For The First Time In 71 Years, The Most Beautiful Flower Garden In The World Has No Visitors. The Photos Are Incredibly Stunning : The Hearty Soul

If you’re an avid lover of flowers, you’ve probably heard of the magical Keukenhof Gardens in Lisse, Netherlands, often referred to as the Garden of Europe. This 32-hectare garden has often been called the most beautiful spring garden in the world, where 7 million bulbs of different species are planted every year. The garden is widely known for its abundance of lovely tulips, but other flowers such as hyacinths, daffodils, lilies, roses, carnations and irises are planted in aesthetically pleasing patterns that often have the most exhilarating effect on the human mind.

Since its establishment in 1950, 70 years ago, Keukenhof has been open to tourists for 8 weeks a year during spring, starting from Mid-March to mid-May. The passionate and caring gardeners begin planting over 7 million bulbs gotten in October each year, which ends in the first week of December. The flowers would be in full bloom by March, gracing the grounds with their stunningly brilliant colors and enlivening fragrances. On average, Keukenhof receives about 26,000 visitors a day.

Sadly, this year, Keukenhof cannot open due to the current state of the world [1]. The coronavirus pandemic has prompted serious travel and tourism restrictions all over the world. Many countries, including the Netherlands, have placed bans on crowd gatherings to contain the spread of the virus. As with many other locations that potentially attract large crowds of people, Keukenhof is indefinitely closed for 2020.

However, the state of the world didn’t stop the flowers from blooming, and they came with all the color, beauty and intense magic they’ve always brought.

Incredible photos taken in the absence of visitors

As always, the garden is being tended by some of the most passionate gardeners across the country. Dutch photographer Albert Dros visited the garden recently and took dozens of enchanting photos of the flowers. The gardeners are extremely meticulous with the mind-blowing patterns, some of which are flowers planted together to form larger shapes of flowers such as the fan-favorite tulips and tea roses.

Writing on Bored Panda, Albert explained how enjoyable the entire experience had been for him [2]: “When I visited the park it looked at its best. Interestingly enough, we have experienced the sunniest April EVER in the Netherlands, making all the flowers pop very fast. Photographing in broad daylight with the strong sun was a challenge. But forget about the photography for a moment: walking around there all alone, with only the sounds of birds and the incredible smell of all these flowers, is an experience by itself. I sometimes just sat next to the flowers and the water, enjoying nature for 30 minutes long. It was just a magical experience. Having no people in the park allowed me to photograph paths and angles in a certain way that you normally don’t get to see because of the crowds.”

For the first time in a long time during bloom season, you could clearly see the zigzagging tarred roads surrounding the fields, often filled with a cluster of tourists whenever the garden opens.

For me, the most enchanting thing about the garden is the water. The tranquil lake would often reflect the flowers and trees, producing an incredibly relaxing effect of peace and calm. The flower garden is a stronghold of visual therapy, a place where you can just open up your heart to take in an endless stream of positive vibes. These blossoms would do that to you.

Read: Japanese Man Spends 2 Years Planting Thousands of Flowers to Bring His Blind Wife Joy

Albert hopes his photos would bring peace and joy to anyone who views them in these difficult times, and it’s only sad that they won’t get to experience the wonderful fragrances as well.

Image Credits: Albert Dros via Bored Panda