STORY | KEUKENHOF

Among the Rhododendrons at Keukenhof

By Aleksandria Rudenko | Updated 2 November 2026

Couple standing small behind beds of red, orange and yellow tulips under tall trees at Keukenhof, spring flowers blurred in front

John and Margaret came over from London on a soft April afternoon. By then, the rhododendrons at Keukenhof were already in full red bloom. They had dreamed of this garden for years, so it felt as if spring had waited for them.

Five years earlier, they had left Manchester together, and in London they kept a small city garden. Every spring, the talk turned to Dutch tulips. Their wish was simple: portraits that felt like them, unhurried and warm. That is exactly what my tulip photoshoots at Keukenhof are for, so I planned our walk around that wish.

Tulip Beds Under the Tall Trees

Keukenhof lies near Lisse and opens for only about eight weeks each spring. Our walk began under the old trees, where beds of tulips and narcissi wind between the trunks. Margaret wore a long cream knit dress with fine ribs, while John chose a royal-blue sweater and off-white trousers. Among all that color, their outfits kept the frames calm.

Couple walking toward the lens between tulip beds in April, white and yellow tulips in front and tall tree trunks behind — Keukenhof in April, tulip beds under tall trees

Next, I asked them to hold hands at arm’s length behind a mixed bed of tulips and narcissi. At first they laughed at the idea, but then it worked.

Holding hands at arm's length behind a mixed bed of tulips and narcissi, a man in royal blue and a woman in cream smile into the lens

Beside the same bed, they held each other close, with a dark wall of shrubs behind them.

Embrace at the back of a spring flowerbed at Keukenhof, white narcissi and orange tulips in front, dark green shrubs behind

Red Rhododendrons in Full Bloom

A few steps further, the path led into the shade. There, the rhododendrons at Keukenhof carried heavy red flowers under the trees. I opened the aperture wide, so the blossoms behind them melted into soft red shapes. John kissed Margaret on the cheek, and she held on to him with both arms.

Bearded man kisses her cheek as she smiles, a large rhododendron with red blossoms and pale buds behind them in the shade

Cheek to cheek in a long hug, her arms around his neck and his hands at her waist, red rhododendron flowers softly blurred

Then they stood forehead to forehead and laughed. When Margaret finally turned to the lens, John kept his eyes on her.

Forehead to forehead and smiling, a couple in blue and cream stands before rhododendron leaves and red blossoms at Keukenhof

Woman with strawberry-blond waves smiles into the lens while he looks at her, her layered necklaces in view, soft red flowers behind

Stepping Stones Through Yellow Tulips

The sun came back as we reached a narrow path of stepping stones between yellow and orange tulips. I knelt low, so the nearest flowers blurred into a wash of gold at the bottom of the frame. John took Margaret’s hand and kissed her. A moment later, they both turned to me and smiled.

Kiss on a path of stepping stones between rows of yellow and orange tulips, spring sun falling through the trees

Smiling couple on stepping stones, she in a long cream ribbed dress, he in a blue sweater and off-white trousers, yellow tulips around

Not far away, a long row of orange tulips stood before a huge reddish trunk, with yellow narcissi in front. There he wrapped his arms around her from behind, the two of them small between the old trees.

Embrace behind a long bed of orange tulips at Keukenhof, yellow narcissi in front and a huge reddish tree trunk beside them

Up Close Behind the Red Tulips

For the close-ups, I crouched low behind a bed of red tulips. Through the stems, John and Margaret met nose to nose, while the flowers in front turned into soft red flames.

Nose to nose behind a blur of red tulips, a woman in cream and a man in royal blue share a smile in the soft spring shade

After that, Margaret rested her head on his shoulder. Then, with a bed of pink tulips behind them, they kissed.

Her head on his shoulder and eyes closed, he smiles into the lens behind red tulips, a bed of pink tulips and a broad trunk farther back

Couple kissing on the lawn behind red tulips in spring, a bed of pink tulips and a garden path under the trees beyond

From Keukenhof to a Wall in London

We ended on a herringbone brick path that curved between red and white tulips. They walked on hand in hand and looked back at me once. Then they stopped for one more kiss.

Walking hand in hand along a curving herringbone brick path at Keukenhof, she looks back over her shoulder and smiles

Stopping for a kiss on a brick path between beds of red and white tulips, salmon-pink tulips in the foreground — A herringbone brick path, spring sun through the trees

Their favorite frame now hangs above the sofa in London, and smaller prints went to family in Manchester. So all year round, the rhododendrons at Keukenhof bloom on their wall.

Dreaming of a spring day among the flowers together? Discover how my tulip photoshoots at Keukenhof work.