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The Hortus Bulborum, established in 1928
Treasury of historical bulbs
The Hortus Bulborum is the
only museum garden in the world where you can find over
3,700 different tulip, hyacinth, daffodil and other
bulbous cultivars, species and varieties in bloom. Nowhere
on this globe you will find such a fine selection of
old bulbs in one place. Every spring the Hortus transforms
into a treasure trove full of dazzling colours, beautiful
shapes and overwhelming fragrances at the foot of the
picturesque, parish church in Limmen village, near the
historic city of Alkmaar.
The collection boasts tulips dating from 1595, the famous
‘Duc van Tol Red and Yellow’; the oldest known
cultivar and dozens of other cultivars which were prizes
possession as far as back as the Golden Age. But also
17th century daffodils. The most antique daffodils are
said to come from around 1601, like ‘Double Campernelle’
and ‘Albus Plenus Odoratus’. Though the Narcissus
pseudonarcissus, also known as the 'Lent Lilly',
was already found in English gardens in the 1200s. While
the oldest fritillary was already described for the
first time in 1577, Fritillaria imperialis ‘Prolifera’.
And what to think of fragrant double-flowered hyacinths
from the 1800s and crocuses.
Fundamental in this garden, however, is the preservation of heirloom bulbs. Many of them have no commercial value for modern mass production whatsoever. The aim is to maintain these cultivars and safeguard them for the future generations. The preservation work of the Hortus Bulborum goes hand in hand with the work of the professional growers to obtain better cultivars for today’s needs. The collection is a second to none pollen bank in the world to the bulb growing sector.
The current collection contains over 2,500 cultivars
of tulips, some 120 hyacinths, around 1,000 daffodils,
22 irises, some 90 crocuses and a few dozen of fritillaries.
The Hortus Bulborum is worth a visit, especially for garden lovers and all those who love rare, heirloom and florist bulbs.
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