By Sandy Klim

Although many believe that tulips were developed in Holland, tulips were originally a wild flower growing in Central Asia. They were brought to the Netherlands in the 17th century by Carolus Clusius, a famous botanist who was hired to research plants for medicinal properties. Because he received the bulbs from a Turkish friend, he named them “tulips”—the Turkish name for turban.

They soon gained major popularity and bulbs were sold for unbelievably high prices. Botanists began to hybridize the flowers to make even more tempting specimens. Between 1636 and 1637, the normally frugal and sensible Dutch were consumed by tulip fever. The price of tulips skyrocketed and people were literally going broke to own them.

Houses were mortgaged and one man was even sentenced to prison for stealing a bulb he mistakenly thought was an onion and eating it! Eventually the craze died down, yet tulips remained extremely popular due to their bright colors and unique petals.

They have been exported throughout the world and there are more than 3,500 varieties in the Netherlands. The tulip is the third-most selling flower in Holland today.

Around the world, tulips are the most widely grown bulb. The bulb should be planted in the autumn because they need a long period of low temperatures to spark the biochemical process that makes them bloom. Tulips should be in the ground at least two weeks before the first night frost, so that they have time to develop strong roots.

Once cut, the tulip continues to grow in water and will curve towards the light. Tulips come in most colors, except black.

The tulip can be seen on many paintings by the old Dutch masters, but most often it is just one, not a bunch. Why? In those days, the tulip could be as expensive as gold. And the painters were normally not rich, therefore they could only afford one. It was not unusual that this one tulip was shared between several artists.

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