The Flower Growing Regions of Holland: A Florist Guide

The Netherlands has earned its reputation as the world’s flower capital through centuries of horticultural innovation, strategic geography, and an unwavering commitment to excellence in cultivation. This small nation exports over 12 billion flowers annually and controls more than half of the global flower trade, a remarkable achievement for a country roughly the size of Maryland. The Dutch flower industry represents a sophisticated network of growers, breeders, auction houses, and logistics experts, all working within distinct regional ecosystems that have evolved to specialize in particular types of flower production. Understanding these regions provides insight into how the Netherlands maintains its dominance in global floriculture.

The Bollenstreek: The Legendary Bulb Region

The Bollenstreek, or “Bulb Region,” represents the romantic heart of Dutch flower cultivation and remains the most iconic flower-growing area in the Netherlands. This narrow coastal strip stretches approximately 30 kilometers from Haarlem in the north to Leiden in the south, passing through the provinces of North and South Holland. The region’s name derives from “bollen,” the Dutch word for bulbs, and for good reason: this relatively small area produces roughly 90 percent of the world’s commercial flower bulbs, an astounding concentration of horticultural productivity.

The Bollenstreek’s dominance in bulb cultivation stems from its unique geological and climatic advantages. The soil here consists of light, sandy dunes left behind by ancient North Sea coastlines, providing the excellent drainage that bulbs require to thrive. Unlike heavy clay soils that retain water and promote rot, this sandy substrate allows excess moisture to percolate away while still maintaining enough organic content to nourish the growing bulbs. The proximity to the North Sea creates a moderate maritime climate, preventing the extreme temperature fluctuations that can damage bulbs during their critical growing periods. Cool, moist springs provide ideal conditions for root development and early growth, while relatively mild winters protect dormant bulbs from severe freezing.

The town of Lisse serves as the jewel in the Bollenstreek’s crown, home to the world-famous Keukenhof Gardens. Each spring from late March through mid-May, Keukenhof transforms into a living catalog of bulb varieties, with more than seven million bulbs planted across 79 acres of meticulously designed gardens and woodland. The gardens showcase not only tulips in every imaginable color and form but also daffodils, hyacinths, fritillarias, grape hyacinths, and countless other bulbous species. For growers, Keukenhof functions as both an inspiration and a testing ground, where new varieties debut before commercial release and where design trends emerge that influence gardens worldwide.

Hillegom has earned its title as the “capital of the bulb region” through its concentration of major growing operations, breeding companies, and export facilities. The town’s economy revolves almost entirely around bulb cultivation, with family businesses often spanning multiple generations. Here, the landscape transforms dramatically with the seasons. In autumn, fields are meticulously prepared and planted with millions of bulbs. Through winter, the land appears dormant, but beneath the surface, root systems are establishing themselves. Then, as spring arrives, an explosion of color sweeps across the landscape in waves. First come the early crocuses and miniature irises, followed by daffodils in shades of yellow, white, and cream. Then the tulips emerge, creating the striped fields of color that have become synonymous with Dutch spring. Hyacinths bloom last, filling the air with their intoxicating perfume.

Sassenheim and Noordwijkerhout complete the triumvirate of major bulb towns, each contributing specialized expertise to the region’s output. These communities house the forcing operations where bulbs are carefully manipulated to bloom out of season, the breeding programs developing new varieties, and the processing facilities that clean, grade, and package millions of bulbs for export. The auction houses in these towns once conducted the famous Dutch clock auction system, where prices started high and descended until a buyer claimed the lot. While much of the trade has moved online, the tradition of transparent, rapid commerce continues to define the bulb trade.

The Bollenstreek’s cultural significance extends beyond economics. The annual flower parades, particularly the Bloemencorso, showcase elaborate floats covered entirely in hyacinth and tulip blooms, representing months of planning and thousands of volunteer hours. These events celebrate the region’s heritage while reinforcing community bonds forged through shared agricultural traditions.

The Westland: The Greenhouse Capital of the World

While the Bollenstreek captivates with its seasonal outdoor displays, the Westland represents the industrial and technological pinnacle of Dutch floriculture. Located in South Holland between The Hague and Rotterdam, the Westland has transformed itself into the world’s largest concentration of greenhouse agriculture, a vast sea of glass spanning more than 2,300 hectares. From above, the region appears as a glittering patchwork of geometric glass structures, their climate-controlled interiors maintaining perfect growing conditions year-round regardless of the weather outside.

