Friday, May 11, 2012

Floriade disappoints

My wife and I have just returned from Europe where we went to see flowers and the once-every-10-years Floriade exposition in The Netherlands.


We have been hoping to attend this event for at least 15 years, so we had read a great deal about it and had high expectations. We were disappointed.


There were far fewer flowers than we anticipated, and many of the exhibits were of relatively cheap quality. One in particular - for food science - was incredibly amateurish; it had bare plywood backing and plain paper printouts held to a string by clothespins.


The exception was a large greenhouse featuring orchids. The flowers and the way they were arranged were what we expected to see.


The major delight of the trip was a visit to the Keukenhof gardens, also in the Netherlands. The feature there is tulips in a forested setting and we lucked out, arriving precisely when the tulips were at their peak.


But if you're thinking of visiting Floriade thie year, I suggest you wait for the next one, 10 years from now back in Amsterdam where there is a beautiful park that has hosted several previous Floriades.