Last week I got invited to a private dahlia farm with a group I belong to here in Amsterdam. It’s a family business of farmers who provide 75% of the world’s dahlias via exports of tubers, but when the fields are in bloom two of the women married to the farmers have another business hosting very small, appointment-only tours of the fields. It’s so private there’s a SECRET ADDRESS that was only given to the drivers the day of the appointment (I don’t even have it, I just rode in the car.) These fields were the most incredible thing I’ve experienced since moving here, and that’s saying a lot.
There are 250 varieties of dahlias planted in this field and every single flower was planted by hand. I learned that there are about 800 tulip growers in the Netherlands, but only 20 dahlia growers. I got to walk around in this field, surrounded by dahlias that were nearly as tall as I am. It was a fantastically sunny day, and the field was in full bloom, which only happens for a tiny window. We were the last group allowed to tour the fields as the season is officially over and the flowers will all be cut this week. When I say cut, I mean literally mowed down in the fields — the blooms aren’t sold. The business is about selling the tubers, not the blooms. Next year something else will be planted in this field to keep the crop rotation and soil healthy, and the dahlias will be planted in another field with another SECRET ADDRESS. One of the women who owns the farm giving us a lovely explanation about their farm and the intricacies of dahlias. We had tea and stroopwaffles and gazed over the flowering fields as we listened. One woman in our group asked too many questions and drove me crazy. There’s no need for so many questions, Lydia. (Her name is not Lydia.)I feel like this farm is so fabulous and exclusive it’s like the type of place a celebrity would task their assistant with getting them into. I envisioned Oprah’s people contacting me, and me driving Oprah to the field and when we got there it would be awkward because I’d realize I have no idea how to introduce Oprah Winfrey so I’d panic and do something weird like gesture grandly and announce “This is Oprah Winfrey, the queen of American daytime television” and Oprah would be like, oh my god let me handle this, and take it from there. I don’t know if I’ll ever get the privilege of visiting these fields again, but they were so spectacular I’ll remember it forever. This photo cracks me up because it looks like I’m about to launch my own Life Coach business. Live, Laugh, Love, bitches. xoxo
