Floriade 2012 - First Impressions from Michael King

Every ten years an international garden festival takes place in the Netherlands called Floriade. It is open from spring until October 7 and this time it is situated in Venlo, in the south of Holland, near to the German border.I visited two weeks ago to find out what was there and to catch the tulip plantings which are a particular passion of mine.I was not disappointed, the tulips were good and the extensive perennial plantings throughout the site looked promising as most were clearly planted a year or more in advance of the opening.



The site is organized into a number of different themed areas which are linked by a cable car. Even when making use of this, you should still plan a full day of walking to see everything even without spending much time in the many exhibition pavilions sprinkled throughout the extensive site.

All photographs copyright Michael King.

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You will find a more comprehensive report on what I found there on my web blog at www.perennialmeadows.com ; what you see here are a few photographs to give you and impression of what’s on offer.



Anyone planning a visit to the Netherlands this summer or passing through on their way to Germany should certainly try and find a day for Floriade 2012. I shall be returning a couple more times as the seasons unfold to report on progress. These will all appear on www.perennialmeadows.com