It is assumed that Boskoop originated from the settlement
Ten Bussche, founded by
William I, Count of Holland, in 1204. In 1222, the Abbey of Rijnsburg became owner of Boskoop. The Abbey decided to enlarge its tree and shrub inventory by making the farmers grow more trees than they would need for their own
orchards. From the 15th to the 17th century more and more trees were produced and decorative plants were introduced. At the end of the 19th century, Boskoop began with the export of its products, Germany being its first client. The history of Boskoop was greatly influenced by its location on top of a thick
peat layer. When the Abbey of Rijnsburg became owners of Boskoop, the harvesting of peat for fuel began. But unlike other towns in the "Green Heart" where extensive peat harvesting led to the formation of large ponds and lakes, Boskoop was too far from the major cities and peat harvesting was not profitable. Also the abbey did not permit the excavation of the peat layer on its lands. So Boskoop still has fertile soil for agriculture and horticulture. An obstacle to the
arboriculture was the high
groundwater level, which was just below the surface at Boskoop. Many canals and ditches were dug to drain the rain waters, up to 2000 km at one point in its history. Consequently, much transportation was done by means of these waterways. By introducing new drainage methods which lowered the groundwater level, many ditches could be filled again. Yet at the beginning of the 21st century, there are still many canals in Boskoop on which many nurseries rely for transportation. As a result, Boskoop is sometimes called "Small
Giethoorn". Nowadays, most plants are grown directly in pots, as opposed to open ground, and shipped to auction directly from the nursery. The viability of the nursery industry in Boskoop is also at risk, as nursery production has switched to container production, as opposed to field growing. The small size of the nurseries, the inability to mechanize, government regulations, the high cost of land, and the high cost of labor have all increased the economic pressure on the Boskoop nursery industry. The municipality of Boskoop had been in financial straits for the several years, in part because of the high cost of maintaining the constantly sinking roads, before it was amalgamated into
Alphen aan den Rijn. On 1 January 2014 the municipality was merged into Alphen aan den Rijn at the same time as
Rijnwoude. When it was dissolved, the municipality had a population of 15,196 and a total area of . ==Transport==