Holland’s colourful Keukenhof Gardens

The Keukenhof Gardens in its early glory. Photo: Keukenhof Gardens

For nature lovers like me, winter seems a bleak season, as autumn’s blaze of red and gold disappears to make way for the cold slumber ahead. But for the gardeners at the Keukenhof Gardens in Holland, this is the busy start of their gardening calendar, as they prepare this spectacular garden for its opening on March 23.

From early October, 35 gardeners have been on their knees, planting seven million bulbs that will explode into colour throughout Keukenhof’s eight-week opening. The process takes two months, and 9,500 man-hours.