May 22, 2025 • 13 mins
Join floral expert Sharon McGukin and flower friends who share memories of a breathtaking tulip tour through The Netherlands. From vibrant flower fields to historic flower auctions, wooden shoes, cheese-making, and world-class gardens like the iconic Keukenhof. This podcast shares a rich blend of Dutch culture, floral history, and personal behind-the-scenes moments from a petal-filled tour that’s sure to inspire your next floral adventure.
How we Bloom podcast is an oasis of flower ideas. Host Sharon McGukin of Smithers-Oasis North America interviews floral guests who dare to do things differently. We listen, learn, explore new opportunities and that's how we bloom!
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Tim Farrell (00:06):
Wow, Sharon.
That moment that we all hoppedoff the bus to be in that
enormous field of hyacinths forflorists, it was like our mecca.
It was like a little piece ofparadise.
Sharon McGukin (00:20):
Join me as we walk together through one of the
most flower loving countries onearth,
Julie Poeltler (00:32):
I felt like I was Dorothy in the movie, the
Wizard of Oz, because dreams docome true overlooking the flower
fields, the color, enjoying thefragrance, the people that were
there willing to share theirinformation, how to grow, how to
graft.
It was just an overwhelmingexperience.
Sharon McGukin (00:50):
Thanks, Julie Poeltler for sharing your Tulip
Tour experience.
Have you ever dreamed of walkingalongside endless ribbons of
live color that stretches to thehorizon, standing before the
(01:11):
amazing Dutch fields of tulips,daffodils, and hyacinths?
Hi, I'm Sharon McGukin, and intoday's episode of How We Bloom,
I'm taking you on a tulip fieldadventure through The
Netherlands, sharing storiesfrom my recent floral journey
with flower friends.
And giving you a behind thescenes look at what we saw in
(01:34):
one of the most extraordinaryflower cultures in the world,
learning their floral historyand understanding how important
their flower culture is to dailylife.
Let's start with aclarification.
Is it Holland or TheNetherlands?
People often use Holland and TheNetherlands interchangeably, but
(01:59):
they're not the same.
The Netherlands is the name ofthe country, meaning low lands.
Holland, that's two of the 12Dutch provinces, North and South
Holland.
Amsterdam is located in NorthHolland and is home to the
famous flower fields that wevisited.
(02:19):
There's nothing like seeing itin person.
As our bus approached theBollenstreek, Flower Region, the
scent of hyacinths reached usbefore the fields came into
view.
It was intoxicating.
Ribbons of color, rows and rowsof tulips and other spring bulbs
in bloom.
In every shade you can imagine,unfurling across the landscape
(02:44):
like a painting.
Tim Farrell described itperfectly.
Tim Farrell (02:48):
That moment that we all hopped off the bus to be in
that enormous field of hyacinthsfor florists it was like our
mecca.
It was like a little piece ofparadise.
Sharon McGukin (02:57):
And it truly was.
Interestingly, flowers aren'tnative to the Netherlands.
They were brought from theOttoman Empire present day
Turkey in the 16th century,along with a mix of new plants
and vegetables.
The Dutch embraced the exotictulips for their beauty.
Recording their first commercialtulip planting in 1593.
(03:22):
Ironically, the colorfulpatterns, streaks and stripes
that made the tulip so popularwere caused by TBV.
A tulip breaking virus.
This virus interferes with thebloom's pigment and production
and breaks the petal color,making the bloom even more
desirable.
(03:44):
If you've ever read the story ofTulip Mania, you know that about
1634 to 1637 speculation foruniquely patterned tulips caused
frenzied buying, selling, andinvesting in tulip bulbs.
At the peak of tulip mania, onetulip bulb might be valued more
(04:05):
than 10 times the salary of alocal artisan.
As the availability ofpropagated bulbs increased and
short term contract laws wererevised, the value of the tulip
fell when the bubble burst manypeople were financially ruined.
(04:26):
A passion for tulips reboundedwhen more commercial flower
fields were planted in the 17thcentury.
Once again, Dutch farmers andbusiness people embraced the
tulip and cultivated a thrivingflower trade.
