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Tulips and Sweden - a match made in heaven. The Swedes are just crazy about tulips. For them they are the heralds with festive bright colours which announce the arrival of spring after a long and dark winter. There are tulip festivals and celebrations in various parts of the country. Leijenhorst met Ulf Hansson during the 175^th anniversary celebration of the Wakefield and North of England Tulip Society in May. Hansson is a graphic designer and the driving force of the small Tulip festival in and around the coastal town of Halmstad (province Halland) in West Sweden.

In this area live and work a small group of tulip 'aficionados' with a particular interest in the Breeder tulips (the one-color tulips) and 'broken tulips', better known as Rembrandt tulips in the Netherlands. Some of these devotees are totally mad about these spring flowers. Each year they organize a self-proclaimed tulip festival. With Leijenhorst’s upcoming visit in mind the Tulip festival in Halmstad 2010 was planned for June 1. Due to the late spring there were still many flowers in an exceptional state of bloom.  In the afternoon a walking and car tour along the various gardens in and around the town where the collections of special and historical tulips are housed took place. Among them was Hansson’s own allotment garden. In the evening there was an informal reception and barbecue with many gastronomical treats. His raspberry pink flamed Zomerschoon, one of the last surviving tulip cultivars of the 17th century, looked absolutely stunning. The initial contacts made during the Wakefield meeting will be continued.

(June 6, 2010)

A website, a folder, a house style or a clip on Youtube- the number of pr means today seems endless. Why not then personalized stamps or a series of stamps with themes of the season or highlights of one’s own business ventures? Het Schrijflokaal issues its first personalized stamps by mid -June. The theme? Botanical art from the 18^th century.

Possibilities researched

Despite the limitations of the TNT Post system, the possibility to design one’s own stamps are actually easily available and the financial threshold is quite low.   From 110 pieces upwards, you pay about the same price as at the post office which is providing ever-decreasing service. Obviously an opportunity to check into further.   If more than a thousand stamps are printed the price per stamp is the same as what you would pay for an ordinary stamp. And for business relations it is a terrific gesture, an unusual method to get noticed or remain in the spotlight because the custom stamps would provide greater attention value.

June

From July 1onwards the mail from Leijenhorst Public Relations and Het Schrijflokaal will carry custom postage stamps.  It is especially appropriate that the stamp’s design will come from one of the most beautiful Dutch florilegia (flower books) from the 18^th century:  a representation of a tazetta narcissus, a flower already very popular in that time period. And how appropriate that because of the  season’s continuing cold this elegant spring herald is blooming much longer now than it normally would.

Other business relations

In the course of time other series of themes for stamps will be researched. The possibility exists to provide custom stamp designs or a series of these, particularly for special occasions. What comes to mind are designs for organizations and business relations which owner Leslie Leijenhorst is associated with as volunteer, such as the Hortus Bulborum, or since recently a connection with the Wakefield and North of England Tulip Society.

(May 25, 2010) 

In the weekend of Saturday, May 7 and Sunday, May 8 the celebration weekend on the occasion of the 175th anniversary of the Wakefield and North of England Tulip Society (www.tulipsociety.co.uk) in the small town of the same name in North Yorkshire, United Kingdom. High points were the annual members’ spring show and the festive dinner. The event took place in Primrose Hall, the community hall in Horbury, a village in the neighbourhood of Wakefield.  Jan Pennings, Vice-President of Keukenhof, was unable to attend and most definitely recommended a visit to the celebration. And indeed it was a very noteworthy occasion. Not only was it an opportunity to learn about the activities of this unusual society but also the chance to lay the groundwork for new contacts.

Various classes

Despite the long and cold winter the quality of the entries was good. There were at least 46 participants and the number of prizes was substantial. Some of those who had entries received at least six prizes, among which were a handsome crystal vase and several impressive, highly desirable trophies and platters. The entries were divided among more than 30 various classes. Members from all corners of the kingdom and also far beyond the borders had come over to attend.  When Leijenhorst learned of the efforts of the small society to gather its own library he immediately decided to donate his own book on the history of the Hortus Bulborum. And this was recorded by the camera as insisted upon by the secretary of the group.

Anna Pavord

The jubilee dinner was attended by Anna Pavord, one of the vice-presidents of the society, and Alan Shipp, holder of the National Hyacinth collection in the UK.  The President of the Society, the Duke of Devonshire, was unable to attend due to a previous engagement in New York City. On Sunday, Keith Eyre, Esq., one of the show’s patrons, gave a guided tour along the entries to demonstrate how to improve the quality of potential show flowers and the importance of the preparation of the flowers, the so-called “staging process”. Last year the exhibit was on view at Keukenhof for three days although few people knew about the show due to little publicity. It was learned that the show will again be at Keukenhof in Lisse in 2011 towards the end of its open season. This time the media and the general public will be adequately informed ahead of time.

Currently two of the Society’s publications are available exclusively at Het Schrijflokaal, as follows:

1. English Florists’ Tulips - Into the 21st century.

This booklet recounts more than 160 years of the growing of these spectacular flowers by members of the Society (2002).

A compact volume, issued for the celebration of the previous jubilee, which covers the history of this venerable society.

2.Old Flames – English Florists’ Tulips.

A richly illustrated catalogue with beautiful renditions of artists’ impressions of the Breeders, Feathers and Flames (2006). (These are the organization’s names for its categories of tulips to grow and show).

The booklet lists the most important groups and varieties which are still in production. There are short annotations on the featured artists who still are or were under the spell of these tulips likeRory McEwen, Celia Hegedüs, Lady Ann Fraser and Derek Harris and others.

Note cards

It is possible that at some future point  there will be postcards and note cards from well-known and lesser-known primarily English photographers who will depict the so-called 'broken' tulips supplied by the Wakefield and North of England Tulip Society.  Elsewhere these tulips are better known as Rembrandt tulips, with the beautiful patterns of feathered and flamed colours on the petals.