The Westland’s evolution into a greenhouse powerhouse began in the late 19th century when Dutch growers recognized that glass structures could extend growing seasons and protect delicate crops from the Netherlands’ unpredictable maritime weather. What started as small family operations with basic cold frames gradually evolved into today’s ultra-modern facilities, equipped with computerized climate control, automated irrigation systems, supplemental lighting, and sophisticated nutrient delivery mechanisms. These greenhouses can maintain optimal temperature, humidity, light levels, and carbon dioxide concentrations, essentially creating perfect perpetual spring conditions that maximize plant growth and flower quality.

Roses dominate Westland production, with hundreds of hectares devoted to this single crop. The region produces premium cut roses in every color imaginable, from classic reds and whites to sophisticated peaches, lavenders, and even green-tinged varieties. Westland roses are bred for longevity, with proper care allowing them to remain fresh for two weeks or more after cutting. The growing systems here represent horticultural precision engineering, with roses planted in sterile substrate rather than soil, receiving precisely calculated nutrient solutions delivered through drip irrigation systems that waste virtually nothing.

Gerbera production represents another Westland specialty, with these cheerful daisy-like flowers grown in vast quantities. Gerberas require exacting conditions, particularly regarding root health and disease prevention, making them ideal candidates for the Westland’s controlled greenhouse environments. The region also produces significant quantities of chrysanthemums, both the large-flowered exhibition types and the smaller spray varieties used in bouquets and arrangements. Orchid cultivation, particularly Phalaenopsis varieties, has expanded dramatically in recent years as breeding advances have made these once-exotic flowers affordable for everyday consumers.

The town of Naaldwijk functions as the traditional heart of the Westland, though the region’s greenhouse development has essentially merged once-distinct communities into a continuous horticultural landscape. Naaldwijk hosts major auction facilities, research institutions, and the headquarters of grower cooperatives. The town’s identity is inextricably linked to greenhouse cultivation, with generations of families dedicating their lives to perfecting growing techniques and developing new varieties.

What truly distinguishes the Westland from other greenhouse regions worldwide is its commitment to sustainability and innovation. Dutch greenhouse growers have pioneered closed-loop water systems that capture, purify, and recycle all drainage water, eliminating agricultural runoff. Geothermal heating systems tap underground heat sources, dramatically reducing fossil fuel consumption. Combined heat and power systems capture waste heat from electricity generation to warm greenhouses. Many facilities have covered their glass with semi-transparent solar panels, generating renewable energy while still admitting enough light for plant growth. This drive toward sustainability reflects both environmental consciousness and economic pragmatism, as energy costs represent the largest expense in greenhouse operation.

Aalsmeer and the Flower Auction Complex

While Aalsmeer is technically a town rather than a distinct growing region, its role in Dutch floriculture demands substantial attention. Located just south of Amsterdam, Aalsmeer hosts the Royal FloraHolland auction, the largest flower auction in the world and the beating heart of the global flower trade. This massive facility processes more than 12 billion flowers and plants annually, with 125,000 daily transactions connecting growers from around the Netherlands and indeed from around the world with buyers representing every continent.

The auction building itself defies easy comprehension, covering an area larger than 100 football fields. Inside, flowers arrive from growers in the pre-dawn hours, are inspected and sorted by quality, assigned to trolleys, and moved along kilometers of tracks to various auction halls. Buyers sit in theater-style seating facing enormous screens displaying information about each lot. The famous Dutch clock auction system still operates here, though now supplemented by online bidding systems. As the clock hand descends from high prices toward lower ones, buyers press buttons to claim lots. The entire process moves at breathtaking speed, with the auction handling thousands of transactions per hour. Once sold, flowers are immediately transported to processing areas where they’re prepared for shipping, often departing the facility within hours of arrival and reaching destinations worldwide within 24 hours.

Aalsmeer’s auction serves as the price-setting mechanism for the global flower trade, with its daily prices influencing markets from Tokyo to Toronto. The facility’s logistics systems represent marvels of coordination, ensuring that perishable flowers move through the building efficiently while maintaining the cold chain that preserves freshness. Beyond the auction, Aalsmeer hosts the offices of breeding companies, export firms, and industry organizations, making it the commercial and administrative center of Dutch floriculture even though relatively few flowers are actually grown there.

North Holland: Tulip Cultivation Beyond the Bollenstreek

While the Bollenstreek captures most attention, flower cultivation extends northward into other parts of North Holland, particularly around the towns of Anna Paulowna and Breezand in the region known as the Kop van Noord-Holland or “Head of North Holland.” This area, characterized by its reclaimed polder land with rich, heavy soils, specializes in field-grown cut flowers and seed production in addition to some bulb cultivation.

