Right now it is tulip season, and the perfect time to check out the bulb fields around Lisse. Taking the train from Haarlem to The Hague is a great way to get a good view.

We asked the good folk at the Keukenhof gardens and a couple of leading growers which are the most popular blooms these days. Here is a list of 12, in no particular order.

Strong Gold:  reputedly the strongest, boldest yellow tulip around.  A go-for-gold bloom known for its longer vase-life.

Leen van der Mark: a cardinal-red tulip that starts with yellow edges that ripen to a crisp white as the bloom ages.  The strange name is in homage to a Dutch flower bulb hybridizer, no less.

 Ile de France:  this is the ultimate red tulip – elegant, tall, robust and traditionally beautiful.

Purple Prince:  one of the first tulips to bloom at the beginning of the season, this large lilac-purple flower is often paired with Princes Irene tulips.

Ben van Zanten: first spotted in 1966, this mid-sized red tulip is square in shape.  The bulbs are popular Dutch exports.

Purple Flag:  in shades of purple from violet to fuschia, this angular tulip is often featured in bouquets.

Viking:  a stunning double tulip in scarlet-yellow-green hues, this tulip is has been coveted for centuries, and remains popular with European and American gardeners.

Yellow Flight:  this tulip is described as being a deep canary yellow colour that blooms early in the season and emits a light scent.

Princess Irene:  one of the smaller in stature tulip varieties,  the Princes Irene tulip, introduced in 1949,  is named after a Dutch princess and is a mixture of orange and purple – think the colours of a sunset.

Yokohama:  a single, yellow tulip with a considerable perfume and long-lasting season.  Apparently eating these tulips may cause a rash and some stomach discomfort.

Debutante:  now 40 years old, the Debutante tulip continues to delight with its cherry-red petals laced with soft white edges.

Seadov: a shorter tulip variety that is often used for ground cover, the Seadov tulip is cup-shaped and deep-red in colour.

During the height of Tulip Mania (1634-7), one tulip variety, Semper Augustus, the resulting bloom from a virus infection, was valued at 10,000 guilders for a single bulb, approximately the same price as an expensive canal-side house in Amsterdam.

Today you should be able to pick up a decent bunch in the spring for a couple of euros. We’ve always been told a pushing a pin through the stem just under the bloom is a great way to stop tulips growing once they have been cut.

Your tips for keeping cut tulips at their best are most welcome.