From Melinda Manning at NYBG:

“Lavish, Netherlands-Inspired Conservatory Flower Show,
Centerpiece of Botanical Garden’s So Much Spring Season,
Launches New York’s Henry Hudson 400 Celebrations

The Glory of Dutch Bulbs: A Legacy of 400 Years
May 1 – June 7, 2009

“In celebration of the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson’s arrival in what is today known as New York Harbor, The New York Botanical Garden’s annual spring flower show will be a lush, colorful showcase of Dutch flowering bulbs. The Glory of Dutch Bulbs: A Legacy of 400 Years in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, May 1 through June 7, 2009, will be an indoor floral extravaganza, co-curated with Henry Hudson 400 New York and launching the foundation’s
series of special events commemorating Henry Hudson’s legendary voyage for the Dutch from Amsterdam to New York in 1609.

That historic event brought about the founding of Manhattan and ultimately established a longstanding history of trade between the Netherlands, the world’s largest exporter of flower bulbs, and the United States, the largest flower bulb importer in the world.  The Glory of Dutch Bulbs will be the centerpiece of the So Much Spring season, which is the Botanical Garden’s greatest showing of flowering bulbs ever and the most spectacular display of daffodils, lilies, and tulips in New York City this year.

Inspired by Keukenhof

The Glory of Dutch Bulbs exhibition design is inspired by the world-famous gardens of Keukenhof, located near Amsterdam. One of the most popular destinations in the Netherlands, Keukenhof is celebrated for its massive spring displays containing millions of hand-planted flower bulbs.

In 2008, members of the Keukenhof staff visited the Botanical Garden to assist with the design of The Glory of Dutch Bulbs exhibition. Beginning on May Day, the Garden’s month-long exhibition will similarly showcase large swaths of vibrantly-colored flowering bulbs and companion plants, as nearly 50,000 bulbs will be forced by the Botanical Garden’s Horticulture staff in the behind-the-scenes greenhouses to flower simultaneously for breathtaking public display in the Conservatory. The bulbs were generously donated by the International Flower Bulb Center.

Although many types of flowering bulbs will be featured during the flower show, focus will be placed on lilies and of course, tulips, The Netherlands national flower. Visitors will marvel at waves of colorful tulips (Tulipa), lilies (Lilium), daffodils (Narcissus), hyacinths (Muscari), squill (Scilla), snowflakes (Leucojum), and ornamental onions (Allium). Flowers including Tulipa ‘Hamilton’, Lilium ‘Golden
Stargazer’, Allium ‘Globemaster’, and Narcissus ‘Sorbet’ will be featured among companion plantings of iris, foxglove, delphinium, and flowering shrubs displayed around three sparkling water elements in the Conservatory. An intriguing display of antique tulip cultivars, donated by Holland’s famed treasury of historic bulbs Hortus Bulborum is also planned for the exhibition.

A Reason to Celebrate

In April 1609 the Dutch East India Company sent Henry Hudson and a crew of 20 on a voyage to find a shorter and less expensive route to the “islands of spicery.” The Halve Maen (Half Moon) set sail from Amsterdam in search of the Orient, but instead, in September of that same year, the crew dropped anchor in New York Harbor. Subsequently, the Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam developed on Manhattan and eventually became New York City. Four-hundred years later we celebrate Henry Hudson, the man who brought about trade with New York and the ties between our countries—The Netherlands and the United States, Amsterdam and New York—including the importation of flower bulbs.

Tulipomania: The First Economic Bubble

By the 17 th century, horticultural experimenting had created many new breeds of tulips. Available only to the rich, these exotic and expensive mutations were coveted for their beauty, rarity, and status. When the middle class realized how much money the upper class spent on tulip bulbs, they began to grow and sell them for high prices. Thus, “Tulipomania” was born. Traders could earn as much as 30.000 florins per month (approximately $43,000 today) selling tulips. People became so desperate to cash in on the bulb-trading frenzy that they sold their businesses and family jewels for a single bulb. In 1637, the bulb market crashed and in less than two months, some of The Netherlands’ leading economic powerbrokers were ruined.

The rare Dutch tulip bulbs Tulipa ‘Duc van Tol’, which dating from 1595 even preceded “Tulipomania,” are the oldest tulip cultivars in the Hortus Bulborum collections. They are also among the donated specimens that will be on view at the Botanical Garden during The Glory of Dutch Bulbs: A Legacy of 400 Years.

Seasonal Walk Also Goes Dutch

Internationally renowned Dutch garden designers Piet Oudolf and Jacqueline van der Kloet have collaborated to create a custom, four-season installation on the Botanical Garden’s Seasonal Walk that will be a perfect outdoor complement to The Glory of Dutch Bulbs exhibition this spring and all the Henry Hudson 400 celebrations throughout 2009.

