Flower Mosaics in the Netherlands -2025

What are flower mosaics? During the spring in the Netherlands, townspeople get together to make spectacular artwork using only flower petals. If you haven’t seen them, you need to!

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When we drove the Bollenstreek, we had no idea of some of the events and customs surrounding the flower season.  Our goal was to take in spring, its brilliant colors, fresh aromas, and Vitamin D. We wanted to cleanse ourselves of the dreariness of winter. So, we headed north to the flower region of the Netherlands and not only did we get what we had hoped for, but boy, did we get more!

We’ve spent more than a couple of weekends, at different times, exploring the Netherlands’ Tulip Festival. Tulip time is about a month long, and every weekend there are surprising and fun events. Some of them, we’ve never heard of before, and we wager, neither have you.

We do a lot of driving around and one weekend, we came upon one of many gorgeous little villages, and noticed something different. The entire town was decorated with daffodil garlands. Yellow strings of color that really made those brick facades pop! We wondered what the garlands stood for, took a few photos, and moved on to the next town.

The Flower Mosaics of the Tulip Festival

As we entered the quaint town of De Zilk, we saw an older couple sitting at a table in the sun. They had the biggest smiles on their faces as they saw me magnetically drawn to their front yard. Why? Because it was like a miniature wonderland. The entire garden was bursting with flowers. Butterflies sat on top of meticulously groomed bushes, the flag was buffeting in the breeze, and a sign with the names of the two families that lived there was proudly displayed.

I don’t speak much Dutch.  I learned conversational Dutch when I lived there a number of years ago, but after living in four countries since, that language has been pushed to the very back cabinets of my brain. I greeted them and gave them the only compliment I could muster, “Heel mooi!” (Very beautiful!) gesturing to the garden. They beamed.

I had to switch to English and asked what was going on. Their English was also a bit limited, but they told me that the two families worked together to decorate the garden and that there were plenty more artworks to see around the town.

So, we wandered around De Zilk for a bit, marveling at the flower mosaics made from hyacinth petals. Each plaque is made with a wooden base, the design is printed, and the artists follow the pattern by wrapping the petals around straight pins and pushing them into place.  I couldn’t believe the designs. Some were so intricate.

We had never heard of this before, but as it turns out, many towns make these gorgeous hyacinth mosaics. By this point, we were completely dedicated in trying to find more of them. Town after town had them. It turns out that this is such a popular thing to do, that now there’s a full calendar of mosaic weekends.

In some of the larger towns, like Lisse, the VVV (visitor’s center) provided a map with the number of the mosaic,  the title, the address, and who submitted it. With the map in hand, people were walking, riding bikes, and driving to each site.

Apart from the painstaking workmanship, the best thing for me was seeing the pride that the townspeople had when sharing their work. They were practically bursting.

The displays were full scenes of color and design, not just the mosaic art itself, but also a decorated table, or painting palette, or other such props to complete the topic of the mosaic.  

Kids were passing out cookies, and most of the contributors, like the very first couple, were sitting in front of their houses, Dutch flags flying on the stoop, boasting of their participation.

It’s hard to pick a favorite, but one mosaic was completed by the three families that live next to each other in the row house.  The man on the left organized it and chose the design. It was stunning! As you can see, they are flying the flag, have placards describing the art, and all of them are so happy to share what they have done. They used over 70,000 pins and hyacinth petals.  What an accomplishment!

Noordwijkerhout Flowers

In Noordwijkerhout, the same weekend as the Bloemencorso, the town also hosts a Flower Event at the Witte Kerk (white church-right in the middle of town). Included in this event is a showing of all the mosaics, encircling the church.

Inside, there are all kinds of floral displays as well. We loved the daffodil wall, the “Flower Bed,” and all kinds of beautiful installations and places to take photos.

This is also free, both inside and out.

Our Rating

This, without a doubt, is one of our favorite events during Tulip time. It’s a full five stars! The mosaics are not only free, since all you have to do is drive around, but the art is gorgeous, the people are beamingly proud and friendly, and it’s a great time all around.

Planning Your Visit to see the Flower Mosaics

Where to go to see the mosaics: This can be a bit tricky. It’s hard to find an overall calendar where the mosaics are featured. There is at least a few annual ones that we know of, but you should go to each town’s website to find out more. The VVV or tourist office is also a good place to start. No matter which weekend you choose to visit during tulip time, there’s sure to be some mosaics.

Some towns we always visit are:

• De Zilk
• Lisse
• Noordwijkerhout

Getting there: The Dutch public transportation system is very convenient.  It is not a long bus ride to Haarlem from Schiphol, so you can easily get to the area without any prior planning. Once there, you can rent a bike to get around.

However, driving is the easiest and most convenient. Driving in the Netherlands is pretty straight-forward. Just look out for the bikes!

Book Early! Dutch flower tourism is extremely popular and hotels book up fast.

Conclusion

Even though you’ve probably never heard of the flower mosaics, they are an integral and special part of the Tulip Festival in the Netherlands. It’s surprisingly fun, an event you’ll not soon forget.

Author Bio: Corinne Vail is a travel photographer, food lover, and a perpetual traveler who has been travel writing for over 14 years. For many years she lived overseas in Germany, Japan, Turkey, South Korea, and the Netherlands teaching the children of the US. military. She’s visited over 90 countries, and she’s not stopping anytime soon.