Flowers, Flowers Everywhere

April 9, 2023 10 Comments

Most my blog followers know that I volunteer at the Historical Garden in Aalsmeer, that I also worked at the largest bulb garden in the World, the Keukenhof in Lisse. I have something in my core relationship with nature that gives me strength, provides me with energy and heals me in difficult times.

In Aalsmeer

This week was finally warm enough and sunny enough to make the bulb flowers pop into full bloom.

The bulbs in some fields are in full bloom near Lisse.

From my volunteer day at the Historical Garden (where I got plenty of exercise hauling wheel barrows of worm compost), to working in my straw bale garden, to hopping on the bike for a long ride through the bulb fields, the following pictures capture it all.

Worm compost that was delivered to the Historical Garden Aalsmeer has to be hand hauled over the canals into the gardens via wheel barrows by staff and volunteers.

Writing this, I am flat on my back! Yup…it was a bit too much for my old back injury so I will be enjoying (not really) some pain killers and doing nothing for a couple of days.

This year is the year of the Lilacs at the Historical Gardens. The garden forces some of the Lilacs to bloom early by placing them in the warm greenhouses.
More show of color inside the greenhouse at Aalsmeer.
A view of the lilacs that are in the garden from the inside of the garden shed. Shhhh…don’t tell the boss I was resting after hauling the wheel barrows.🤫😊

Then there is my garden… weeds, slugs, new shoots, new community, just trying to find my place. So I tried an American thing, pumpkin bread (for free) stop by my garden for a chat. First time…no one came, second time…two people came…

Trying to be Minnesota Nice in my own garden.
I took joy in this lady bug instead.
My tulips nearly blooming.
The straw bales are now starting to fill up with what will be a summer harvest. Planted spinach, carrots, onions, basil this week. Pulled weeds and tilled dirt. It is a constant work in progress.

Then it was on my electric bike and out for a ride in the sun around the bulb fields of Lisse.

This display I stop at every year in Lisse was popping with color.
More color on display in this small front garden.
A stop for coffee, I noted how many tourist bikes were sitting outside. This restaurant is in the old Lisse train station and is a favorite for tourist snd locals alike who are out viewing the fields by bike.
My bike ride finished with a stop at my long time favorite places.
Annemieke’s Pluktuin

https://www.annemiekespluktuin.nl

Picked some tulips…
Enjoyed the display of color.

I placed my two bouquets of tulips into my bicycle bag and headed for home. My back was in pain as I entered the house but my heart was full of the joy that Spring brings, blooms of nature.

©️ The Cedar Journal, 2023, all rights reserved.

Categoriescedar strip canoe, Spring Flowers Netherlands, Volunteering
Tags, , , , , , , , , ,