Dahlias, Dahlias, and even more Dahlias
Peace and quiet slowly returns to our Daffodil nursery. All of our bulbs have been cleaned and counted, the orders have been assembled, and the bulbs that need to go back into the ground this year are almost ready to go. It’s time to go have a look at the Dahlias now, and to do that, I’m going to De Tulperij-garden in Lisse.
‘De Tulperij’ is an amazing show garden where all kinds of Dahlias are displayed. De Tulperij has everything a Dahlia enthusiast wishes for in a day trip: a cozy coffee corner, a shop to buy flower bulbs, souvenirs, and a truly unimaginable number of Dahlias that are planted there every year by a collective of Dahlia growers and -hybridizers. It’s originally a garden meant for Dahlia professionals to show the mostly new varieties the Dahlia industry has to offer, but the general public is very welcome to have a look as well. The garden is maintained beautifully, and it is a pleasure to walk around in it.
Daffodil Country Roads
Because of the growing interest, De Tulperij is now also open during the spring, with a similarly impressive garden, not filled with Dahlias then but with Daffodils, Tulips, and other spring-blooming beautiful flower bulbs. Many growers show their new, often unknown varieties, but the classics are also there and are as beautiful as ever. If you’re in the neighbourhood, I highly recommend seeing if they are open and visiting if they are. Practical information can be found through www.detulperij.nl
But now there are Dahlias. My original plan was to visit De Tulperij and then go on to see some Dahlia growers in the afternoon, to talk about the varieties and to hear what the harvest looks like this year… but you know me by now :)
When I arrived at De Tulperij, I was overwhelmed by the sheer number of flowers I saw. The number of flowers one plant produced was simply amazing. I visited De Tulperij some ten days ago, too, and then I was impressed, but now it looked otherworldly. Literally every variety seemed to be in full bloom, I can’t remember the garden ever looking this impressive. It was amazing.
Visiting growers at the end of the day was not going to happen. You should know that there are over 650 different varieties of Dahlia in De Tulperij garden, and each one was better than the last.
Usually, the garden closes at 5, but I got lucky, and a large group of people came around for hot chocolate and apple pie before closing time, which gave me an extra half hour to spend with the Dahlias. I got there at 10 in the morning, and at 17:30 I was far from done. I brought my notebook and camera and wanted to describe every single one of them to make a selection for the Fluwel web shop. I can already hear you think the question I am always asked, about every type of flower bulb: which one was your favourite? It’s impossible to answer, but there are two that really caught my eye.
This is a new variety by hybridiser Frank van der Vlugt. The day after my visit, I went to Frank’s with the intention of trying to buy a few of them, but he told me that it’s still a very small party, and he still needs it to grow the variety. He promised me I would be the first to know when there are tubers available for sale. It’s a great Dahlia: not too high but not too low, an enormous number of flowers, and a breathtaking, unique colour. I always like Dahlias with this type of flower, and butterflies and bees seem to agree with me, because they are always all over this type of Dahlia.
The other Dahlia I loved was somewhat the same but also completely different. Its colour is impossible to describe: Sandie Brocade. ‘Impossible to describe’ can be taken very literally here, because I have no idea what to compare this to. Maybe there are tropical fruits or exotic fish with these colours, but I’ve never encountered them before. At this time, I am very glad that the colour photograph is the standard nowadays.
(God, dad, how old are you? –Pien while reading through this newsletter)
Dahlia Fenna Baaij
To show you a Dahlia that we offer in our web shop this year: this is Fenna Baaij. The previous two varieties are still in their nursery, but once they are big enough to have bulbs to sell, you’ll be the first to know. Luckily, time flies, and before we know it it’ll be 2027.
Another Dahlia? I thought it was Tulip time? Yes, this is the time to buy your spring-blooming flowers like Tulips and Daffodils, but I also write what I saw this week. And with the kind of summer we’ve had over here, with beautiful weather and warm temperatures, it is no surprise that the Dahlias are doing so well this year. I hope that if you see Dahlias you love, you’ll remember them for next year. If you have a favourite on our website, you can leave your email address at that variety and then the computer will send you an email once it’s available. You’ll be the first to know!
Kind regards,
Carlos van der Veek