The polders of North Holland offer different growing conditions than the sandy Bollenstreek. The heavy clay soils retain moisture and nutrients exceptionally well, making them ideal for cut flower production where plants must grow quickly and produce abundant blooms. Here, growers cultivate field-grown tulips specifically for cut flower production rather than bulb production. These tulips are planted at higher densities and managed differently than bulb crops, with the goal of producing long, straight stems and large blooms rather than maximizing bulb size.

Anna Paulowna has developed particular expertise in lily cultivation, both in fields and in greenhouses. Oriental and Asiatic lilies grown here supply florists across Europe, with their large, fragrant blooms commanding premium prices. The region also produces significant quantities of gladiolus, iris, and lisianthus, diversifying its flower portfolio beyond traditional Dutch crops.

The Kop van Noord-Holland region has embraced organic flower production more enthusiastically than other areas, with several growers specializing in certified organic cut flowers and bulbs. These producers avoid synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, instead relying on biological pest control, crop rotation, and organic soil amendments. While yields may be lower than conventional production, organic flowers command premium prices from environmentally conscious consumers and florists.

Flevoland: The Netherlands’ Newest Growing Region

Flevoland represents one of the most remarkable land reclamation projects in human history. This entirely man-made province, created by draining portions of the former Zuiderzee, only came into existence in the mid-20th century. Its young, carefully designed agricultural landscape has quickly become important for flower cultivation, particularly around the communities of Creil, Zeewolde, and Dronten.

Flevoland’s soils differ significantly from older growing regions. Rather than ancient dune sand or medieval clay, these are carefully engineered agricultural soils created by draining and conditioning former sea bottom. The result is remarkably uniform, fertile land without the variations in soil quality that characterize older regions. This uniformity appeals to large-scale flower growers who can implement standardized growing protocols across extensive acreages.

The province has attracted substantial lily production, with both field cultivation and greenhouse operations. Flevoland growers have invested heavily in modern infrastructure, including state-of-the-art greenhouse complexes with advanced automation. The region’s youth works to its advantage here, as growers could design facilities incorporating the latest technology from the outset rather than retrofitting older structures.

Flevoland also hosts significant research operations, including the Wageningen University experimental farms where new varieties are tested and growing techniques refined. These research facilities trial innovations in precision agriculture, using sensors, drones, and data analytics to optimize flower production. Many commercial growers in Flevoland maintain close relationships with researchers, rapidly implementing successful innovations.

Limburg: The Southern Border Region

The province of Limburg, tucked into the southeastern corner of the Netherlands where it borders Belgium and Germany, has developed its own distinct floriculture identity. The rolling hills and slightly warmer climate of this region, particularly unusual for the famously flat Netherlands, create different growing opportunities than the coastal provinces.

Limburg specializes in greenhouse production of high-value specialty flowers and potted plants. Anthurium production, in particular, has found a home here, with these striking tropical flowers requiring the precise environmental control that modern greenhouses provide. The region also produces significant quantities of potted roses, orchids, and seasonal flowering plants for the European market.

The town of Venlo serves as Limburg’s horticultural center, hosting major auction facilities and serving as a logistics hub for flowers moving between the Netherlands, Germany, and Belgium. Venlo has leveraged its location to become a transshipment point where flowers from Dutch growers meet buyers from across Central Europe.

Limburg growers have embraced high-tech greenhouse systems enthusiastically, with many facilities incorporating vertical growing systems that maximize production per square meter. These operations represent some of the most intensive flower production anywhere, using every available cubic meter of greenhouse space.

The Future of Dutch Flower Regions

Dutch flower growing regions continue to evolve in response to changing markets, advancing technology, and environmental imperatives. Climate change presents both challenges and opportunities, with warmer temperatures potentially extending growing seasons but also bringing new pests and diseases. Water management, always crucial in the low-lying Netherlands, becomes ever more critical as weather patterns shift.

The Dutch flower industry invests heavily in breeding programs developing varieties resistant to diseases and pests, reducing or eliminating the need for chemical treatments. LED lighting technology is transforming greenhouse production, allowing growers to precisely control light spectra and duration while dramatically reducing energy consumption. Vertical farming techniques promise to further increase production density, potentially allowing flower cultivation in urban areas and reducing transportation distances.

Throughout all these changes, the regional specializations that have developed over centuries continue to shape Dutch floriculture. The Bollenstreek remains the world’s bulb capital, the Westland the greenhouse innovation leader, and Aalsmeer the commercial heart of the global flower trade. These regions, each with their unique advantages and expertise, collectively maintain the Netherlands’ position as the world’s indispensable flower nation.