Floriade happens only ONCE EVERY TEN YEARS. This Donna Dawson led, I Can Garden tour will give you a full day there so you can take as much of it in as possible. Visitors to Floriade 2012 in Venlo will have the opportunity to enjoy the world’s most exquisite and exceptional flowers, plants, trees, fruits and vegetables. At Floriade 2012 you will experience nature. Using the senses of sight, hearing, taste, touch and smell you will experience firsthand the influence horticulture has on the quality of our daily lives. Floriade is a World Horticultural Expo staged once every ten years in the Netherlands. But Floriade 2012 offers much more. Each day features a cultural program of music, dance, literature, theater and visual art from all over the world. Sustainable, pioneering architectural eye catchers, as never seen before, will be shown for the first time at Floriade 2012. With countless exciting, innovative and educational attractions and activities. Various characteristic restaurants and friendly, welcoming cafes offer visitors a place to savor delicious local and international cuisine, naturally prepared with home grown ingredients.
The Spring Tour Includes:
Keukenhof – Spring at its most beautiful. An unprecedented wealth of spectacular floral displays planted in endless varieties, alternated with beautiful works of art. Keukenhof is unique, world famous and has been one of the most popular destinations in the Netherlands for many years now.
Hortus Bulborum – with its 4,200 spring-flowering historical bulbs. This collection consists primarily of tulips, narcissus and hyacinths, but there is also a small number of Fritillaria and crocus, primarily the C.vernus types. In addition to functioning as a gene bank, the garden has a seasonal display of thousands of heirloom bulbs, some of which are no longer in commercial production. Certain tulips originated in the 16th century. The Fritillaria persica on display was already in cultivation as early as 1577, while the oldest narcissus is several centuries older yet. The garden, therefore, provides a fascinating overview of these immensely popular spring bloomers grown through the centuries.
Van Gogh Museum – A visit to the Van Gogh Museum is a unique experience. The museum contains the largest collection of paintings by Vincent van Gogh in the world. It provides the opportunity to keep track of the artist’s developments, or compare his paintings to works by other artists from the 19th century in the collection.
Afternoon Canal Cruise in Amsterdam – Enjoy the best cruise through 17th century Amsterdam. Holland’s capital has 160 canals and 1000 bridges. Experience Amsterdam from the water. Cruising through a number of Amsterdam’s canals, this cruise passes along some of the city’s most beautiful spots. While gliding through the old centre of the city you see elegant merchant’s mansions, carillon-crowned churches and the warehouses with their rich history from Holland’s Golden Age.
Aalsmeer Flower Auction – ‘The world marketplace for flowers and plants’ – Every day Bloemenveiling Aalsmeer sets the world price for flowers and plants. This happens by bringing supply and demand together by means of the auction clock- a fascinating process during which large and small batches of flowers are sold within fractions of seconds. Each day, 19 million flowers and two million plants are sold through 13 clocks at ‘Bloemenveiling Aalsmeer’.
Amsterdam Botanical Gardens – Hortus Botanicus – The Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam is one of the oldest botanic gardens in the world. Today, there are more than 4,000 plant species growing in the garden and greenhouses. The Hortus is located in the Plantage district on the edge of the hectic center of Amsterdam. Behind the 300-year-old gates, however, the bustle of the city seems to disappear.
Paleis Het Loo – Paleis Het Loo is a palace, more than three hundred years old, right in the heart of the Netherlands, close to the town of Apeldoorn. The former royal residence has been open to the public since in 1984 after undergoing substantial restoration work. The sumptuously furnished interiors give an impression of how the Dutch royal family lived here for three centuries. The reconstructed gardens breathe the atmosphere of their seventeenth century origin with their fountains and elegantly box-lined parterres. The palace’s setting in one of Holland’s most beautiful nature areas makes a visit a real delight at any time of year.
For complete details, log on to www.gardeningtours.com. The price, land only, is 2,400 Euros per person, double occupancy, with a 717 Euro single supplement. You may email Donna at donna@icangarden.com, or call toll free 1-866-642-7172. Why call now for something which takes place in 2012? Because Donna’s acclaimed 2011 tours have already sold out – they are that good. You must act early to secure your spot.
