tulips

Everything about these flowers fascinates me: their origin, history, legends, meaning and the many varieties and colours.

The tulip comes from the East, from Turkey to be precise, where it’s the national flower. It’s first appearance, in Europe was in Wien in the 16th century imported by the ambassador of the Roman empire. Then popularity spread throughout Europe.

From 1644 till 1647 the Dutch people became obsessed with tulips. During this period the price of the bulbs increased so much that people made a lot of money and others lost their entire fortune. Finally in the 19th century the government decided to regulate the prices making them accessible to everybody.

Nowadays the 16h of January in Holland is the national tulip day. In the biggest square in Amsterdam, Dam Square, an awesome temporary garden is created with more than 200.000 tulips. Ten thousand people visit Dam Square every year and receive a tulip.

A few of my favorites are:

French tulips: the stems are long and very willowy. It’s fascinating to see how these tulips move around and bend while time is passing.

Double tulips: the head has at least 15 petals and when it opens up it reminds me of a peony. A variety which is ideal for brides-to-be in late winter and early spring is the “Fox- trot”. The hues vary from white to pale pink.

Parrots tulips: their petals remind me of colourful feathers of a parrot

I’m always bewitched to see how tulips change during their lifetime. They grow, bend, open up and change the hues of their blossom. They’re a true gift from nature.

Tip: don’t put more than 5 fingers of water in the vase. It’s incredible how much they grow, so keep this in mind when creating your floral arrangement.