More than 15,000 tulips are adorning the halls of the home to the Netherlands ambassador to the United States.
It’s a beautiful backdrop set against the serious themes that will be discussed during this year’s Dutch Tulip Days from April 10 to 12.
“We tried to combine beauty with a cause,” Birgitta Tazelaar, Netherlands ambassador, said.
This year’s themes revolve around believed and shared values between the Netherlands and the U.S., sustainability, innovation and freedom, Tazelaar said.
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“We celebrate freedom because we should not take it for granted. And we only have to look at Ukraine to see what freedom actually means,” Tazelaar said.
There’s a nearly 10-foot-tall 3D-printed replica of the Netherlands Carillon in Arlington, Virginia. The original was gifted from the Dutch to the U.S. for support during and after World War II.
The replica is meant to represent freedom. It's recycled waste and plant-based material structure represents sustainability.
A garden box highlights sustainability with plants native to the Netherlands that require less water and fertilizer.
There are tulips in yellow, red, white and purple along the grand staircase of the home.
Over the next three days, the residence will host hundreds of visitors, including politicians, entrepreneurs and invited members of the public.
“We'll talk about innovation during these days when it comes to, for example, the semiconductor industry and cyber security. Those are also that they demand a lot of innovation in order to protect ourselves,” Tazelaar said.
Once Dutch Tulip Days ends, the thousands of tulips will be donated to various charities around D.C.
