In the 15th century Countess Jacqueline of Bavaria was the owner of the estate. In these grounds she hunted and in the court next to her fortress “Teylingen”, she grew herbs and vegetables for the kitchen. That is where the name Keukenhof comes from: Kitchen Garden. In 1850 the original design for the park was made by father and son Zocher, landscape architects from Haarlem. In 1949 a group of flower bulb growers and exporters came up with the idea of holding an exhibition as showcase for the flower bulb industry. The total area of the park measures 32 hectares (about 80 acres). Every year 7 million flower bulbs are planted in more than 1600 different varieties. Every year most of the grass (especially under the trees) is removed and about 7000 kilos of annual grass is sown