In the Valley of the Flowers there are one million blooms and the largest collection of water lilies ever brought together in one place.And then there’s modern artThe landscape is dominated by Spotters Hill, a 100-foot high pyramid which has taken two years to create. You can wander along winding paths through dense woodland; unwind in the Dream Garden of Peace and Relaxation or re-energise in the Dynamic Garden of Force and Energy. The park is divided into three areas, each with its own character and atmosphere.What will i see?The “On the Lake” section of the park occupies the northern part of the Haarlemmermeerse Forest and takes nature as its theme. The festival acts as a showcase for everything from flowers to bulbs and plants, to mushrooms, trees, bushes and shrubs.The theme of this year’s festival is “Feel the Art of Nature” and the aim of the organisers is to focus on the enjoyment of nature, while stressing the importance of creating an eco-friendly, sustainable living environment. More than 300 exhibits from 29 countries will be on display with up-to-date design ideas and millions of breathtaking blooms.There is more to Floriade than just flowers. Held on an enormous 65-acre site and designed by the landscape architect Niek Roozen, it runs from 6 April to 15 October. Floriade 2002 is located at Haarlemmermeer, a low-lying patch of land near Schiphol airport.

In the evening the illuminated floats drive through Zaanstad. On the Sunday the floats are part of the Parade Show in the halls of the Aalsmeer Flower Auction.But this year is special…The Floriade Flower Festival is the world’s largest horticultural exhibition, and takes place once every decade. In May you can attend the flower days in Breezand in North Holland (00 31 223 522 727), when flower mosaics are laid out through the village and the streets and bridges are adorned with thousands of blooms.On the first Saturday of September there is a floral parade from Aalsmeer to Amsterdam (00 31 297 325 100). It is also close to some of the major horticultural centres such as Aalsmeer, Boskoop and Westland. One of the reasons this region was chosen to host Floriade was its location. Amsterdam, with its multitude of sights, is only 15 minutes by train.

Floats are decked out with more than 1.5 million hyacinths as well as thousands of narcissus and other flowers. Thousands of spectators line the roads and the floats are illuminated in Haarlem, remaining on view until Sunday night.The town of Haarlem has long been associated with arts and culture and has a medieval air. Flower parades or “corsos” are held every year, each with its own history. The biggest is the Bloemencorso (00 31 252 434 710) which features 20 large floats, decorated cars and marching bands. This year’s parade starts at 9.30am on Saturday 20 April at Noordwijk, south-west of Amsterdam, and travels north to Haarlem, arriving at 8.30pm. Every day about 17 million flowers and two million plants are sold at the Aalsmeer Flower Auction – the biggest trading building in the world (00 31 297 392 185, Bloemenveiling Aalsmeer, Legmeerdijk 313 Aalsmeer).

These days The Netherlands grows more than half of the worlds’ pot plant exports and cut flowers. Nowadays the flowers are still the nation’s favourite, but prices are much more down to earth.Why are the Dutch so keen on flowers?Anna Pavord puts it down to the weather. “On a grey sunless day when a northeasterly wind is whipping the skin off the back of your knuckles, nothing cheers the heart more than a bunch of tulips, weaving and bending in their vase like a flock of inquisitive birds.” Almost half of Holland’s 34,000 square kilometres are covered in bulbfields and the trade is worth an estimated £1,330m But there is more to floral Holland than tulips. The Netherlands was gripped by tulip hysteria until 1637, when the bottom suddenly dropped out of the market. As prices went sky-high, politicians attempted to ban the tulip.