Holland
America Line is partnering with the world-famous Keukenhof Spring
gardens in the Netherlands to develop an exclusive tulip
for Holland America Line in celebration of their 140th anniversary
in 2013. Master grower Jan Pennings, exhibitor at Keukenhof
Gardens, chose a white-petaled variety to honor the company that was
originally founded in Rotterdam on April 18, 1873, as a
trans-Atlantic cargo and passenger company.
To
launch the planting of the new tulip, which will be harvested next
spring, Jan Pennings will hand over the first bulbs to Holland
America Line Captain Edward van Zaane; Nico Bleichrodt, Senior
Director of Sales, North and Central Europe; and MartinSchröder,
loyal Mariner and member of the Holland America Dutch advisory board.
The event took place on Nov. 16, 2012 by a windmill that was
donated to Keukenhof Gardens by Holland America Line in 1957. The
tulips are scheduled to
bloom in spring, 2013. An official christening and naming
of the new tulip will be held in April, 2013 at Keukenhof.
Known
as the Garden of Europe, Keukenhof is the world’s largest flower
gardens, situated near Amsterdam, in the Netherlands.
Approximately seven million flower
bulbs of
1,600 varieties are plantedannually at
the park. The Keukenhof is only open for two months per year, from
March 21 through May 20, and attracts more than 800,000 visitors from
around the world. For more information
visit:http://www.keukenhof.nl.
Source:
HAL
