TULIPS

              The Netherlands in Springtime

 

            The tulip originally came from Asia and the Mediterranean. The word is said to come from

tuliban, meaning turban. The upside down turban-like flowers were cultivated for centuries in Persia before the first bulb arrived in Europe. The first bulbs sent to Europe were sent to Vienna, and the Crown Imperial tulip takes its name from the imperial gardens of  that city.

            The first tulips were long stemmed red cultivars and were illustrated in 1559. After 14 years at the Viennese Imperial Gardens, botanist, Clusius, moved to Leiden, Netherlands where he founded the first botanic garden (Hortus Academicus) to focus on ornamental plants rather than medicinal ones.

            He developed a private tulip collection from which he sold specimens for outrageous prices. Unwilling to pay the steep price, yet desirous of the plants, local gardeners broke into his gardens one night and stole many specimen tulips. It is from this that the now famous Dutch bulb industry developed.

            Today tulip bulbs are a major Dutch export product. About 93% of all bulbs in the word come from the Netherlands. 2700 growers cultivate 52,000 acres of bulbs, plus more than 23,000 acres of land are dedicated to greenhouse production. The industry employs 20,000 people. However, the average bulb farm is only 20 acres. Over 9 billion bulbs are produced annually, one third of which are tulips. Those three billion tulips, if planted four inches apart, would circle the globe at the equator seven times!

            Tulip mania occurred in the early 1600s. This sprang from the tendency of tulips to be infected with a virus, resulting in odd, yet often attractive colored streaking in the flowers. These broken tulips became prized, sought widely, and worth many guilders (money). This led to widespread trading and speculation until in 1637 when there was a sudden market collapse. Those lovely tulips are depicted in the art of Dutch masters and today tulips with streaking, but without any virus, are called Rembrandt tulips.

            Tulips adapt well to any soil type that is well drained. Tulips require cool spring temperatures to bloom at their best. Between September and December, tulip bulbs are planted in the ground at a depth equal to twice the bulbs' height.

            One must visit The Netherlands in mid springtime to see the absolutely gorgeous displays of tulips growing in fields creating huge pallets of vibrant color.