When it’s Spring again we’ll sing again ‘Crocuses from Co. Waterford’.
Yes, I would and, when I can afford it, do cover my flower beds with tulips from Amsterdam.
And one we enjoyed on our visit to Amsterdam Pictures of Amsterdam and George Clooney and Amal’s Amsterdam hotel.
Where we also took home ice cream tulips (think raspberry ripple colours) from the Amsterdam Museum https://amsterdamtulipmuseum.com.
And got a Spring out of them before we handed over the keys of chez notre maison in Ireland.
To someone we can only hope appreciates the opportunities as we did.
The history of the crocus is also captivating.
We can date the crocus back to the Egyptians, Greeks and Menoans.
With a few pounds of corn served as a loan of gold and jewels.
The best place to see crocuses in Ireland is the Mount Congreve Gardens in Co. Waterford.
The gardens will open early this year on Valentine’s Day, February 14.
To showcase more than 20,000 crocuses in flower at the beautiful gardens located just ten minutes from Waterford City.
Which is a two-hour drive south of Dublin.
Which we all know is served regularly by our friends at Aer Lingus www.aerlingus.com and Ryanair www.ryanair.com.
For more on what the gardens have to offer throughout the year visit www.mountcongrevegardens.com.
The crocus story doesn’t finish there.
The Crocus Project was launched in Ireland in 2005 by the Holocaust Education Trust Ireland.
Intended for pupils aged 11 and over it provides schools with yellow crocus bulbs.
To plant in memory of the one million and a half Jewish children.
And thousands of other children who died in the Holocaust.
The yellow flowers recall the yellow Star of David all Jews were forced to wear under Nazi rule.
Which Anne Frank had up on her wall of the attic house she, her family and friends hid away in from the Nazis during the War.
On this the 75th anniversary year of the liberation of Bergen-Belsen, where Anne and her sister Margot died, and Auschwitz were liberated, pay tribute…
By either visiting those sites or the Anne Frank Huis in Amsterdam… https://www.annefrank.org/nl/.
And also make use of the wonderful city pass https://www.iamsterdam.com/en.
While all major airlines fly to Amsterdam I like to promote national airline carriers and recommend KLM www.klm.com.
Me, I’m off to buy crocuses and tulips for someone who deserves them… and also The Scary One.
And I’ll get back to you on Friday, Valentine’s Day, with more blooming marvellous places to visit for gardens and flowers.
