Lisse, The Netherlands: Russian First Lady Svetlana Medvedev opened the 61st annual Keukenhof flower show. Its theme this year is From Russia with Love.
Lisse, The Netherlands: Russian First Lady Svetlana Medvedev opened the 61st annual Keukenhof flower show. Its theme this year is From Russia with Love.
The spouse of the Russian president was invited to the Netherlands by Princess Maxima.
Girls wearing traditional Dutch dresses presented white flowers to Svetlana Medvedev and Princess Maxima.
The park staff showed Russia’s First Lady and Princess Maxima around Keukenhof.
Russian First Lady Svetlana Medvedev and Princess Maxima took a themed route around the park covering 80 acres in an electric car.
Gardeners planted seven million flowers this season, among them hyacinths, crocuses, daffodils, narcissus and tulips in a multitude of colors.
Warmth-loving orchids and lilies were on display in greenhouses.
Russian First Lady Svetlana Medvedev and Dutch Crown Princess Maxima at the international flower exhibition in the Keukenhof Royal Gardens.
Dutch florists presented a new long-stemmed white tulip named after Svetlana Medvedev. The plant was specially cultured for this Russian-style season.
The Keukenhof Gardens are most famous for its spectacular display of tulips traditionally known as Dutch symbols. A range of bulbs in the collection has Russian names like Tsar Peter, Hermitage, Anna Pavlova, Perestroika, Glasnost and Pobeda.
After a themed tour around the park, Mrs. Medvedev and Princess Maxima arrived in the main pavilion for the official opening ceremony.
Svetlana Medvedev sprinkled white tulips with water from a symbolic golden cup and announced the season open.
The First Lady thanked the organizers for choosing Russia as the central theme of this year’s Keukenhof exhibition. “This show is a precursor of 2013, which has been announced the Year of Russia in the Netherlands and the Year of the Netherlands in Russia,” she said.
Mrs. Medvedev said she is confident “the spectacular floral display will be an event to remember.” She also presented a flower composition from Moscow.
The composition presented by Svetlana Medvedev is a combination of Russian and Dutch symbols like national flags and matryoshka dolls.
