On the 40th anniversary of the Easter floral decorations donated to the Pope by the Netherlands

A “tulip tree” is planted in the Vatican Gardens

To celebrate 40 years of floral decorations donated to the Pope for the Easter celebrations, a Liriodendron tulipifera—known as the tulip tree—has been planted in the Vatican Gardens. The reference to the most famous flower cultivated in the Netherlands could not be missing for this new plant, which since Friday morning, April 24, has taken root.

The planting ceremony, held in the flowerbed in front of the heliport, was presided over by Sr. Raffaella Petrini, President of the Governorate of Vatican City State, together with H.E. Mrs. Johanna Gerarda Maria Ruigrok, Ambassador of the Netherlands to the Holy See. Among those present were Monsignor Karel Kasteel, several Dutch volunteers, and Stefano Giampaolo, Head of the Gardens and Environment Service of the Directorate of Infrastructure and Services of the Governorate.

The tulip tree is native to the eastern coast of the United States of America and is cultivated in Europe mainly as an ornamental plant that can reach over 50 meters in height.

Every year since 1985, numerous volunteers supported by the Dutch Bishops’ Conference and the “Bloemenpracht Rome” Foundation have decorated St. Peter’s Square with thousands of flowers and plants grown in the Netherlands. The decorations are created thanks to the generous contribution of Dutch florists and decorators, led by chief designer Piet van der Burg, in collaboration with the staff of the Vatican Gardens and Environment Service.

Before departing for Rome, all the flowers are blessed by the Bishop of Rotterdam, Monsignor Johannes Harmannes Jozefus van den Hende, President of the Bishops’ Conference of the Netherlands, in the Keukenhof Floral Park in Lisse.