As a flower that makes itself known each year before the arrival of spring, tulips play a traditional role in helping us chase away the winter and welcome warmer temperatures. It’s time to forget record-breaking snowfall and embrace daylight savings time, longer days, and the new season.
A History that Spans the Globe
Always a welcome sight on any occasion, tulips boast a history that’s as vibrant as a colorful tulip bulb garden. Tracing their roots to Asia, tulips became increasingly popular when the people of Turkey began using them around 1,000 AD to decorate their clothing and for medicinal purposes.
Bulb Garden
Hundreds of years later, a Flemish biologist named Carolus Clusius brought them to the rest of Europe, where they quickly became a popular part of gardens and decorative accents.
Incredibly, the tulip is probably the only flower to have caused a complete financial collapse of the economy. The bulbs became so pricey at one point that thousands of families went bankrupt after selling their homes and livestock to invest in tulip bulbs only to see the market crash.
Even more interesting is the tulip’s role in World War II when the Dutch, experiencing a terrible famine, began eating the petals when no other food was available.
Using Tulips Today
In their centuries of popularity, tulips have never gone out of style. If you find yourself in Holland one day, you’ll want to put Keukenhof on your list of adventures. Fields of over 7 million flower bulbs greet you when you visit this treasured and beautiful part of the country.
Fortunately, it doesn’t take a trip across the pond to find beautiful tulips for your event or special occasion. Want to celebrate the spring sunshine? You might think about an arrangement of cheerful yellow tulips made whimsical when arranged in a pail.
Fetch a Pail
Tulips are also a prime flower for special events like spring holidays, weddings, and festivals. Is it time to dust off the china and invite friends over for a spring brunch? Do it with tulips as your centerpieces.
You might also think about planting your own tulip bulbs, which is particularly fun if you’ve never tried to grow a flower that comes from a bulb. This autumn, take your bulbs and plant them about two months before the first hard frost. Then, see your tulips pop out of the ground in the spring.
Easy and beautiful, tulips are your perfect spring partner for gifts and flower-inspired décor. Visit your local Montana florist for colorful tulips and fun gifting ideas.
