Tiptoe Through the Tulips
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The
Owl
Vol.
2, Issue 39
October 2, 2008
Baltimore,
Maryland
Dear Inquiring Traveler,
There was a secret behind the flamboyant colors that drove tulip lovers to madness during the 1630s’ Tulip Mania. It was neither one of those marvels imported from the far east nor the magic touch of a skilled gardener, but was something much more earthy.
Read on to find out what this secret was.
Regards,
Editor,
The Owl
Tiptoe Through the Tulips (part 2)
by Elise Warner
The tulips that drove the Dutch mad in the early 1600s were the so-called “Rembrandt tulips” with their brightly flamed flowers and frilly petals in seemingly infinite hues.
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Where is the Real Rembrandt Bulb?
Today, you’ll find the real Rembrandt tulip bulbs only in collectors’ cabinets. The exquisite variation in color that drove Europe crazy four centuries ago was found to be caused by a plant virus known as the mosaic and today no one will sell you the diseased bulbs anymore.
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But there’s no need to feel you’ve missed out. First of all, Rembrandt never painted such tulips. He painted portraits, landscapes, and narrative scenes. His name was given to the tulips simply because he was the most popular artist in Holland at the time of the tulip mania. And secondly, Dutch hybrid experts now produce tulips that are so similar to the original Rembrandt that they will please even the pickiest collector’s fancy. Try the Carnaval de Nice, the Mona Lisa, or the Flaming Parrot. Even though they’re not the original (although they may still be advertised as “Rembrandt tulips”), they are just as beautiful.
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Tulip Fields
Travelers passing fields of tulips after their first bloom may be surprised to see stems without heads. Tulips are allowed to flower for seven to ten days before mechanical harvesters clip the flower stalks to preserve nutrients for their bulbs. The flowers are often fed to cows—who prefer the red ones. The big business in Holland is supplying bulbs, not flowers, but the Dutch fill their gardens with magnificent blooms and buy bright bouquets for less than 5 euro.
If you yearn to see bright expanses of these blooms, but can’t escape to the countryside, go to the Amsterdam Tulip Museum. This is where you can watch a film that takes you to the tulip fields of the Netherlands and a modern tulip farm. The museum’s gift shop sells prints, books, antique tiles and other souvenirs. But if, like me, you prefer the real thing, the museum’s website offers dozens of varieties of tulip bulbs, from the modest wild yellow Sylvestris to the flamboyant American Dream.
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Growing Tulips
Tulips thrive when planted during the fall when the temperature of the soil is approximately 55 degrees Fahrenheit. A healthy tulip enjoys 15 weeks of winter and should be planted well beneath the soil in order to last for several years. Tulips come in many different color combinations, and can be feathered such as raspberry-red flowers on a white canvas, baby pink and pure snow-white, deep purple, buttercup yellow, blood-crimson, violet mauve—an infinite number of sizes, shapes, and colors to please everyone. There is no better place to see an amazing assortment of tulips than the Keukenhof Gardens near Harlem in southern Holland. Every spring the top professional growers are provided with a section of the gardens to show their best flowers of the season. They plant over 7 million bulbs of tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, and crocuses, offering one of the most colorful spectacles on earth. The Gardens will open next from March 19 to May 21.
So in Spring 2009, don't forget to grab your camera and enjoy a
leisurely stroll through the world’s largest flower
garden! |
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