Known for being hardworking andfrugal, the Dutch spent the last
(04:46):
few centuries efficientlybuilding one of the most
organized production and exportbusinesses in the world.
Today, approximately 1.7 billioncut flowers are produced in the
Netherlands each year.
About 60% of the cut flowerssold globally come from these
(05:06):
Dutch flower fields andgreenhouses.
Our touring band of Petalistashappily admired and photographed
several thousand of those plantsgrowing in the fields.
We visited Koukenhof Gardens inLisse, South Holland, which is
in bloom for only about eightweeks a year from mid-March to
(05:29):
mid-May.
It sits on land that was onceused as a castle's kitchen
garden in the 15th century.
It's truly a feast for thesenses.
This manicured 79 acres of sheerbeauty and fragrance boasts over
7 million flower bulbs, handplanted there annually by just
40 gardeners.
(05:51):
This mix of 800 differentvarieties of tulips ensures the
following spring season willoffer a series of breathtaking
views for garden visitors.
More than 1.5 million peoplefrom around the world experience
this kaleidoscope of vividcolor, soft breezes, and a sweet
(06:14):
floral scent that follows youlike perfume.
If you're a flower lover,Koukenhof is an experience not
to be missed.
Marlin Hargrove summed it upbest saying...."
Marlin Hargrove (06:30):
I thought I knew what beautiful was, but I
was really humbled when I sawthe koff.
Sharon McGukin (06:38):
We also visited the Palace Het Loo Gardens, an
English landscape garden, knownas the Great Garden of
Apeldoorn.
Another highlight was seeing theflower auction in Aalsmeer.
From past present, we visitedthe historic auction site, the
Aalsmeer Historical GardenMuseum, and then the modern
(06:59):
Royal Flora Holland building.
It's the ninth largest buildingin the world by footprint.
It holds the equivalent of 200football fields.
Imagine 43 million flowers aresold there each day.
At the Horticultural Museum, wesaw old photographs and early
(07:22):
floral work implements, gardensthat included many varieties of
flowers.
Most amazing were the aged lilacplants that can be over a
hundred years old and passeddown through generations and
still be grafted to produce newflower stems.
It was amazing.
We watched the process takeplace and visited some of the
(07:44):
island farms.
You have to take a boat to reachwhere these aged lilac plants
are still nurtured.
It was incredibly interesting.
As was the auction clock.
What began as a wooden clock ina small room of buyers is now
the largest flower auction inthe world.
(08:04):
First established in Aalsmeer,Holland in the 17th century.
This is a hands-on system ofrolling carts of floral product
past buyers who bid by pressingtheir button first to make a
purchase here.
Timing was everything bid toosoon and you overpaid, bid too
late and you missed it.
(08:25):
We even got to play with theancient auction clock for fun.
We pressed the antique buttonspretending to buy.
Though flowers no longer rollthrough here Marlin Hargrove won
bragging rights for pushing hisbutton first.
Today it's all digital.
2,500 global buyers purchaseDutch flowers via 35 auction
(08:48):
clocks online.
But the passion for flowers andthe precision of Dutch growers
hasn't changed.
While in Aalsmeer, we enjoyed aday of an inspiring hands-on
Dutch Masterclass, instructed byMike Boerma at the Boerma
Instituut.
Join us for the details in anupcoming How We Bloom Podcast
(09:10):
and Floral Hub Blog.
When we interview the Boerma's.
We ended our trip with theannual Flower Parade.
We watched in awe as the paradeof 17 fresh flower floats that
were amazing to see, and a mixof flower, bedecked cars,
(09:30):
trucks, motorcycles, bicycles,and even flower fashioned people
moved along its 26 mile pathfrom 9:00 AM to 9:30 PM.
The parade was cheered as itwound through eight picturesque
villages.
A jazz band warmed theinternational crowd up by
(09:51):
playing American favorites like"Celebration" and"We Will Rock
You","Hey Jude," as we dancedand sang along in the
grandstands or along the side ofthe lanes, it was so much fun.
In between our flowerexperiences.
