YOUR BEST A sea of spring color On a visit to a tulip farm in Holland, Robert Sharp of Prince George County captured this scene of acres and acres of tulips in bloom.

The Dutch East India Co. conducted a thriving global trade in the early 1600s. Journeys from Holland to Asia netted goods previously unknown to Europeans, such as remarkable spices and food products. Wealthy Dutch families especially valued the unusual plants brought home by the traders. The rarest plant species enriched the countrymen’s garden palettes and expanded their scientific knowledge. Elaborate display gardens were developed, plant collections were expanded and Holland’s botanical gardens were born.