Flowers and the Netherlands: What Makes Dutch Flowers Special
The Netherlands is the centre of the world flower trade: Dutch growers are best known for tulips, but they also breed and grow roses, chrysanthemums, gerberas, lilies and hundreds of other cut flowers, and the auction at Aalsmeer is one of the largest flower markets on the planet. Spring is the season to see the bulb fields in bloom, roughly from late March to mid-May, with Keukenhof gardens as the best-known place to visit. For flower lovers, the country is less a destination than a reference point: many of the varieties you buy anywhere were first bred there.
In our Saint Petersburg shops, customers who live in the Netherlands or have just come back from Amsterdam ask us two kinds of questions. Some want to know which flowers are typically Dutch and how to keep tulips fresh; others want to send flowers from the Netherlands to family in Russia and are unsure how etiquette differs. This article answers both, starting with the flowers themselves.
Why the Netherlands became the flower capital
Tulips arrived in the Low Countries from the Ottoman Empire in the late sixteenth century, and by the 1630s rare striped bulbs were traded at prices that became the textbook example of a speculative bubble, the so-called tulip mania. The bubble burst, but the expertise in growing and breeding bulbs stayed. Sandy coastal soil, a mild maritime climate and plenty of water made the strip between Leiden and Haarlem ideal for bulbs, and that area is still called the Bollenstreek, the bulb region.
In the twentieth century Dutch growers moved heavily into greenhouse production, which freed them from the seasons. Roses, chrysanthemums and gerberas are grown under glass all year, and breeders release new colours and forms every season. A large share of the named varieties sold in Europe and Russia carry Dutch-bred genetics, even when the flowers themselves are grown elsewhere.
The auction system tied it all together. At the big halls of Aalsmeer, trolleys of flowers pass in front of buyers while a clock counts the price down, and the first buyer to press the button gets the lot. The Dutch auction, where the price falls rather than rises, takes its name from exactly this practice.
When to see flowers in bloom in the Netherlands
The open-field season runs from early spring. Crocuses and early daffodils come first in March, hyacinths and daffodils peak in early to mid-April, and tulips fill the fields from mid-April into early May. The exact dates move by a week or two each year depending on the weather, so growers and tourist offices publish bloom updates each spring. If you plan a trip just for the fields, aim for the second half of April.
Keukenhof, near Lisse, opens for about eight weeks each spring and plants millions of bulbs in themed beds. It is crowded at weekends and around the Easter holidays, so a weekday morning is the calmest time. The surrounding fields are working farms rather than parks, and growers ask visitors to stay on paths and roads.
Outside spring, the Netherlands still has flowers everywhere: the floating flower market on the Singel in Amsterdam sells bulbs and cut flowers all year, and summer brings dahlias and gladioli. Bulbs bought there for planting at home need to be checked against the import rules of your country before you pack them.
Bouquets we can deliver
Typical Dutch flowers and how to keep them fresh
Tulips are the flower customers ask about most, and they behave differently from roses. Tulip stems keep growing in the vase, often by several centimetres, and bend towards the light, so a tall straight-sided vase and a spot away from a sunny window keep the bouquet tidy. Use cold water, only a few centimetres deep, and refresh it every day or two. Cut the stems straight with a sharp knife and keep tulips away from freshly cut daffodils, whose sap shortens the life of other flowers unless the daffodils stand alone for a day first.
Hyacinths, often sold with the bulb still attached, last longest in a cool room and look striking in a glass jar. Ranunculus, another favourite of Dutch growers, likes shallow water and a fresh cut every few days. Chrysanthemums are the long-distance runners of the vase and can last two to three weeks if the lower leaves are removed and the water stays clean.
For any bouquet, the same three rules give most of the result: a clean vase, a fresh diagonal cut before the first drink, and no leaves under the waterline. Warm rooms, radiators and fruit bowls all shorten vase life, so a cool hallway at night works better than a heated living room.
Dutch and Russian flower etiquette: the differences
In the Netherlands flowers are an everyday purchase. People buy a bunch of tulips for the kitchen table with the weekly shopping, and a hostess gift is often a simple bunch rather than a designed bouquet. Nobody counts the stems, and an even number causes no comment at all.
In Russia the count matters. For birthdays, visits and celebrations a bouquet has an odd number of stems: three, five, seven, nine. Even numbers are associated with funerals and remembrance, and older relatives in particular will notice. The rule applies to small bouquets; in large arrangements of many varieties nobody counts.
Russians also treat flowers as a gesture in their own right: on 8 March, the first day of school on 1 September, and at the theatre or a concert, a bouquet is expected rather than optional. If you live in the Netherlands and send flowers to Russia, it is worth choosing a designed bouquet rather than a plain bunch, and keeping the stem count odd.
Sending flowers from the Netherlands to Saint Petersburg
Pyat Tsvetov has worked in Saint Petersburg since 2011 and has three of its own flower shops in the city, on Ilyushina Street, on the Obvodny Canal Embankment and on Srednerogatskaya Street. We deliver ourselves across the city, and in Saint Petersburg delivery runs around the clock, which is convenient when you order in the evening from Europe. We also deliver flowers across Russia; city delivery costs 500 RUB, and for remote districts and suburbs the operator confirms the price when confirming the order.
Choose a bouquet in our bouquets catalogue and pick the timing. In large cities express delivery arrives one to two hours after the order is confirmed; you can also set an exact time within plus or minus thirty minutes, choose a window of 09-12, 12-15, 15-18 or 18-21, or order from one to thirty days ahead. Remember that Saint Petersburg is two hours ahead of Amsterdam in winter and one hour ahead in summer.
Payment is online on the site by bank card, SBP or Yandex Pay, and foreign bank cards are accepted, with payment processed through Robokassa, so a Dutch card works. Details are on the delivery and payment page, and for any question you can call us on 8 (812) 507-67-05.
Practical details customers often forget
Delivery is anonymous by default: the courier does not name the sender. If you want the recipient to know the flowers come from you in the Netherlands, write it on the card, which is free and can carry your text in Russian, English or Dutch.
Give the recipient's phone number with the country code. The courier calls about fifteen minutes before arrival, and if nobody is home we agree a second delivery the same day or, with your consent, hand the bouquet to a neighbour or concierge. In Saint Petersburg, add the entrance number, floor and door entry code to the address, because most apartment blocks are locked at street level.
If you want something that echoes the Netherlands, tulips are the natural choice in spring, and roses or chrysanthemums work all year. Whatever you choose, keep the stem count odd for a celebration, as Russian custom expects.
Frequently asked questions
What flowers is the Netherlands famous for?
Tulips above all, along with hyacinths, daffodils and other spring bulbs. Dutch greenhouses also grow roses, chrysanthemums, gerberas and lilies all year.
When is the best time to see the Dutch tulip fields?
The second half of April is usually the peak, though dates shift with the weather each year. Keukenhof gardens are open for about eight weeks in spring.
Can I pay with a Dutch bank card?
Yes. Foreign bank cards are accepted on our site, with payment processed through Robokassa.
Can you deliver flowers at night in Saint Petersburg?
Yes, in Saint Petersburg delivery runs around the clock. In other large cities you can choose express delivery, an exact time or a time window.
Do I need an odd number of flowers for Russia?
For a happy occasion, yes: three, five, seven or nine stems. Even numbers are kept for funerals and remembrance.
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