It's springtime in the Netherlands, and the many plants in bloom are set off against the backdrop of the countryside's historic windmills, which were developed in the fifteenth century as a means to pump water for agriculture. The crowning bloom in spring are the plethora of tulips, and to a lesser extent hyacinths, which are not only cultivated in fields in what are the richest bulb lands in the world, but are planted for displays along the country's thoroughfares. The more precious specimens are grown in greenhouses, these specimens which can take up to ten years to cultivate for sale. The history of tulip cultivation in the Netherlands is presented, the bulbs which are largely cultivated and not the blooms for cut flowers.