What else did we see?
Art and museums.
There are over 600 museums inThe Netherlands, approximately
(10:13):
29 to 32 million visitors enjoythese treasures each year with
the Rijksmuseum and Van GoghMuseum being the most popular.
We also saw windmills once over10,000 windmills dotted the
(10:33):
Dutch countryside while weromanticized their quaint
beauty.
They actually were used forpumping water or grinding grain.
They were once an integral partof the wind based process of
reclaiming the land fromsurrounding waters.
About 1200 of the historic iconsremain today.
(10:53):
Wooden shoes.
We watched a wooden shoe makercarve a Klomp or clog using
antique clog machinery and thewood of a tree.
The Dutch are known for theirlove of handmade Klompen, whole
foot wooden clogs, worn forsafety from animals stepping on
their toes, or feet getting wetand dirty.
(11:15):
For warmth and comfort when worna size too large with thick
woolen socks inside our trip tothe Netherlands could not have
been better without this groupof.
Passionate florists and plantlovers and the beauty and the
(11:36):
joy that we got to witness also,that flowers are a universal
language and they bring so muchjoy, passion, and beauty to so
many.
Helen Miller (11:49):
When we went to the gardens and to Keukenhof and
to the auction houses, howpassionate people are about
flowers and how special theyare.
Sharon McGukin (12:02):
This fun-filled, floral journey reminded me of
how deeply flowers are woveninto the culture, economy, and
spirit of the Netherlands.
If you ever get the chance, gowalk alongside the tulip fields,
breathe in the fragrance of thehyacinths, experience flowers
growing in the fields foryourself.
(12:28):
Smithers- Oasis, North Americaand I want to thank you, our
listeners for joining us todayon this floral adventure.
If you like to read the fullblog post and see the photos
from our tour, visitoasisfloralproducts.com.
If you've enjoyed this episode,please share it with a friend
and be sure to hit subscribe.
(12:50):
You don't want to miss theinspired solutions Our upcoming
guests will share with you foryour personal or business
growth.
If you have topics or guests youwant to hear, please message me.
We'd love to hear from you.
Until next time.
I'm Sharon McGukin reminding youthat like the unfurling petals
of a flower, we grow by changingform, soaking inspiration in
(13:13):
like raindrops.
Absorbing energy from others,like warmth from the sun.
This opens us up to new ideasand that's How We Bloom.
Wow, Sharon.
That moment that we all hoppedoff the bus to be in that
enormous field of hyacinths forflorists, it was like our mecca.
It was like a little piece ofparadise.
Sharon McGukin (00:20):
Join me as we walk together through one of the
most flower loving countries onearth,
Julie Poeltler (00:32):
I felt like I was Dorothy in the movie, the
Wizard of Oz, because dreams docome true overlooking the flower
fields, the color, enjoying thefragrance, the people that were
there willing to share theirinformation, how to grow, how to
graft.
It was just an overwhelmingexperience.
Sharon McGukin (00:50):
Thanks, Julie Poeltler for sharing your Tulip
Tour experience.
Have you ever dreamed of walkingalongside endless ribbons of
live color that stretches to thehorizon, standing before the
(01:11):
amazing Dutch fields of tulips,daffodils, and hyacinths?
Hi, I'm Sharon McGukin, and intoday's episode of How We Bloom,
I'm taking you on a tulip fieldadventure through The
Netherlands, sharing storiesfrom my recent floral journey
with flower friends.
And giving you a behind thescenes look at what we saw in
(01:34):
one of the most extraordinaryflower cultures in the world,
learning their floral historyand understanding how important
their flower culture is to dailylife.
Let's start with aclarification.
Is it Holland or TheNetherlands?
People often use Holland and TheNetherlands interchangeably, but
(01:59):
they're not the same.
The Netherlands is the name ofthe country, meaning low lands.
Holland, that's two of the 12Dutch provinces, North and South
Holland.
Amsterdam is located in NorthHolland and is home to the
famous flower fields that wevisited.
(02:19):
There's nothing like seeing itin person.