(May 17, 2010)

As a result of his activities for several bulb suppliers, both in the Netherlands and elsewhere in Europe, with the collections of unusual bulb and tuber varieties they offer, in particular the historical spring bulbs, Leslie Leijenhorst has gathered his own assortment of books on botanical art and history, spring bulbs, literary horticultural works, luxe glass forcing vases from Royal Holmegaard, Denmark, exclusive Swedish linen goods from Ekelund, and stylish gifts from various museum shops. In time several such items will become available possibly on a custom-made basis.

Personalized specialty gifts

Some of the most appealing items in the assortment are the table and household linens from Ekelund, the oldest weavers in Sweden, established in 1692. The company makes a wide array of textiles in a variety of weaving techniques and styles. The company also will produce custom designs in standard sizes in quantities of 48 and up without a major additional charge. When approx. 100 of a custom linen item are ordered the per item cost will be little more than one produced in an established design run. What could be nicer than to give a custom-designed gift as a present or to sell such an item? Especially since all products are provided with elegant gift boxes at no charge and information booklets in German or English.

Exclusive representation

Ekelund has no commercial distributor or representative in the Netherlands at this point. Leslie Leijenhorst is considering to expand his activities in some small measure on behalf of the company. Recently he received a commission to develop a special commemorative towel for the nursery De Boschhoeve (www.boschhoeve.nl) in the village of Wolfheze in the province of Gelderland. Having celebrated its 20^th anniversary in 2009, this enterprising nursery each year organizes a number of sale days with specific themes, such as a Spring Market, a Dahlia festival, the Clematis Market and the Harvest Fair.

Ten years of snowdrop festivals

The spring 2011 (actually late winter) snowdrop festival will be the tenth such event. Because it is well-known now even beyond the Dutch borders, the celebration next year will be  bigger than in previous years. In addition to the display of numerous snowdrop species and cultivars in the woods surrounding the nursery, there will be a sale featuring a number of German and British flower and bulb vendors in the nursery’s heated barn. Also present will be many other vendors to offer their wares with particular appeal to the growing number of galanthophiles (snow drop lovers).  Not only will Het Schrijflokaal develop the special jubileum towel but Het Schrijflokaal staff also will be  present at a stand with special and exclusive gift articles, the same items that  are available also at the annual spring and harvest fairs. Naturally an attempt will be made to expand the availability of wares with snowdrops as their central motif. 

Orders

Should you have an interest in selling Ekelund products, or if you are looking to purchase the household and table linens please be in touch with Het Schrijflokaal.  To review the complete Ekelund assortment please visit www.linnenvaveries.se.  Small orders are welcome. Combination orders make the on-order period quite brief. 

(May 11, 2010)

At the end of 2008 a charming booklet was published with the intriguing title of Make it cosy. It was the end result of a project from the Werkgroup Wegwerken Achterstanden Archieven (Workgroup to Reduce Archival Backlog) from the Dutch Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations.  In the ministry’s voluminous archives had been many publications dating from the Hunger Winter 1944/45 and publications with food tips from the Bureau voor den Voeding, now the Netherlands Nutrition Centre.

Tulip bulbs

During the final year of the war this bureau issued a number of brochures with recipes for flower bulbs and tubers, since dahlias also were being consumed.  Not just recipes from the Hunger winter but also found were recipes from the lean years of the subsequent Reconstruction period. The initiators of this booklet thought: wouldn't it be an interesting idea to include some contemporary recipes made by a famous Dutch chef. But how to get the bulbs of this varieties. Darwins were proved to be most eadible ones (with a neutral taste) , but most of those cultivars were no longer n commercial. A serach brought them to the Hortus Bulborum in Limmen, where the curator still had a few bags available (in was planting after all, late Fall).  Consequently the famous topc chef Pierre Wind from the residence - The Hague, city of the ministeries and embassies - was invited to be inspired by the tulip bulb and received these bags from the Hortus Bulborum Chef Wind created a tulip bulb mousse with smoked salmon and tulip bulb chips.

One time only

Leslie Leijenhorst of the Hortus Bulborum thought it a shame that such a charming booklet that was of great general interest and appeal was not available for the interested public at large. The booklet that everyone wants but is not available anywhere was the headline in one of the newspapers which received the press release he sent out to promote the booklet. In consultation with the board of the Hortus Bulborum and the publisher of the original printing firm, Impressed in Pijnacker, it was decided that the booklet would be reprinted in its entirety, in a one-time printing of 1000 pieces and on the exact same quality paper. The copyright owners of the pictures and other illustration materials quickly agreed.

Winter’s farewell

The booklet is both a suitable farewell to the current winter which has presented itself in classic, uncomfortably cold winter form and an appropriate introduction to the new spring season. It will be available for sale or to order at a few select sales points, i.e. at the Hortus Bulborum in Limmen during the season of the garden museum, at garden centre Peter C. Nijssen in Heemstede and at the webshop of Het Schrijflokaal. Possibly it may also be available from Museum The Black Tulip in Lisse.  The price will be between 9.95 and 12,95 EURO plus postage.

(February 11, 2010) 

Repeat Recognition

By now a tradition, Het Schrijflokaal again will participate  this year in some of the market days of nursery and garden centre De Boschhoeve, tucked away in the woods of Wolfheze. In addition to the well-known promotion materials of foundation Hortus Bulborum Foundation, the market stand will contain hard-to-find books about bulbs and botanical art, Danish bulb vases, household and table linens from the oldest weaver of Sweden (the prestigious Ekelund, est. 1692), offered here exclusively for The Netherlands, various other attractive gift items, and historical spring bulbs forced in pots from the garden of the Hortus Bulborum, the treasury of historical bulbs in Limmen.

Again Het Schrijflokaal (The Writing Room) will contribute several items to the popular Historical Tear-off Calendar published annually by Veen Publishers in Rotterdam. Each year’s 365 contributions of cultural and historical anecdotes and tourist tips are fascinating and readworthy pieces which for many will make a visit to the smallest room of the house more educational.  Among the articles for the 2011 calendar which Het Schrijflokaal will contribute is a brief feature on the life of Pieter Boschman, founder of the Hortus Bulborum – the treasury of historical spring bulbs, unique in the world  - in the village of  Limmen (province of North-Holland). 

