Maximum impact with spring bulbs in a public space – Alkmaar embraces a visitor experience

From quality improvement to visible spring planting

Since 2021, the City of Alkmaar has been working on improving the Bolwerk and Victoriepark. Within this development, a clear ambition emerged to make spring more prominently visible in the city centre. We translated this ambition into a spring planting using bulbs, focused on maximum impact.

In total, Stadswerk072 delivered eight bulb planting areas across the Bolwerk and Victoriepark. The Kwerenbolwerk is one of the locations where this approach has already resulted in tangible impact.

A strong bulb concept with a distinctive identity

For the Kwerenbolwerk, we selected the bulb mixture Persian Spring, a blend also used at Keukenhof. This was a deliberate choice due to its strong visual identity, its clear link to the Dutch spring experience, and its high visual impact.

The design of the planting beds also emphasises recognisability. The oval planting forms a subtle reference tot he Keukenhof aesthetics, reinforcing the idea of a classic spring design. The mixture includes, among others:

• Tulips such as Queen of Night and Purple Prince
• Blue accents from Muscari armeniacum and Chionodoxa ‘Blue Giant’
• Distinctive species such as Fritillaria persica

This layered composition creates a flowering sequence from March to May, with a continuously changing visual appearance. This ensures prolonged impact and seasonal variation.

After the spring flowering period, the beds are converted into a summer display featuring a mix of annuals, dahlias, perennials and ornamental vegetables. This extends the flowering season through to November, after which preparation for the following spring begins again.

Greater experience in a public space

During flowering, the atmosphere in the park changes immediately. Visitors stop, take photographs and actively share them on social media. The bulb planting areas become part of the city experience. This leads residents to engage more consciously with the park, encourages longer visits, and increases the visibility of the location online.

According to Paul Weidema (project leader at Stadswerk072), during the flowering period in the Facebook group “Je bent een Alkmaarder als”, photos of the colourful bulb plantings were shared almost daily. Residents responded enthusiastically to the spring planting, along with visitors, who also documented the planting extensively. This demonstrates that bulbs are not merely decorative, but actively contribute to how people experience a place.

Our approach: from design to experience

Within this project, we translated the municipality’s ambition into a concrete and deliverable bulb planting concept. We look beyond colour alone. Which species complement each other? How does a planting bed develop throughout the season? How can maximum visual impact be achieved at the right moment?

For Alkmaar, we deliberately chose a bold and recognisable visual identity, aligned with the ambition to make spring clearly visible in the city.

Collaboration and delivery

The implementation was carried out in collaboration with the City of Alkmaar, Stadswerk072 and De Hofdame Tuinstyling. The bulbs were planted in autumn at a high planting density and with a carefully considered structure. This results in a full and impactful spring display. In addition, early-flowering species contribute to biodiversity by providing food for bees and other insects.

Bulbs as a driver of urban attractiveness

This project aligns with a broader development within the City of Alkmaar, where greenery, experience and the attractiveness of public space are central. By making spring visible:

• the city centre becomes more attractive
• dwell time increases
• visitor appeal grows

Bulbs therefore contribute not only to the visual identity of the city, but also to its economic and social value.

This broader ambition of the City of Alkmaar, partly delivered by Stadswerk072, is now also gaining international recognition. With the submission “Like Alkmaar”, the municipality is a finalist in the AIPH World Green City Awards 2026 in the category Living Green for Water. Previously, Stadswerk072 and the City of Alkmaar won the Green Cities Europe Award in 2022. This underlines Alkmaar’s vision of an attractive, green and future-proof living environment in which projects such as the Kwerenbolwerk play an important role.

What bulbs can do for a place

The Kwerenbolwerk demonstrates that bulbs are more than a visual addition. With an intervention like this, greater experience, more interaction and increased appreciation of the environment are created. We believe this temporary impact is precisely what makes it so powerful. Bulbs turn an everyday route into a place where people pause and take notice.

Want more impact with bulbs?

Would you like to enhance the public realm with bulb planting and spring displays that truly stand out? We would be happy to collaborate on a concept that delivers immediate and visible results.