Western Europe
Gardening in Netherlands
Wind, light and water. Long soft springs, wet autumns, few extremes.
The numbers that decide your year
- Growing zones
- USDA 8a–8b · maritime temperate
- Last spring frost
- Mid April
- First autumn frost
- Early November
- Rainfall
- 800 mm, evenly spread
The local challenge
Wind and high water tables. Raise the beds and plant a shelterbelt.
Rules worth knowing
Bulb health rules are strict; buy certified stock. Many municipalities now require permeable surfacing in front gardens.
How people actually garden here
- Bulb planting
- New perennial planting
- Canal-side gardens
- Windbreak hedging
Native to this country
Plants that evolved here. They ask least of you and give most back to local insects and birds.
Reliable in this climate
Introduced rather than native, but proven in these conditions. Each links to its full encyclopedia entry.
Seasonal jobs
Open the calendarThe calendar reads your device clock and orders every job for the northern hemisphere.
The printed guide
The Netherlands Gardening Guide
252 pages written for this country alone: its soil, its frost dates, its rules and the plants that reward the effort. Everything on this page, expanded and in your hands.
- Bulbs: the honest calendar
- Perennial planting in wind
- High water tables
- Windbreaks that look intentional
- Sandy soil versus polder clay
- Year-round colour plan
€9.95252 pages · PDF download