Rina Kraaijestein, long-time collaborator of Het Schrijflokaal, former docent and stenographer, will write a contribution on the ancient art of oration, a beloved and time-honored art.  The problem in ancient times for the listener was how to write everything down quickly, and so stenography came about.  

Previous contributions from Het Schrijflokaal were on early glass bulb vases (so-called antipode glasses), the move of the Hildebrand monument (representing a dozen characters from a famous 19^th century humoristic novel) from Haarlem to the museum gardens of the Hannema-De Stuers Foundation in Heino (in the eastern province of Overijssel) and the magical allure of the Black Tulip. 

(January 3, 2010)

What began as a simple and spontaneous gesture is growing into a special relationship. Curious about the visually stunning round building on the Corniche in Alexandria, the Egyptian harbor city. Leslie Leijenhorst paid a visit to this temple of culture four years ago for the first time. With inscriptions in many languages on its walls, the building contains a library, an auditorium and a museum.

Now Het Schrijflokaal donates on an annual basis two copies of books primarily on bulbs, botanical art and Dutch garden history. And this came about simply because he had picked up a folder which explained how the library could be supported in a variety of ways. By chance he had two copies of the book he authored on the history of the Hortus Bulborum in the car. 

BIBA, as the library is commonly called, is the successor to the legendary royal library of Egyptian antiquity which was sited just a little distance beyond and contained almost a million titles (back then papyrus scrolls) in the collection.

On his trip in December 2009 Leijenhorst’s gift consisted of a facsimile edition of the famous plant book by Basilius Bessler, The Book of Plants - The Garden at Eichstatt, two copies of which (weighing in at more than six kilos) were handed over in person.  Leijenhorst visited the library during a two week tour of the land of the pharaos. It was his fourth consecutive annual visit.  This time his travel program included Islamic Cairo, the northern coast with Marsa Matrouh, El Alamein and Alexandria as well as Siwa, the large and most remote oasis of Egypt, close to the Libyan border.

(December 1, 2010)

Leslie Leijenhorst completed a lecture tour of US Mid-Atlantic states in October 2009. From October 3-13 he visited a number of the area’s important historical and botanical gardens and met with curators and garden managers. He also gave lectures to several garden clubs and botanical facilities. After arrival in the Chesapeake Bay area for a brief respite, he visited Monticello, outside Charlottesville, Virginia, the gardens and home of Thomas Jefferson, third President of the US.

On October 6 he lectured at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Richmond, Virginia and on the following day met with conservators of the gardens at Colonial Williamsburg, the impressively restored grounds and gardens of the first colonial capital of the original thirteen states. On October 8 he visited the bulb gardens and sales barns of Brent Heath, one of the most important bulb sellers in the US located in Gloucester, Virginia. Leijenhorst concluded his trip with several speaking engagements at local garden clubs and horticultural groups in the Baltimore-Annapolis area.

The highlight of the trip was his keynote lecture at a festive evening during the Bulb Bazaar weekend held on October 9 and 10 at Cylburn Arboretum in Baltimore. This event was organized as a celebration of bulbs in honor of Jane Baldwin, long-time volunteer at Cylburn. Leijenhorst was invited by Baldwin who provides occasional assistance to Leijenhorst in his work for the Hortus Bulborum in the Netherlands. His talk focused on the various types of historical bulbs and their use in contemporary estate and palace gardens. Also lecturing was Brent Heath who presented on the use of unusual spring and summer bulbs in home gardens. Bulb sales during the weekend were brisk and supplies ran out quickly.

With gloriously warm and dry weather and smooth organizational arrangements the trip was an educational and enjoyable trip for Leijenhorst. His audiences learned much about the Hortus Bulborum, the significance of older bulb cultivars and the renewed interest in and importance of historical bulbs in today’s gardens.

(October 31, 2009)

SWOL (Cultural Circle Limmen)-Museum Kranenburg in Bergen, North Holland

As part of the casual meeting series, Leslie Leijenhorst, author of the official history of the garden, will present an informal history of the Hortus Bulborum, the treasury of historical bulbs in Limmen, and then give a tour of the facility together with the extremely knowledgeable bulb grower and volunteer of the foundation Kees Kroone.

April 22, 2010. Location farmstead Vredenburg, Limmen

Staudengaertnerei Dieter Gaissmayer in Illertissen, near Ulm (Germany)

Lectures during the open- and fundraising days of Southern Germany.  Both for the public at large as well as professionals in the green sector. Each year the Illertisser Garden days have another theme. This year the focus is on history. Leslie Leijenhorst will talk on the Hortus Bulborum, the status of historical plant material of today and the use of this plant material in large, contemporary gardens.

Lecture in German. September 11-13, 2010.

Upstate New York

In preparation: lecture tour for several garden clubs, botanical gardens and other green organizations in the upstate New York area. 

Planned for spring 2011.

This year again Leslie Leijenhorst and his team will have a booth at the Harvest Fair held on September 19 at De Boschhoeve in Wolfheze. As in previous years the emphasis of the goods offered for sale will be the historical bulbs of the Hortus Bulborum, and  bulbs from other specialty growers. The assortment of historical bulbs and related items for sale will be considerably enlarged and will include selections from the web shop of Het Schrijflokaal. Special note cards, literature with a central theme of botanical history, art and  some fiction as well as Danish hyacinth glasses, Swedish textiles from the oldest weaver workshop in the country (Ekelund, est. 1692), and other lovely gift and luxury items will be available.

(August 23, 2009)

While the Hortus was already mentioned in the March issue of the Swiss journal bioterra with the interesting article Tulpenfieber auf Schloss Wildegg, the September/October issue will contain an article focusing on the Hortus. Leslie Leijenhorst was the primary contact for the production of the articles and the liaison with author and columnist Ute Studer. He also was involved in writing a text block on Rembrandt tulips and made valuable comments on the draft text.

