By Pattie Wallander AIFD
Just a short drive from Amsterdam lies one of the most enchanting destinations for floral designers: the Royal Flora Holland flower auction. Tours open at 7 a.m., and I highly recommend arriving right as the doors open. If you wait much later, the flowers will have already disappeared into trucks and planes, bound for destinations worldwide. Around 60% of the world’s flowers pass through this market daily, with an astonishing average of 100,000 transactions each day. It’s the world’s largest and most extensive flower auction.
The auction dates back to 1910, starting from humble beginnings and growing into the fourth-largest building in the world. Spanning 775,000 square meters—an area equal to 200 football fields—it’s awe-inspiring from the moment you begin the tour. Carts upon carts filled with flowers stretch as far as the eye can see, all destined to be loaded onto trucks almost as quickly as they sell. The auction is a world of its own, complete with its own fire department and even bicycle repair stations. Bicycles are necessary here—the building is so massive that employees use them to get around, while flowers are transported on an automated trolley system.
The market’s most popular flowers include roses, tulips, and chrysanthemums. Seeing cart after cart filled with these blooms, alongside other botanical treasures, is mesmerizing. The colors, textures, and fragrances are breathtaking, making it hard to resist touching them.
If you find yourself in Amsterdam, make sure to plan a visit to the auction. From the observation platform above, you can take in the incredible, organized chaos below. It’s an unforgettable experience—one I won’t soon forget.
