DALLAS – The Dallas Arboretum is using its unique connection to the Netherlands to pay tribute to their soccer team when they play in Arlington during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Local perspective:

Every spring, the Dallas Arboretum imports more than 500,000 tulip bulbs from the Netherlands for its Dallas Blooms floral festival.

The festival was inspired by Dutch attractions like the Keukenhof Gardens in Amsterdam, where more than seven million bulbs are planted.

Dallas Blooms is now the largest outdoor floral festival in the southwest. Abbott Ipco has been the company providing tulips and daffodils to the Arboretum since 1984, which imports the tulips months before they begin blooming in late February.

However, tulip blooms only last four to six weeks in the early spring, so the Dallas Arboretum will plant orange caladiums this summer to pay tribute to the Netherlands’ soccer team when they play in Arlington this summer.

What they’re saying:

“European culture loves gardening, so when they travel, they go and check other gardens as well,” said Megan Proska, the Associate VP of Horticulture Collections at the Dallas Arboretum.

Proska says plans are already in motion to ensure the orange caladiums are ready to go when the Dutch soccer team is in town this summer.

Nelson Darden, the National Sales Director for Abbott Ipco, says Dallas Blooms is like a little Amsterdam in North Texas. He’s hoping to see the Dutch win the World Cup this year.

“People think of England or Argentina, but I feel like the Netherlands, no pun intended, is getting their flowers.”

The Netherlands in North Texas

Dig deeper:

FOX 4’s Peyton Yager has been covering the Netherlands’ soccer team, commonly known as the Orange Legion, ahead of their scheduled game against Japan in Arlington on June 14.

Henk’s European Deli & Black Forest Bakery

Henk’s European Deli and Black Forest Bakery plans to be a hub for Dutch soccer fans in North Texas this summer.

Founded by an immigrant from the Netherlands, the restaurant plans on importing a large screen to show all the Netherlands’ matches during the World Cup

Orange Double-Decker Bus

The Dutch’s iconic double-decker orange bus will make its way to Texas during this year’s tournament.

The bus will start in Galveston before driving up I-45 to Arlington for the team’s game against Japan on June 14.

With a successful launch complete, there is still a lot of work ahead for the crew of Artemis II. Dr. Phil Anderson, a physics professor at UT Dallas, answers some questions about the mission and what the crew is going through.

Lake Dallas residents confronted city leaders after a house explosion critically injured a woman and displaced several neighbors, demanding answers and accountability. Speakers said the blast was preventable and accused the city and Atmos Energy of failing to upgrade aging infrastructure, pointing to past outages and previous promises of improvements. Frustration in the room centered on the belief that the city has not done enough to protect residents or ensure utilities are meeting safety standards.