Organic farming

Bioterra, naturwarts is a journal which primarily covers gardening, organic farmingg and nature  topics. But every so often it publishes articles with an interest on biodiversity and the origin of natural things.

Portrait

Situated between Basel and Zürich, the garden of the imposing Wildegg castle each year is transformed into a glorious flower profusion, with an emphasis on tulips among the other favorites. In addition to the coverage of the antique bulbs the March article also features the propagation of  tulips at home so that you might enjoy your valuable collection longer. The  second article concentrates on the Hortus primarily of which Leijenhorst is the volunteer pr-consultant.

(September 12, 2009)

Following earlier donations Leslie Leijenhorst of Het Schrijflokaal has again donated books to the Bibliotheca Alexandrina (BIBA) in the Egyptian harbour city Alexandria. Among the donations this time were several copies of the extremely beautiful The Book of Plants-The Garden of Eichstätt, one of the most attractive flower books of the world re-issued by Taschen Verlag on the occasion of its 25th anniversary. The original was published in 1613.

Leijenhorst’s first donations to the library were his own publications. This came about by chance during his first visit to this unusual library. He had read about the possibility to donate books. “By chance I had with me several copies of my own book Hortus Bulborum, treasury of historical bulbs. I left two copies of this with the library and one thing led to another. “ Other donations of beautiful facsimile books followed quickly.  In the past several years during his visits to Egypt he has donated a number of interesting items.  ”Until now mostly books about botanical art and botanical history.”

Million volumes
BIBA is the successor library of the renowned Royal Library of Alexandria of antiquity, located nearby the Light House of Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders of the World of the ancient world. Since 2003 the current state-of-the-art library is located on almost the exact spot on the boulevard alongside the Mediterranean Sea.  (See also under Cities at the Travel Journal at www.hetschrijflokaal.nl). The goal of the library is to become the cultural and study center of the Middle East. Alexandria also played this role in its heyday.  It is planned that the library will hold six to seven million volumes in its collection eventually. The number of accessioned volumes is close to one million in the meantime. Everyone is encouraged to donate books. The collection ‘s scope is wide-reaching and certainly does not just include Islamic literature.  There are technical   subjects and pulp fiction, botanical works and antique folios about the history of Europe, etc.  In addition to the languages of the region, also many West European languages are represented.

(August 12, 2009)

Having just returned from a lecture tour of the Mid-Atlantic states and Virginia during the first half of October, Leslie Leijenhorst will give a lecture with the topic Under the spell of the tulip on October 15 at 19.30 at the  Uitgeest branch of the public library of IJmond. There will be the opportunity to purchase exclusive bulbs and notable books about botanical history, and literature. The lecture will be announced widely in the various local media.

(August 10, 2009)

 

Leslie Leijenhorst, the PR advisor to the Hortus Bulborum and author of the official history of the garden, has been invited to contribute an article to the 2010-2011 yearbook which is published by the Royal Horticultural Society and will appear in the fall of 2010.  His topic is the development of the narcissus collection of the Hortus Bulborum, the treasury of bulbs in Limmen.

Although Pieter Boschman, the founder of the Hortus in the 1920s, collected both  rapidly disappearing and “lost” tulips and narcissus, the emphasis of collecting in the past was always on tulips.  Evenso the collection of narcissus has grown to just under a thousand cultivars and species and is now one of the largest and best documented accumulations in the Netherlands, next to the collection of the late Karel van der Veek,  narcissus hybridizer and grower  extraordinaire. Over the past year the Hortus collection was thoroughly reviewed and inventoried. It is anticipated that this collection will be expanded again with “missing” varieties to be donated by one of Karel’s sons, Carlos van der Veek from the town of Burgervlotbrug. And so extra attention to this section of the collection of nearly 4000 varieties of spring bulbs in the Hortus Bulborum is very much warranted.

(August 8, 2009)

From 3 until 13 October, 2009 Leslie Leijenhorst will lecture in several of the mid-Atlantic states and Virginia.  His lecture topics will be focused on historical bulbs, the Hortus Bulborum, the use of historical bulbs in contemporary gardens and the important role these bulbs have played in the restoration of gardens both in the Netherlands and elsewhere in Europe.  He will lecture at the Lewis Ginter Botanical garden in Richmond, various local and regional garden clubs in Maryland, and at Baltimore’s Cylburn Arboretum in Baltimore. The Arboretum is hosting a major Bulb Bazaar on October 9 and 10 at the  historic Cylburn mansion which dates from the 1860s. In addition Leijenhorst will meet with a number of garden supervisors and conservators of Colonial Williamsburg gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia and Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States, near Charlottesville, Virginia.

(August 5, 2009)

In addition to his involvement with a section of the Peter C. Nijssen catalogue Leslie Leijenhorst is also engaged with the development of several areas of the new Peter C. Nijssen web shop www.historicalbulbs.eu. The complete assortment of historical tulips has been moved to the web shop. This offers several advantages. The number of available historical bulb varieties usually is not very large, which often means that the stock is sold very quickly.  The web shop can indicate ’in real time’ when a certain cultivar or species has been sold completely. Moreover it is possible even after the text copy for the print catalogue has been closed to offer other bulb lots or additional stock on the web as these become available. And even during the current sales season it is possible to add special web-only offers.

Books and gift items
Leijenhorst’s participation and enhanced coordination with Peter C. Nijssen for this project are an outgrowth of his PR activities for the Hortus Bulborum. This spring a trial run took place at the small bulb museum shop to see if an expanded assortment of books and gifts with the recurring theme of bulbs would be successful. This it turned out to be.  So now there was more reason to also offer these items in the new Nijssen web shop.  Said Leijenhorst: “The advantage of this initiative is that it is also a marketing trial. If it turns out that there is an interest in this type of wares then next season’s offerings at the museum shop again will be expanded. Because there is such an abbreviated season at the Hortus it is not advisable to keep a large inventory. With several sales points it is easier and more possible to do so.”

