Keukenhof, also known as "the Garden of Europe," is situated near Lisse, Netherlands, and is the world's largest flower garden. Approximately seven million flower bulbs are planted annually at Keukenhof Park. Keukenhof is located in South Holland between the towns of Hillegom and Lisse, south of Haarlem and southwest of Amsterdam. The flower garden was first conceived in 1949 by the then-mayor of Lisse, to provide a flower exhibit where growers from all over the Netherlands and Europe could show off their hybrids and help promote the Netherlands as the world's largest exporter of flowers. Keukenhof has been the world's largest flower garden for over fifty years, and is open annually from the last week of March to the middle of May.