Gardenbuddies Magazine

404 File Not Found Sorry, the file you were looking for could not be found. It may have moved to a new location. Please use the navigation links at the top or search our forums. You will now be redirected to Gardenbuddies!

World Clock

Pacific Eastern Japan Finland Germany Australia UK

All times are GMT -8. The time now is 06:49 PM.
Vbulletin 3.7.4 Copyright ©2000 - 2008, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
SEO by vBSEO 3.2.0 Copyright ©2003 - 2008, Gardenbuddies.com

Contact Us - Gardenbuddies.com - Archive - Privacy Statement - Top

Tulipomania

There is no other flower that fills the spring garden with such a riot of color as the tulip! Their very identifiable shape and intense colors offer a vibrant relief from the drab shades of winter. One of the most rewarding pleasures of being a ‘northern gardener’ is that tulips grow best in zones 3-8.

Although Holland and tulips will always be synonymous, the tulip was originally a wild flower growing in Central Asia, where the word tulip meant "turban" - describing the flower’s shape.

Did you know that there is a period in the history of tulips which is similar to the U.S. stock market crash of the 1920’s? Fortunes were made and lost in the tulip trade in this bizarre story.

During the second half of the 16th century, news of the beautiful, coveted and highly protected flower of the Turkish Empire reached Europe. Clusius, the Prefect of the Royal Medicinal Gardens in Prague was able to obtain few tulip seeds from Turkey and later, he fled to the Netherlands and became the curator of the Leiden Botanical Gardens in Holland. With him, he brought the tulips. This is when the history of the tulip in Holland begins. The coarse, sandy soil in the area between the North Sea and Amsterdam was perfect for tulip cultivation. Eventually, his tulips were stolen by those anxious to have and exploit the rare flowers. At first, the tulip was a luxury that only the very wealthy could afford. Tulips became a status symbol and wealthy Dutch and European aristocrats had to have them!

earlyfosteriana.orangebrilliant.may9.jpg - 118065 Bytes

In the 1630's, speculation in tulip bulbs reached absurd heights. Rare varieties were sold over and over again, even while the bulbs were still in the ground. People went crazy, selling everything they possessed and giving up their professions to patronize bars and inns all over Holland, selling parcels of "rare" tulip bulbs over and over. Individual bulbs were sold for the equivalent of a large villa in the best part of Amsterdam or the equivalent of 15 year's wages for the average bricklayer! As Alan Greenspan said of the “dot com” craze – “irrational exuberation” abounded! Then, on the 3rd of February 1637, the tulip “bubble” burst. Suddenly, there were no buying bids, only sellers. Thousands of people were ruined financially. This was the end of the absurd era which is called "Tulipomania".

Tulips are grouped into at least 16 categories according to time of bloom. The Early-Flowering tulips are the Species, Single Early, Double Early, Kaufmanniana, and Fosteriana tulips. Mid-season tulips are Mendel, Triumph, Greigii, Darwin hybrid varieties. Late-flowering tulips are the Fringed, Lily, Cottage, Rembrandt, Parrot, Double Late or Peony Flowered and Multi-Stemmed varieties.

viridiflora.springgreen.may17.jpg - 66978 Bytes

Tulips need a cold period in order to bloom. As a very loose guide, plant tulips in late fall as long as the ground is workable. I’ve actually planted tulips just before Christmas. In the warmest areas, you can give tulip bulbs the cold period they need by storing them in the refrigerator for about 6-8 weeks before planting in your beds. Before planting tulips bulbs, it’s a good idea to amend the soil. I usually dig a large oval trench and sprinkle bone meal in the hole before placing my bulbs. Organic matter, such as compost, can also be added to enrich the soil, if needed. Tulips look best planted in groups of 5 to 11, and, preferably 20 or more bulbs for a dramatic affect. Try planting tulips with early-flowering annuals and perennials as pansies, forget-me-nots, bleeding heart and columbine or with other bulbs such as muscari, scilla and hyacinths.

singleearly.apricotbeaty.may5.jpg - 73224 Bytes

Sadly, many tulips flower best the first spring after planting and sometimes will return for only three years. To help your tulips bulbs return, cut off the faded bloom and let the leaves yellow and die without removing. The small-flowered tulips, such as Kaufmanniana or the species tulips will naturalize and flower as perennials for many years since they have not been overly cross-bred. Species, Darwins, Fosterianas and Lily-flowering bulbs are good choices for returning blooms. Look for bulbs labeled “naturalizing" or "perennializing". Another tip is to plant the bulbs deeper. The deeper you plant and the better drained your soil, the better chance your tulips will return. Experiment! I have had some Red and Yellow Darwins (Apeldoorns), Yellow Fringed Carrousel and Greigii tulips in my garden for many years. For more than two seasons, I’ve had good luck with yellow lily-flowering tulips, Apricot Beauty – which has been classified as both Triumph and Single early tulip, and Spring Green, a Veridiflora. However, even if you plant tulips bulbs as annuals, they will give you wonderful, rewarding color in the spring!

triumph.hollandia.may5.jpg - 64250 Bytes

Right now, you have plenty of time to plan your tulip plantings for next fall and bulb catalogs are already arriving. If you plan well and use several different classes of tulips, you can have tulips blooming for several weeks in the spring.

Bonus Tulips
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Written by Susanq

404 Page Not Found