(July 25, 2009)

 

Again this year Michèl van der Weerd of Macdesign in Kampen and Leslie Leijenhorst of Het Schrijflokaal (The Writing Room) in Arnhem produced the section Hortus Bulborum - Historical bulbs in the attractive and thick catalogue of the well-known bulb and tuber specialist supplier Peter C. Nijssen. It clearly is one of the more, if not the most, informative catalogues produced by a supplier in the Dutch bulb sector. The catalogue is the brainchild of the firm’s originator, Peter C. Nijssen who died in 2005. It started off very modestly several decades ago as a booklet with black and white illustrations and grew steadily to its current size of 240 pages, filled with anecdotes, valuable information and hundred of small colour photo;s of the species and cultivars. Its historical flavour continues the style introduced a few years ago.  The section is smaller this year because of the new website www.historicalbulbs,eu which has just been established and which will become operational in the second half of August 2009.

(July 12, 2009)

On August 18, 2009, Leslie Leijenhorst once again will give a lecture for the employee association of the Ministry of Traffic and Water Management in The Hague. The subject of his lecture will be Valencia, the third largest city in Spain. It has become customary for the employee association to organize a trip somewhere in Europe each year. Prior to the trip a speaker is invited to give a lecture about the destination city to prepare the audience for this trip. As happened last year when Leijenhorst spoke about Lisbon, the lecture will be complemented by a dinner in Spanish style accompanied by wines of the region.  Admission to the informative special lavishly illustrated powerpoint presentation is open only to members of the Association.

(July 8, 2009)

Well-known for its excellent assortment of unusual bulbs, Garden Centre P.C. Nijssen in Heemstede has offered a fascinating Spring event for its clients for several years already. Nijssen is the supplier par excellence in the Netherlands of uncommon bulbs and tubers, particularly for varieties that are rare and historical. On April 26 the special spring event will take place again this year. The programme consists of gathering at the garden centre, a tour through the bulb fields, a visit to specialist bulb grower H.M. Meeuwissen in Voorhout and two lectures by distinguished speakers during the tour.

Uncommon daffodils
Meeuwissen specializes in the growing of uncommon daffodils and botanical tulip varieties. The appealing feature of this trip is that guests will see a very rich assortment of blooming varieties in the field and while strolling through this living catalogue they will have the opportunity to make notes as to which varieties they might want to have for their own gardens or terraces next year. Ordering can be done directly with the grower or from the P.C. Nijssen catalog. With its hundreds of pages this justifiably famous catalog provides extensive background information, useful facts, and interesting anecdotes and is a very valuable reference volume.

Limited basis
While the group is underway to the bulb fields, in a vintage style American school bus, Leslie Leijenhorst will lecture on the background information of the varieties still available on a limited basis from the Hortus Bulborum in Limmen and P.C.Nijssen.  On the way back, garden historian Leo den Dulk of Bureau Cantua also will make a presentation. He is the editor of the journal Onze Eigen Tuin (Our own garden) which was started by Mien Ruijs, considered by many as the unofficial “Queen of Dutch garden designers”.

Shopping
Upon return to the garden centre light snacks will be served and guests will have the opportunity to shop at the well-known garden centre in Heemstede. The tour is sponsored by P.C. Nijssen and seats on the bus may be reserved as long as they are available. See also www.pc-nijssen.nl

(March 31, 2009) 

Once again in 2009 will Leslie Leijenhorst of Het Schrijflokaal in Arnhem have a booth at the two special events organized by nursery De Boschhoeve, located in the woods near Wolfheze.  In addition to promotion materials for the Hortus Bulborum, the unique treasury of historical bulbs in Limmen, the assortment in the booth will include special bulbs in pots from the Hortus, primarily small botanical tulips. Mr. Leijenhorst will share his expertise on the use of heirloom bulbs with visitors to the booth. This is a not-to-be-missed opportunity to learn about and purchase some very unusual bulbs for the home garden.

For the book lovers among us there will be an assortment of specialist volumes about bulbs, flower history and botanical art. These are publications rarely available in the regular book trade.  Among these may be found handsome facsimile editions of original volumes dating from the late 18th and 19^th centuries. Further, a unique selection of hard to find top-quality Danish hyacinth glasses will be available, as well as a sortment of older glasses from various periods and countries.

The Spring market will take place on April 25 and the Harvest Fair will be held on September 19. On both days the sale will take place from 10 to 17 hrs.

(March 26, 2008)

Beginning with the April 2009 issue, Leslie Leijenhorst will provide editorial direction for a feature column which will cover the overlap of art, collecting and investing for Cash Today, the largest financial-economic journal of the Netherlands. Although the current financial crisis has necessarily limited the amount of cash available for investments and collecting of art objects of all types, there are still a number of investors out there who are accumulating because they do not follow the doom and gloom predictions of others.   “Seize the day” is the motto for those who are still comfortably wealthy and whose interests, strategy and natural instincts inform their continued collecting.

The objects and scope of the topics to be covered will be wide and varied.  It might be the shoes of the designer Jan Jansen, with the quintessential Dutch name, not to be confused with the celebrated Dutch cyclist, or exquisite table silver or antique garden furniture and decorative objects.  Or it could be alarm-inducing ethnographical art objects or for those who have the necessary space to house them some legendary automobiles and other vehicles with one or another prestigious name. For some time already Leijenhorst has been associated with the journal where he covered business travel primarily.

The column will be published monthly and will feature four or five topics, each of which will be brought to the readers’ attention in a brief but informative manner. 

(March 14, 2008)

Presentation at venerable Helsinki venue on the Hortus Bulborum

From March 17 till 22, 2009, the Sinebrychoff Art Museum in Helsinki will host for the first time in Finland an exuberant display of historical tulips and narcissi, Tulppaanien lumo-näyttelylle (Spellbound by tulips). On Wednesday, March 18, Leslie Leijenhorst, historian of the Hortus Bulborum and the garden’s whirlwind pr person, will lecture on historical bulbs using for the first time his completely revamped power point presentation. As the ambassadeur extraordinaire for this hortus he gives an ever-increasing number of presentations in his native country as well as in Scandinavia. In fall 2009 he will held lectures at various historic venues in the Ivy League states of the USA, primarily botanical gardens and historic mansions.

