River cruises offer incredible garden experiences

Visit spectacular spring tulip displays, private and public gardens all in luxury

All of the above images were provided by the Tulip Festival of Amsterdam

Imagine waking up to a sea of tulips as far as the eye can see. Sheets of red, yellow and orange stretching out before you only broken up by a windmill or workers harvesting the flowers for markets around the world.

And then, imagine your biggest decision of the day is whether to order the Coq au Vin (chicken in wine) or the Boeuf Bourguignon (beef stew) at your dinner table overlooking the Rhine River as you cruise from Amsterdam to Basel Switzerland.

It’s just another day in the life of a European river cruise.

These are the experiences of a typical European river cruiser visiting The Netherlands and Belgium in spring. Every year thousands of Americans, Canadians, Asians and Europeans board Avalon, Viking, Scenic and other river boats to experience this spring phenomenon along the Rhine River.

Of course, experiencing spring in The Netherlands is just the beginning of an incredible week of touring historical and iconic French and German cities along the Rhine River.

Even outside of the spring touring season and the incredible tulip displays, gardens and floral displays are front and centre along the river cruise routes, with breathtaking container plantings and window boxes. In many towns along the routes, window boxes, hanging baskets and impressive container plantings greet visitors adding incredible beauty to already magical towns.

Tours of the Black Forest in the state of Baden-Württemberg in southwestern Germany, close to the borders with France and Switzerland offers visitors an opportunity to experience a natural woodland in the heart of Europe. The forest earned its name from the Ancient Romans who found it so thick, dark and impenetratable that they named it the Black Forest.

Today, locals and tourists visit the area for its hiking opportunities, as well as a wealth of museums, small towns and villages that are known for their abundance of cuckoo clocks.

Window boxes line many of the smaller canals and gardeners can get plenty of great ideas with the spectacular container plantings along the cobblestone streets and pathways in the quaint commercial areas.

When it comes to gardening on a small scale, it’s tough to beat the artistic touch and attention to detail European gardeners bring to the table.

My wife, daughter and I have booked a river cruise along the Rhine for September. I’d love to experience the spring tulips, but circumstances led us to a September cruise. My research, however, go me thinking how readers of this website might appreciate learning a little more about what garden experiences can be found on a river cruise. During these let’s say difficult times, cruising Europe just might be the perfect escape from the pressures facing Americans and Canadians at home.

One of the highlights of any trip to The Netherlands in spring is the Keukenhof gardens considered to be one of the best garden of The Netherlands. Seven million tulip bulbs on eight acres of incredible beauty from about the middle of March through to the middle of May. For more on seeing the best tulip displays check out this post from Jessica Lynn writes.

Of course, you don’t have to go on a river cruise to experience spectacular spring blooming tulips. In Ottawa Canada, the tulip festival runs from May 9th to the 19th at Commissioners Park. The festival features massive tulip displays, family-friendly activities, and celebrates the flower's beauty and its historic ties to Canada's capital. Click here for more information on the Ottawa tulip festival.

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Closer to where I live, The Hamilton/Burlington Royal Botanical Gardens offers incredible spring displays in its sunken rock garden. Many of the images in this post are from the RBG rock garden display. More on the Royal Botanical Gardens, with a focus on their woodland gardens, here.

Many public gardens have incredible spring bulb displays of tulips, daffodils and Hyacinths. They are a great way to welcome spring and get ideas on the best way to use bulbs in our gardens.

In our woodland garden, tulips are almost impossible to grow because of the deer, but we do have a few daffodils in our front garden. Naturalized plantings of tulips and daffodils can work perfectly in a woodland garden setting. Distribute the bulbs in a more natural way, maybe among ferns, to maintain a naturalized look.

You might consider leaving the more formal plantings of your favourite bulbs in the front of your property.

Whether you are planning a river cruise or just a visit to a local public garden, now is the time to begin planning. I suspect most of the cruises will be already sold out for this season, but you may be able to get a deal on a package if you check out one of the many cruise lines.

In any case, experiencing spring bulb displays are an excellent way to welcome spring.