As our bus approached theBollenstreek, Flower Region, the
scent of hyacinths reached usbefore the fields came into
view.
It was intoxicating.
Ribbons of color, rows and rowsof tulips and other spring bulbs
in bloom.
In every shade you can imagine,unfurling across the landscape
(02:44):
like a painting.
Tim Farrell described itperfectly.
Tim Farrell (02:48):
That moment that we all hopped off the bus to be in
that enormous field of hyacinthsfor florists it was like our
mecca.
It was like a little piece ofparadise.
Sharon McGukin (02:57):
And it truly was.
Interestingly, flowers aren'tnative to the Netherlands.
They were brought from theOttoman Empire present day
Turkey in the 16th century,along with a mix of new plants
and vegetables.
The Dutch embraced the exotictulips for their beauty.
Recording their first commercialtulip planting in 1593.
(03:22):
Ironically, the colorfulpatterns, streaks and stripes
that made the tulip so popularwere caused by TBV.
A tulip breaking virus.
This virus interferes with thebloom's pigment and production
and breaks the petal color,making the bloom even more
desirable.
(03:44):
If you've ever read the story ofTulip Mania, you know that about
1634 to 1637 speculation foruniquely patterned tulips caused
frenzied buying, selling, andinvesting in tulip bulbs.
At the peak of tulip mania, onetulip bulb might be valued more
(04:05):
than 10 times the salary of alocal artisan.
As the availability ofpropagated bulbs increased and
short term contract laws wererevised, the value of the tulip
fell when the bubble burst manypeople were financially ruined.
(04:26):
A passion for tulips reboundedwhen more commercial flower
fields were planted in the 17thcentury.
Once again, Dutch farmers andbusiness people embraced the
tulip and cultivated a thrivingflower trade.
Known for being hardworking andfrugal, the Dutch spent the last
(04:46):
few centuries efficientlybuilding one of the most
organized production and exportbusinesses in the world.
Today, approximately 1.7 billioncut flowers are produced in the
Netherlands each year.
About 60% of the cut flowerssold globally come from these
(05:06):
Dutch flower fields andgreenhouses.
Our touring band of Petalistashappily admired and photographed
several thousand of those plantsgrowing in the fields.
We visited Koukenhof Gardens inLisse, South Holland, which is
in bloom for only about eightweeks a year from mid-March to
(05:29):
mid-May.
It sits on land that was onceused as a castle's kitchen
garden in the 15th century.
It's truly a feast for thesenses.
This manicured 79 acres of sheerbeauty and fragrance boasts over
7 million flower bulbs, handplanted there annually by just
40 gardeners.
(05:51):
This mix of 800 differentvarieties of tulips ensures the
following spring season willoffer a series of breathtaking
views for garden visitors.
More than 1.5 million peoplefrom around the world experience
this kaleidoscope of vividcolor, soft breezes, and a sweet
(06:14):
floral scent that follows youlike perfume.
If you're a flower lover,Koukenhof is an experience not
to be missed.
Marlin Hargrove summed it upbest saying...."
Marlin Hargrove (06:30):
I thought I knew what beautiful was, but I
was really humbled when I sawthe koff.
Sharon McGukin (06:38):
We also visited the Palace Het Loo Gardens, an
English landscape garden, knownas the Great Garden of
Apeldoorn.
Another highlight was seeing theflower auction in Aalsmeer.
From past present, we visitedthe historic auction site, the
Aalsmeer Historical GardenMuseum, and then the modern
(06:59):
Royal Flora Holland building.
It's the ninth largest buildingin the world by footprint.
It holds the equivalent of 200football fields.
Imagine 43 million flowers aresold there each day.
At the Horticultural Museum, wesaw old photographs and early
(07:22):
floral work implements, gardensthat included many varieties of
flowers.
Most amazing were the aged lilacplants that can be over a
hundred years old and passeddown through generations and
still be grafted to produce newflower stems.
It was amazing.
We watched the process takeplace and visited some of the
(07:44):
island farms.
You have to take a boat to reachwhere these aged lilac plants
are still nurtured.
It was incredibly interesting.