While normally a venerable temple of art were artistic representations of flowers are on display in the form of paintings, drawings or sculpture, the museum will exhibit the captivating flowers in full bloom in the museum’s yellow salon which is rarely open to the public, with the display also extending to the museum’s 2nd floor exhibition area. At Tulppaanien lumo-näyttelylle over 50 heirloom tulips and historical narcissi will be shown in simple, old-fashioned pots. Unique documents on the history of the tulip in Finland will be on display also, including pieces that have been exhibited in public only rarely before.

The old tulips were supplied by the Hortus Bulborum, the unique Dutch garden museum collection of historic spring bulbs, the historic daffodils by the only female daffodil grower of unique narcissi varieties and cultivars in The Netherlands, Josephine Dekker.

The exhibition is produced by Villi Niitty, in cooperation with the Sinebrychoff Art Museum, University of Helsinki and the Netherlands Embassy.

Tulppaanien lumo-näyttelylle (Spellbound by tulips), 17-22.3.2009, Sinebrychoff Art Museum, Bulevardi 40, FIN-00120 Helsinki, T +358(0)917336460, I www.sinebrychoffintaidemuseo.fi

Lecture (in English): Hortus Bulborum, treasure trove of historic bulbs - History, art of collecting and contemporary use of heirloom bulbs by Leslie Leijenhorst, Sinebrychoff Art Museum, March 18, 2009, at 4 p.m.

^{(February 20, 2009)}

The Historical Garden is a remarkable spot at Keukenhof. For many it is an especially tranquil spot to escape even temporarily the people crush in the spring flower park, the largest in the world. But the why and wherefore of this walled garden was not entirely clear to most visitors. Leslie Leijenhorst of Het Schrijflokaal was invited to develop a few interpretive communication pieces. He engaged the graphic designstudio Simons & Boom of Arnhem to collaborate since he had developed similar pieces with them for the Hortus Bulborum in Limmen.

From the moment of its installation in 1990 this was a beautiful garden. But no matter how historical it looked, the details of what made it so special were not obvious to everyone. It was not sufficient to show lovely brick walls, sturdy gates, garden furniture with a nostalgic look, crushed shell and granite boulder paths and a number of historical plant varieties. The 400^th anniversary of the death of Clusius, the first garden supervisor of the Leiden Hortus Botanicus, was an opportunity to develop a closer working relationship with the Hortus. This led to the reconstruction of eight beds of spring bulb plants for the Historical garden modeled after the original design of Clusius laid out in its entirety in Leiden. And so the garden is a very intriguing addition to the other small historical collections and show gardens which each illustrate a distinct part of bulb history.

The moment was also right for Keukenhof management to thoroughly revise information graphics in this section of the park. The choice was made for a graphic style with a clearly nostalgic look.  This style would need to clarify to both local and foreign visitors the individual sections of the garden as well as the whole of the history portrayed. A traditional school blackboard style with teak frames and white lettering was chosen as the basic design device. Authentic wood for the frames is featured. The scratching sound of the black board chalk is almost audible.

With the use of this design style the association between an open-air history lesson and the history of Dutch bulbs, particularly the tulip, the country’s most iconic and major export product, was seamlessly achieved. The impression was created that you enter an old-time history class room and while walking come across interesting facts about Dutch bulb history, such topics as the origins of the tulip in the steppes of Central Asia where hundreds of species may still be found on the plains and in the valleys of the mountain ranges, the Golden Age and tulipmania, 20^th century gardening style for tulips and other bulbs, and contributions sent in by contemporary aficionados of botanical heritage bulbs. 

The overall communication package consists of a general review placard, several smaller placards for the partial collections of various bulb types, and a folder of explanation in several languages. Under consideration are other information sources with this nostalgic look to be designed in following years for this part of Keukenhof.

(February 12, 2009) 

Historical Bulb Garden now Eighty Years Old

While five years ago the Hortus Bulborum commemorated its 75^th anniversary with much celebration, this year the garden will celebrate its 80th birthday quietly. To note the milestone, Leslie Leijenhorst, author of the official Hortus Bulborum history, launched another promotional design. With a Hortus Bulborum flag, new garden website and promotional flyer already developed, Leijenhorst designated a book mark as the perfect communication device to observe this anniversary year.

Clusius
Botanical drawings from the 16^th and 17^th century form the basis of the illustrations represented on the book markers.  The woodcuts from Rariorum plantarum historia (1601) authored by Carolus Clusius (1526-1609), the prefect of the Leiden botanical garden, are the recurrent theme. These woodcuts show a strong resemblance to the varieties of flowers shown in the collection of the Hortus  Bulborum even though many of these varieties disappeared  from commercial production already hundreds of years ago. It is not surprising, of course, that the book mark designs are similar in style to the professional communication tools developed previously under Leijenhorst’s supervision for the unique bulb garden.

Simons and Boom
There are four different book mark designs, each unique and handsome.  If the one side of the four designs are put together they reproduce a 17th century tulip drawing by Jacob Marell (1614-1681), stepfather of the famous painter Maria Sybilla Merian.  The concept was proposed  by Leslie Leijenhorst and his company Het Schrijflokaal of Arnhem.  The actual design was produced  by Simons & Boom also of Arnhem, capital of the province of Gelderland. These same graphic designers developed the 2007 promotion folder for the Hortus which this year was reissued with a few minor revisions. The original print run of 10,000 was thought to be sufficient for three years, but the garden ‘s popularity is growing, especially outside the Dutch borders. This meant that a new printing was already needed after one year’s use of the original folder.

For sale
In this jubilee year each visitor to the garden will receive one book mark as souvenir. Those who wish to purchase an additional design or the complete series printed on heavy stock can do so for a small charge: one book mark for  € 0,70 or the complete series (four designs) for € 2,50. In addition, the book markers will be made available to local and regional book stores. And for as long as the supply lasts, they will be distributed by libraries located in the province North-Holland. A good number will also be circulated by various means to destinations outside the Netherlands.

