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10 plants worth knowing

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a flat land of polders, canals and dykes, a quarter of it below sea level, where almost the entire landscape has been shaped by people. Natural vegetation survives mainly in the belt of coastal dunes, in wetlands and lakes left behind by peat digging, and on the heathlands of the Veluwe. At the same time the Netherlands is a horticultural superpower – most of the world’s traded flower bulbs come from here.

Hover over a plant to see on the map where it grows.

where it grows

  1. Garden tulip 1

    crop · The most recognisable plant symbol of the Netherlands

    Garden tulip

    Tulipa gesneriana

    The flower that sparked history’s first speculative bubble in the 17th century – today it paints stripes across the fields of North and South Holland each spring.
  2. Common daisy 2

    flower · National flower of the Netherlands (chosen by public vote in 2023)

    Common daisy

    Bellis perennis

    The whole world links the Netherlands with the tulip, yet in 2023 the Dutch chose the humble daisy as their national flower.
  3. White water lily 3

    aquatic plant · Water-lily leaves (pompeblêden) on the flag and coat of arms of Friesland

    White water lily

    Nymphaea alba

    The seven red leaves on the Frisian flag are “pompeblêden” – the leaves of the water lilies that cover Friesland’s lakes and canals.
  4. Marram grass 4

    grass

    Marram grass

    Ammophila arenaria

    An unassuming grass that has protected the Netherlands from the sea for centuries by binding the sand of its coastal dunes with its roots.
  5. Dutch elm 5

    tree

    Dutch elm

    Ulmus × hollandica

    Amsterdam has one of the largest elm populations in the world – tens of thousands of trees shade its canals and boulevards.
  6. Common hyacinth 6

    flower

    Common hyacinth

    Hyacinthus orientalis

    In spring the fields around Lisse and Hillegom smell of hyacinths – the Netherlands is the world’s main centre for growing their bulbs.
  7. Potato 7

    crop

    Potato

    Solanum tuberosum

    The Netherlands is the world’s largest exporter of seed potatoes, and “The Potato Eaters” is one of Van Gogh’s most famous paintings.
  8. White willow 8

    tree

    White willow

    Salix alba

    Pollard willows (knotwilgen) lining ditches and polders are one of the most typical images of the Dutch landscape.
  9. Heather 9

    dwarf shrub

    Heather

    Calluna vulgaris

    In August the heathlands of the Veluwe and Drenthe turn purple – one of the most picturesque sights of the Dutch summer.
  10. Carrot 10

    crop

    Carrot

    Daucus carota subsp. sativus

    The orange carrot we know today was bred by Dutch growers in the 17th and 18th centuries.