulb district.

But like a rainbow, this colourful landscape is a short-lived phenomenon.

When the flowers are gone, the land will be cultivated for a rather more mundane crop of vegetables.

Keukenhof – know as the Garden of Europe – is the one of the best places to view the abundance of spring flowers in the South Holland region of the Netherlands

Amsterdam's flower market – the Bloemenmarkt – reflects the country's passion for cut flowers and plants

Around seven million bulbs are planted each year in the park at Keukenhof, in an area of 32 hectares

The Bloemenmarkt - set on the capital's Singel canal and said to be the world's only floating flower market - has a score of stalls where you can buy all sorts of plants, flowers, bulbs and seeds

The mild climate of Holland , with its wet springs makes it an ideal place for bulb cultivation

Tulips originated in the east and were brought to Holland from the Ottoman Empire in the mid 1500s

In springtime, the lowland area by the North Sea is carpeted with fields of gladioli, hyacinths, lilies, daffodils, crocuses.... And, of course, tulips

Keukenhof - literally 'kitchen garden' - is part of the hunting grounds of the ancient Teylingen estate

This year, the theme for the Keukenhof exhibition is Germany: Land of Poets and Philosophers

The patchwork quilt of colours in the Keukenhof park, just outside Lisse in South Holland , is a veritable feast for the eyes

The bulbs of Keukenhof are re-planted each year according to the current trends and in collaboration with a number of gardening magazines

Spring in Keukenhof is one of the main tourist attractions of the Netherlands