_{(March 28, 2008)}

As in 2007 Leslie Leijenhorst will lecture again  in the fall of 2008 on historical bulbs in general and the  Hortus Bulborum in particular.  With the 80^th anniversary of the Hortus being observed in 2008, Leijenhorst continues as ‘ambassador extraordinary’ of the garden, particularly at the international level.  Presentations are planned for Sweden (Helsingborg) and Finland (Loviisa). In the fall of 2009 it is anticipated that he will give the Baldwin Lecture at the new Visitor & Education Center of Cylburn Arboretum (Baltimore, USA), scheduled for completion by then.

_{(January 31, 2008)}

Although originally intended as the only edition, the original version of Hortus Bulborum, treasury of historical bulbs became the special edition through unusual circumstances.  Because of its ingeniously folded cover and unique tulip memory game enclosed in the back this edition became the special version which brought extra luster to the 75^th anniversary observances of the bulb garden museum in Limmen.  A few copies of  this special edition may still be available at one or two of the sales points in Sweden (see www.hortus-bulborum.nl).  The regular edition is still available from the Webshop at www.hetschrijflokaal.nl,  may be ordered through the book trade in The Netherlands and several Dutch museums, or try www.oldhousegardens.com (Old House Gardens - Heirloom Bulbs, Michigan (USA).

_{(December 18, 2007)}

In December 2007, the book Hortus Bulborum, treasury of historical bulbs was deposited in the collection of the prestigious Bibliotheca Alexandrina.  At one time the Royal Library was located in this Egyptian harbor town on the Mediterranean sea. It had been built at the beginning of the 3^rd century BC by Ptolemy II.  In its glory period it was the largest library of the Mediterranean region and possibly the most famous library of the world. The collection was estimated be between 400,000 and 900,000 papyrus rolls, which was used as paper in those times in that region. The library suffered various fires through the centuries and in the fourth century AD experienced a major decline, never to be rebuilt since then.

Equal and then some
In the last decades of the twentieth century new initiatives to rebuild the library were suggested.  And interestingly enough for the same spot as where the original temple of books was located. The fascinating design is by the Norwegian architect group Snohetta. Informally called Biba, the library opened its doors in 2002. It is a truly advanced complex with a state-of the-art library, a cultural centre, seven small museums and other multifunctional areas. The goal was to equal the legendary library and in time to have the collection contain between seven and eight million volumes, with books in all languages, in all subjects and topics and from all areas of the world. The initiative initiated by the Egyptian Ministry of Culture was amply supported with gifts from the collections of major libraries in America and Europe and with backing from various European countries and UNESCO. There were also monetary contributions and rare manuscripts donated by the Muslim world, which was pleased to see a major study center develop in the Middle East.

Future publications
The conspicuous round pavilion is an intriguing tourist attraction. In addition to the library this complex houses various interesting small museums which exhibit the development of the city, currently considered the cultural heart of  today’s Egypt. Next month Leijenhorst’s book Weidevenne, Purmerend bouwt zijn wereld (2002) also will be deposited in the collection. And his future publications, if of appropriate subject matter, will be donated to the collection also.

From the US to Turkey
In the meantime the Hortus book is already in the collection of several national and international collections, such as Leiden University, the  Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and the Royal Horticultural Society  in London, the libraries of the New York Botanical Garden and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Cylburn Arboretum (Baltimore, USA), the Jardin Botanique de la Ville de Genève, and the University Library of Erzerum in East Turkey, one of the areas where many native tulips are still to be found.

_{(December 1, 2007)}

On December 12, 2007 Leslie Leijenhorst will give a lecture about Lisbon to students of the Radboud University in Nijmegen. The presentation will serve as an introduction to the Portuguese city and its surroundings for students who will visit Lisbon on a study tour next year. The lecture will cover the development of the city over the centuries and explain cultural and historical  features. He also will include tourism tips and provide the names of well-known fado cafes and other trendy tourism spots as well as tell about the unusual underground art gallery which the city harbors, i.e. the Metropolitana de Lisboa. Lisbon metro stations show remarkable renditions of historical art movements, especially in the well-known azulejos, the traditional tin-glazed tiles, which though shown in new contexts and contemporary forms retain a historical place of honor.

Leijenhorst was invited to give this presentation by the AICEP, the business development agency of the Portuguese embassy in The Hague. The lecture will not be open to the general public. The writer and journalist has been a regular visitor to Portugal since 1985.  He studied Portuguese as a secondary subject at university, took a summer course in the city and has written many articles about Portugal in general and about  Lisbon, one of his most beloved capital cities in  the world. He considers Lisbon to be "a special mix of Atlantic freshness, tantalizing scents and colors of the former colonial empire and saudade,"  the wistful longing for that which cannot be, all of which combined make Lisbon “minha cidade”, his most beloved city.

^{(November 23, 2007)}

Luxury note cards depicting historical bulbs

Last year saw the informal introduction of a series of note cards with the name Treasures from the Hortus Bulborum.  The cards portrayed tulips primarily, especially those no longer in commercial production. These bulbs can nowadays be seen in bloom only in the garden museum of the Hortus Bulborum in Limmen and various castle and palace gardens in the Netherlands and a few selected gardens elsewhere. Without the benefit of much publicity, the note card series sold very well. Approximately 80 % of the print run has been sold already.

Striking note cards
The suggestion to produce the cards was made by Leslie Leijenhorst. A wealth of picture material was available from when he had worked with photographer Philip Friskorn to produce the acclaimed book on the history of the Hortus Bulborum. Some of the photographs were used for other promotion materials such as the Hortus website (2005) and the new Hortus folder (2007). But it occurred to Leijenhorst that  much more could be achieved with these beautiful photographs. And thus the striking note cards were produced, to be sent all over the world and to serve as handsome promotion material for the Hortus.

