I’ve been taking photos of the tulip garden near work almost every day in spring, to see how it changes. Well, it really changed during the week!

On Tuesday, I met the gardener, Rudolph. He was very happy to talk about his work and explained what they were doing. I told him I loved the garden bed, and he said it’s amazing how many people walk past without noticing. And then he added it’s only natural that I would like the tulips. Huh? I asked why would I like the tulips and he happily stated, “Well, of course you love them! You’ve from Holland!”

Seriously, I would be a millionaire if I had a dollar for every time someone has assumed I’m Dutch. It’s my Aussie accent when I speak German. Rudolph was amazed. “Australia? I have a lot of Dutch friends and you sound just like them!” I should be used to it, really I should. There have been many instances, but the best one was a few years ago when a woman sat next to me at an outdoor theatre, and after cordial greetings in German, she proceeded to sprout fantastic in an animated tone until she saw my blank expression. “You’re not Dutch?” she asked.

I have only been to the west coast of The Netherlands, but I think I need to spend more time there, to really perfect the accent. 😉

I saw Rudolph again on Wednesday, and he told me he was retiring in a few months. He’d decided 62 was enough, and he wasn’t a fan of all the new, fandangled, electronic tablets they were required to use now. Every gram of soil, seed, mulch etc etc was now allocated via tablet, and he thought it was a case of serious overkill from people who don’t understand plants, only numbers.

Wednesday they were doing a treatment with hot water/steam, which kills all the weeds and prepares the soil for the summer plants. So without any more waffle, here is a little photo montage of my favourite spring city garden bed, from beginning to end. I loved how the white tulips came first, then the pink and yellow, surrounded by a sea of purple and blue:

It’s all gone now, ready for the summer plants (if it ever stops raining!). It’s been empty for a few days now, and I look forward to what comes next. Rudolph (in the blue t-shirt in the last few photos) wouldn’t tell me! Wait and see he said.

Wishing you a wonderful day.