Dutch Connection Annual Floral Display Returns to George Eastman Museum
Rochester, N.Y., January 27, 2026—The George Eastman Museum’s annual Dutch Connection floral display will be on view February 6–22 throughout the historic mansion. A favorite drawing thousands of visitors yearly, the display serves as a sweet reminder that spring is on its way.
Every year between 1905 and 1932, George Eastman ordered tens of thousands of bulbs from Holland. The orders were mostly for tulips, narcissus, and hyacinths for his gardens, and some for indoor forcing (tricking bulbs to bloom out of season). Eastman’s annual bulb orders were inspired by the flower fields he saw while bicycling through the countryside during a trip to Holland in 1895. A nod to those original orders, the annual display features thousands of colorful tulips, hyacinths, daffodils, amaryllis, and spring annuals, filling the historic mansion. Tropical orchids, courtesy of the Genesee Regional Orchid Society, are displayed as well.
In addition to enjoying the array of bulb flowers, visitors have the opportunity to take part in related events and activities, including:
Plant Sale: Take a piece of Dutch Connection home by purchasing a plant at the Lipson Welcome Center.
Valentine’s Day Brunch & Film: A delicious brunch, flowering bulbs, and a screening of The King and I (Walter Lang, US 1956, 133 min., 35mm) on Sunday, February 15. Brunch will be served in the Museum at 10 a.m. with the film screening at 12 p.m. in the Dryden Theatre. $75 Registration required. RSVP by Saturday, January 31. Organized by the Eastman Museum Council.
In Focus: Dutch Connection: Join Landscape Manager Byron Smith for a virtual lecture that takes you behind the scenes of Dutch Connection. Friday, February 6 at 2 p.m., Online. Free to all; advance registration required.
Dutch Connection Coffee Talks: Join Landscape Manager Byron Smith over a hot drink as he discusses the various aspects of what it takes to design and implement a large flower show. An Ugly Duck coffee cart will be presented by Van Putte Gardens and there will be a guided tour of the display following the talk. $10 members; $30 nonmembers. Registration required. Sunday, February 8, 10 a.m. and Saturday, February 14, 9 a.m., in the 7Crest Financial Partners Hall.
Family-friendly activities: Throughout Dutch Connection, try your hand at building LEGO® flower sets, read about bulb flowers, and draw your own in the Donna Fielding Discovery Room. A scavenger hunt will also be available for participation throughout the bulb show.
Free Bulb Kits for Kids: Available for children, free with museum admission. Kits include a pot, soil, and a forced bulb to take home, plant, and watch grow and flower. While supplies last.
Open Face: During Dutch Connection, Open Face will feature floral teas and baked goods, along with the usual favorites.
Music in the Mansion: Organ music will be performed on weekends throughout the run of the floral display.
Dutch Connection is generously sponsored by Karen Kral in memory of Gerald "Jerry" Kral. In-kind support provided by Monroe County Parks Department and Pike's Greenhouse (Avon, NY). Ugly Duck coffee cart presented by Van Putte Gardens.
About the George Eastman Museum
Founded in 1947, the George Eastman Museum is the world’s oldest photography museum and one of the largest film archives in the United States. Its holdings comprise more than 400,000 photographs, 31,000 motion picture films, the world’s preeminent collection of photographic and cinematographic technology, one of the leading libraries of books and archival materials related to photography and cinema, and extensive holdings of documents and other objects related to George Eastman. The museum is located on the historic Rochester estate of entrepreneur and philanthropist George Eastman, the pioneer of popular photography. As a research and teaching institution, the Eastman Museum has an active publishing program, and its L. Jeffrey Selznick School of Film Preservation’s graduate program (a collaboration with the University of Rochester) makes critical contributions to film preservation. The George Eastman Museum is supported with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. For more information, visit eastman.org.
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Photo by Erich Camping