More than 40 motifs
Meanwhile in the last half year much work has been done to produce two new note card series. One is devoted to antique Rembrandt and parrot tulips. The other series is devoted to historical narcissus, now only produced in small quantities for special gardens and estate plantings. Johan van Scheepen, taxonomist and librarian of the Royal General Bulbgrowers Association played a central role in  the choice  of which narcissus were portrayed. The note cards beautifully illustrate that narcissus can be more than just yellow trumpet flowers.

"The suggestion was made by Leslie Leijenhorst."

The new note card series vary slightly from the 2006 series. In addition to the name and date of the first description or registration of the flower, the  backside of the card  now offers a short  narrative or anecdote in English about the flower, sometimes descriptive and sometimes lyrical. Appropriately enough, since it is expected that the cards will be sent around the world. A small percentage of the proceeds of the sales of the cards will go to the Hortus Bulborum Foundation as extra income for their activities.

"Assistance from across the ocean."

Assisting with the editorial review of the descriptions, accurately described as “acrobatics on a square centimeter”, was Rina Kraaijestein for the Dutch language version, a very committed and much experienced  editor and  green journalist.  Assisting with the botanical nomenclature was the previously listed Johan van Scheepen. Leslie Leijenhorst received much help with the English language texts from Scott Kunst, proprietor of Old House Gardens - Heirloom Bulbs in Ann Arbor (Michigan) the only dealer of historical bulbs in America. Also assisting is Jane Baldwin-Gerlach, originally Dutch, currently living in the United States and until recently the President of the Friends group of Cylburn Arboretum in Baltimore, MD, now volunteering for the Hortus.

Soon
The cards will be for sale in the Shop and Webshop of this website. In addition, the cards are sold at the lectures which Philip Friskorn gives for the various sections of Groei and Bloei. Also the cards will be available from several shops in the Netherlands and some foreign sales points. Images and payment details will be placed soon on this website.

^{(November 5, 2007)}

Bulbs of desire 

Leslie Leijenhorst gave several lectures on historical bulbs at several locations in Sweden during the early part of September. The theme of the presentations focused on “Bulbs of desire“. One of the lectures took place on the Fredriksdal estate in the western harbour town of Helsingborg. The other two lectures were presented in the orangery of the Akeshovsgård estate in Bromma, a western suburb of Stockholm. The lectures were made possible with the support of Blomsterframjändet, the Swedish component of the IBC- the International Flower Bulb Centre of The Netherlands.

Flora Linnea
The first lecture took place on September 2 in the community centre of the mini open air museum on the Fredriksdal estate. The initiative was undertaken by the new owners of the exclusive garden and lifestyle shop Flora Linnea which is situated in one of the historical buildings on the perimeter of the estate. The lecture was also the start signal for the bulb sale season. Historical flower bulbs from the Hortus Bulborum in Limmen are now available at Flora Linnea. A number of the bulbs sold briskly on this first day.

Akeshovsgård
Two lectures were held on the 6^th and 7^th of September at Tulpanens Hus situated on the outskirts of the Akeshovsgård estate in Bromma, a western suburb of the Swedish capital. Tulpanens Hus was started by My and Hakan Alverback, managers the largest tulip forcing business of the country. Tulpanens Hus is a combination of exclusive garden center, cafeteria, meeting room and gift shop, with garden bulbs and tubers as the central focus. The first lecture was specially organized for the press in the nearby orangery dating from 1750. During the preliminary part of the program there were remarks by Marina Rydberg, head gardener of the Prins Eugens Waldemarsudde estate, the former residence of the painter prince who lived there until 1947 and now functioning as a museum. Her talk focused on the use of antique bulbs and the re-introduction of these in the garden of the prince, who was a dedicated painter and gardener.  This special lecture for the press was particularly well-attended.

Swedish press
Over 30 representatives of  the Swedish press were in attendance, including the editor of Allt om Trädgård,  the largest garden journal of Scandinavia. Also attending the conference were various specialist green journalists from the national dailies such as Svenska Dagbladet and Dagens Nyheter. The following day there was an informal meeting for the public attended by Karin Persson of the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Alnarp. She and a number of her colleagues are charged with the maintenance of the permanent plant genetic material collection, of which historical bulbs form an important component.

Next year
Because of the success of these several lectures there is a good chance that Leslie Leijenhorst will give the presentations again next year at the beginning of the bulb sale season.

^{(September 15, 2007)}

The website of the Hortus Bulborum will be be updated further in the upcoming six weeks. Current maintenance activities will continue while expansion of information will occur in several sections
(April 29, 2007)

On April 25, 2007, Leslie Leijenhorst donated two boxes of his book Hortus Bulborum, treasury of historical bulbs to Nick van der Kolk, director of the Golden Tulip Heiloo. Soon after these copies would be placed in all 42 rooms of the hotel. This would not only be an interesting way to bring the book to the attention of hotel guests but also an excellent promotion of the second-to-none garden itself. And of course the guests would want to visit this unique-in-the-world treasure trove of historical bulbs in the village of Limmen in springtime.

Bilingual
Inspired by his many travels and stays in hotels all over the world Leijenhorst deliberately chose this promotional action on behalf of the Hortus. Versed as he is in several languages he had often enough come across beautiful books in hotel rooms about regional or national topics, but unable to read the local language, he was forced to look at the pictures only. Because the book is bilingual, foreign hotel guests now also will be able to enjoy the information contained in it.  

(April, 25, 2007)

Website Het Schrijflokaal has been informally launched on April 4, 2007. In the next two months heavy testing and further development will take place.
(April 5, 2007)

Twelve panels, trilingual
With the new start of the current season, the Hortus Bulborum has a new promotional brochure. Design goup Simons & Boom of Arnhem together with Leslie Leijenhorst, author of the well acclaimed book Hortus Bulborum, treasury of historical bulbs, produced a strikingly beautiful folder composed of twelve panels, with texts in Dutch, English and German. The remarkable photographs were taken by Philip Friskorn, who might almost be considered the in-house photographer, and former board member in charge of pr of public relations Gert Dekker. The new folder is twice as large as the previous version.
(March 29, 2007)

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