Flower of the Week

Garden Tulip: Perfect Love, Beauty

Tulips (Tulipa gesneriana) are the most popular bulbous flower, and one of the most popular flowers in spring. Few people know it is a perennial herb that spends the winter in the bulb. The flowers are large and colorful; red, yellow, white, and pink are the most common. These elegant and exotic flowers have been popular since they were introduced into Europe in the late 16th century.

In Europe, the tulip is known as “the queen of flowers.” Thanks to a hundred years of effort, horticulturists have registered more than 3,000 tulip varieties, despite the fact that there are about 15 different varieties in one similar flower pattern.

Place of Interest

The best place to view tulips is the famous Keukenhof Park in the Netherlands—a sea of seven million tulip bulbs. Arrive at the park in the early morning; it will be difficult to take great photos when the park is crowded.

You can also drive around outside of the Keukenhof park. In Lisse, the endless tulip fields will definitely leave you in awe.

Around April every year, the International Istanbul Tulip Festival takes place in the Emirgan Park in Istanbul, Turkey. It exhibits various new varieties cultivated locally and abroad, and local art performances. The festival lasts for 20 days. Not only are the parks filled with tulips, but the gardeners plant millions of tulips in Istanbul’s public spaces. The whole city of Istanbul is a sea of tulips at this time of the year.

Besides the Netherlands and Turkey, Canada holds the Canadian Tulip Festival every year in Ottawa, which has a history of nearly 70 years. The festival takes place in Commissioner’s Park, with dozens of tulip varieties and more than 300,000 flowers.

The Netherlands Or Turkey?

Although the Netherlands comes to mind first when it comes to tulips, tulips are actually from Turkey. Tulips are almost everywhere in Turkey. Since the 12th century, they have been widely used in pictures, stone carvings, wood carvings, ceramic tiles, carpets, curtains, clothing, and other decorations.

The beautiful cup-shaped flowers and attractive bright colors make them the favorite flower in the hearts of the Turkish people. In the palace of the Ottoman Empire, the most frequently used flower patterns were tulips. Moreover, tulips are often depicted in Turkish poems and songs that praise their beauty, nobility, and sanctity.

The Dutch word “Tulp” is a transliteration of the Turkish “tülbend,” which originally meant turban. To the Ottoman Turks, tulips are like their headscarves. When the ambassador of the Holy Roman Empire (O. G. de Busbecq, 1522-1592) traveled to Ottoman Turkey, he named the tulip “Tulp” because he often saw the flower on the turban of the Turks.

The first economic bubble in history

Tulips were introduced into the Netherlands in 1593. Due to the short time frame and the limited quantity when of its introduction to Europe, tulips became extremely expensive. In France, the country that advocated pomp and luxury, many dignitaries displayed tulips as luxury goods to flaunt their wealth. Their wife would wear tulip ornaments on evening dresses as a symbol of status.

Driven by this extravagant lifestyle, the price of luxury tulip varieties rose day by day. The sharp rise in price attracted a large amount of foreign capital to the Netherlands, fueling the tulip trade. The price of tulip futures contracts skyrocketed. In a month after October 1636, the price of tulips increased ten times.

The tulip bubble lasted only a winter. After the spring of 1637, the government of the Netherlands intervened in the chaotic flower market. Prices dropped to 1 percent at first and then down to 1 thousandth. This is the earliest case of the bubble economy in human history.

Can I grow a decent tulip?

Planting tulips from bulbs will be interesting for beginners because it is pretty easy to get blooming tulips. Tulips prefer sunlight and have medium water requirements. Try to avoid planting them too close together.

In open field planting, plant in late October. The spacing between the bulbs should be at least 14 cm (5.5 inches), while the depth of the bulb should be about 25 cm (10 inches). When potting, select a medium-sized pot and add a new pot mix. Then, bury the bulb, making sure the bulb tip is perpendicular to the surface of the soil. After planting, add water and place it in a cool place for three to five days. Then place in a ventilated, sunny place. Whether in garden, field, or pots, tulips require the right amount of fertilizer for better growth.

Please be careful not to let your pet eat your tulips, as they are toxic to cats, dogs, and horses.

Size: 10-72 centimeters (4-28 inches) in height, depending on species

Hardiness: USDA Zones 4-6

Sunlight: Full sun to partial shade

Soil: Fertile sandy soil, well-drained

Bloom time: Spring