Tulipmania

n a previous episode of the podcast we made reference to the outburst of investor appetitive for Tulip bulbs in the 17th Century. This apocryphal tale is often told as a warning much as Grimm’s Fairy tales are read to children. Indeed, I have long been puzzled why any sane person would pay the equivalent price of a house for a handful of plant roots, so the invitation to join a few friends on a visit to Holland last week offered an opportunity to investigate the matter further and satisfy my curiosity.

Visitors to the Nederlands at this time of year will be familiar with the miles of greenhouses that greet you on the roadside within a short distance of the ferry terminal in the Hook of Holland and, as the suburbs give way to countryside, row upon row of brightly coloured blooms line the fields destined for a bouquet at your local florist. 

So far so good, but my animal instincts were no more excited by these blooms than a crop of carrots. I was unprepared for the spectacle that awaits the visitor to Keukenhof in late April each year. One might imagine that the target visitor is an ageing demographic of Monty Don fans seeking an alternative to the Chelsea Flower show. However, such is the allure of Keukenhof that we had to squeeze past the Instagram influencers (dancing in front of their selfie sticks) before seeing an eruption of colour exploding from an array of flower beds. The impact was breathtaking. 

Welcome to Keukenhof, a veritable Disneyland of colour and design. As we walked past these immaculate beds we were greeted by ever more elaborate deigns on the plantings and a blending of flowers and colours in fans and sprays and occasionally interspersed with other plants for visual effect. I was starting to feel like a kid in a sweetshop and I wanted more. As I feasted my eyes on the exuberant displays I began to experience the effects of Tulipmania welling up inside myself. The initial symptoms manifest as a desire to take as many photographs as possible and wondering whether I could transform the top paddock at home to a mini-Keukenhof ?

It was the highlight of a successful trip to Holland and an experience that I thoroughly recommend. As an investor one needs to be aware of one's emotions and examine decisions with a dose of rationality. Yes, we did buy some tulips.