Tulip fever at a distance: a satellite display and tips for growing your own

Happy birthday to us

The Keukenhof flower gardens may be closed to the public this year, but the park’s gardeners are determined that as many people as possible can enjoy the display of seven million bulbs – virtually.

The Keukenhof, which should have opened on March 21 and close again on May 10, attracts some million visitors from all over the globe each year but has been forced to keep its gates shut because of the coronavirus lockdown.

In this latest video, with English subtitles, designer Frans and bulb supplier Jan talk about how to to design a bulb garden.

Meanwhile, the European Space Agency, which is based in Rijswijk near The Hague, has published a series of satellite images showing how the bulb fields near Lisse and Hillegom came to life this spring.

Captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission on four occasions between April 5 and April 20, this sequence of images shows how the fields change from browns and greens to an array of vibrant colours.

The most recent photograph also shows that despite growers’ pledges to chop off the blooms in an effort to discourage visitors as part of social distancing, locals can still enjoy a vibrant display.

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