As was the auction clock.
What began as a wooden clock ina small room of buyers is now
the largest flower auction inthe world.
(08:04):
First established in Aalsmeer,Holland in the 17th century.
This is a hands-on system ofrolling carts of floral product
past buyers who bid by pressingtheir button first to make a
purchase here.
Timing was everything bid toosoon and you overpaid, bid too
late and you missed it.
(08:25):
We even got to play with theancient auction clock for fun.
We pressed the antique buttonspretending to buy.
Though flowers no longer rollthrough here Marlin Hargrove won
bragging rights for pushing hisbutton first.
Today it's all digital.
2,500 global buyers purchaseDutch flowers via 35 auction
(08:48):
clocks online.
But the passion for flowers andthe precision of Dutch growers
hasn't changed.
While in Aalsmeer, we enjoyed aday of an inspiring hands-on
Dutch Masterclass, instructed byMike Boerma at the Boerma
Instituut.
Join us for the details in anupcoming How We Bloom Podcast
(09:10):
and Floral Hub Blog.
When we interview the Boerma's.
We ended our trip with theannual Flower Parade.
We watched in awe as the paradeof 17 fresh flower floats that
were amazing to see, and a mixof flower, bedecked cars,
(09:30):
trucks, motorcycles, bicycles,and even flower fashioned people
moved along its 26 mile pathfrom 9:00 AM to 9:30 PM.
The parade was cheered as itwound through eight picturesque
villages.
A jazz band warmed theinternational crowd up by
(09:51):
playing American favorites like"Celebration" and"We Will Rock
You","Hey Jude," as we dancedand sang along in the
grandstands or along the side ofthe lanes, it was so much fun.
In between our flowerexperiences.
What else did we see?
Art and museums.
There are over 600 museums inThe Netherlands, approximately
(10:13):
29 to 32 million visitors enjoythese treasures each year with
the Rijksmuseum and Van GoghMuseum being the most popular.
We also saw windmills once over10,000 windmills dotted the
(10:33):
Dutch countryside while weromanticized their quaint
beauty.
They actually were used forpumping water or grinding grain.
They were once an integral partof the wind based process of
reclaiming the land fromsurrounding waters.
About 1200 of the historic iconsremain today.
(10:53):
Wooden shoes.
We watched a wooden shoe makercarve a Klomp or clog using
antique clog machinery and thewood of a tree.
The Dutch are known for theirlove of handmade Klompen, whole
foot wooden clogs, worn forsafety from animals stepping on
their toes, or feet getting wetand dirty.
(11:15):
For warmth and comfort when worna size too large with thick
woolen socks inside our trip tothe Netherlands could not have
been better without this groupof.
Passionate florists and plantlovers and the beauty and the
(11:36):
joy that we got to witness also,that flowers are a universal
language and they bring so muchjoy, passion, and beauty to so
many.
Helen Miller (11:49):
When we went to the gardens and to Keukenhof and
to the auction houses, howpassionate people are about
flowers and how special theyare.
Sharon McGukin (12:02):
This fun-filled, floral journey reminded me of
how deeply flowers are woveninto the culture, economy, and
spirit of the Netherlands.
If you ever get the chance, gowalk alongside the tulip fields,
breathe in the fragrance of thehyacinths, experience flowers
growing in the fields foryourself.
(12:28):
Smithers- Oasis, North Americaand I want to thank you, our
listeners for joining us todayon this floral adventure.
If you like to read the fullblog post and see the photos
from our tour, visitoasisfloralproducts.com.
If you've enjoyed this episode,please share it with a friend
and be sure to hit subscribe.
(12:50):
You don't want to miss theinspired solutions Our upcoming
guests will share with you foryour personal or business
growth.
If you have topics or guests youwant to hear, please message me.
We'd love to hear from you.
Until next time.
I'm Sharon McGukin reminding youthat like the unfurling petals
of a flower, we grow by changingform, soaking inspiration in
(13:13):
like raindrops.
Absorbing energy from others,like warmth from the sun.
This opens us up to new ideasand that's How We Bloom.
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