When you think of the Netherlands, it is easy to picture never-ending fields of brightly coloured flowers. Many of the country’s most famous artists have portrayed the flower fields of the Netherlands in their work, and these fields are just as spectacular when they are seen in real life. However, these flower fields are more than just aesthetically beautiful: they are also economically important to the country. A significant proportion of the country’s agricultural exports are derived from the sale of freshly cut flowers, bulbs and mature plants, and the Netherlands contributions to the flower industry are so significant that they make up around two-thirds of the world’s total flora sales and completely dominate the European marketplace. Thanks to highly efficient supply chains, it is actually possible to buy flowers in New York which were freshly cut in the Netherlands that morning!
A wide array of flowers
Whilst many people only associate tulips with the Netherlands, the country actually cultivates and exports many other kinds of flower, including daffodils, hyacinths and crocuses. Compared to other flower selling nations, the Netherlands actually offers the widest variety of saleable trees and shrubs in the world. The country’s horticultural experts also breed and introduce hundreds of new varieties of flowers every year. Thanks to improved cultivation technology, it is now possible to grow many species of plants which are not normally native to the region. However, as these plants are usually grown in vast greenhouses, tulips continue to dominate the famous flower fields. There is an almost endless array of different colour combinations of these flowers.
History
When they were first imported to the Netherlands from Turkey in the mid-16th Century, the popularity of the flower took off almost immediately, as Europe’s elites began to see the flower as a status symbol. Varieties which had multi-coloured petals were particularly well sought after. The plants became so popular that stories even began to emerge about bulbs being dug up and stolen during the night! People were willing to trade so much for a single tulip bulb that the world’s first economic bubble occurred and the period became known as “tulipomania”. This coincided with the Dutch Golden Age of trade, and tulip collecting amongst the elites became a popular pastime. Although this “bubble” eventually burst, the Netherlands has remained a centre for the trade of flowers and bulbs.