Seasonal Walk is one of 50 gardens and plant collections on the Botanical Garden’s National Historic Landmark grounds. Adjacent to the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, the nation’s preeminent Victorian-style glasshouse and site of The Glory of Dutch Bulbs, this garden path has two deep borders of 184 feet and 86 feet in length, featuring elaborate plantings that are traditionally changed with the seasons. It is a favorite, picture-perfect location for thousands of Botanical Garden visitors each year and an ideal canvas for
Mr. Oudolf and Ms. van der Kloet to create a garden that has been planted once, but will evolve throughout the coming year.

Mr. Oudolf is famed for his artful uses of perennials and his “new wave planting style” in which combinations of native plants, perennials, grasses, bulbs, and other plant material are brought together to create harmonious landscapes that unfold over the seasons as do natural landscapes. While Ms. van der Kloet’s sophisticated designs for spring, summer, and early fall that mix perennials, flower bulbs, blooming shrubs and trees have won her international acclaim. The two design stars have teamed up to design Seasonal Walk to feature many spring and summer-blooming bulbs, anchored by flowering perennials and ornamental grasses, a number of which are Piet Oudolf introductions.

Rich Complementary Programming Yields Multi-Faceted Exhibition Experience

A wealth of public programming is on tap to make a visit to The Glory of Dutch Bulbs: A Legacy of 400 Years an amazing flower experience, a living history lesson, and an immersion in Dutch culture. Expert-led tours of the exhibition will provide in-depth looks of the variety of bulbs displayed and the Dutch influence on horticulture and landscape design. Guided tours of the Garden’s 50-acre uncut, old-growth native Forest will provide glimpses of what New Amsterdam (New York) looked like when Henry Hudson first landed in 1609.

Children can get in on the fun with the Bulbs Unearthed educational programs. Flower bulb dissecting, potting, and crafts will be in store in the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden. Planting the season’s edible bulbs, such as onions, shallots, and scallions, and coloring fabric with red and yellow onion skin dies will highlight the season’s activities in the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden.

Visitors will go back in time to discover the impact of Dutch Culture in New York during two weekends, May 9 and 10, and June 6 and 7. Lecture, presentation, and workshop topics and titles will include: the history of the Bronx from its Dutch settlement to the creation of the Bronx parks system; the impact on Dutch recipes and customs in the New World; The Original Bronx Natives (the Lenape); A Day in the Life of Dutch Settlers, Dutch Ethnobotany and Medicinal Plants in 17th Century New Amsterdam; The Mannahatta Project: Reconstructing the Ecology of New York; and Mutual Strangers: Henry Hudson and the River that Discovered Him. Visit www.nybg.org for more programming information.

During The Glory of Dutch Bulbs, the Botanical Garden’s Continuing Education program will offer several flowering bulb-related classes, from how to illustrate them to how to beautify your garden with summer bulb varieties. Visit www.nybg.org/edu for more information or to register.

So Much Spring is sponsored by MetLife Foundation.

The Glory of Dutch Bulbs Major Sponsor, Mr. and Mrs. Marvin H. Davidson.

Additional support has been provided by Homeland Foundation.

The Glory of Dutch Bulbs is co-curated with Henry Hudson 400 ?with bulbs and planting design provided by Anthos and the International Flower Bulb Center.

Exhibitions in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory are made possible by the Estate of Enid A. Haupt.

The New York Botanical Garden is a museum of plants located at Bronx River Parkway (Exit 7W) and Fordham Road. It is easy to reach by Metro-North Railroad or subway. The Botanical Garden is open year-round, Tuesday through Sunday and Monday federal holidays.  The best way to enjoy the Garden is with the All-Garden Pass, which includes admission to the grounds as well as to seasonal gardens, exhibitions, and attractions such as the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, Everett Children’s Adventure Garden, Rock and Native Plant Gardens, and Tram Tour: $20 for adults, $18 for seniors and students with ID, $8 for children ages 2–12, children under 2 are free. A Grounds-Only Pass is available: $6 for adults, $5 for adult Bronx Residents; $3 for seniors, $2 for students with ID, $1 for children ages 2–12, children under 2 are free. Grounds-only admission is free all day on Wednesdays and from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays. For more information, please call 718.817.8700 or visit www.nybg.org

The New York Botanical Garden is located on property owned in full by the City of New York, and its operation is made possible in part by public funds provided through the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. A portion of the Garden’s general operating funds is provided by The New York City Council and The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. The Bronx Borough President and Bronx elected representatives in the City Council and State Legislature provide leadership funding.
Henry Hudson 400 New York is a foundation created to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson’s legendary voyage for the Dutch to the Hudson River and New York. The unique character of New York City, originally New Amsterdam, has been shaped by the legacy of the multiethnic and tolerant culture of 17th century Amsterdam. Henry Hudson 400 is producing a series of special events in 2009 to celebrate the spirit of freedom, enterprise and diversity shared by Amsterdam and New York. www.henryhudson400.com.