Tulips – From Wildflowers to an International Obsession

Tulips…widely recognized symbol of Netherlands is not native to the land. During my trip to Amsterdam last year, I came to know about the story of Tulips which were originally wildflowers growing in the Middle East, and how they landed up in the Netherlands and became nothing short of a National Craze. A walking tour of Amsterdam by Sandemans got me interested in this story, and forced me to visit the famous and not-so-famous Tulip Markets, Tulip Museum and Tulip Gardens of Netherlands.

Tulips were brought to the Netherlands in the late-16th century from the Ottoman Empire where the flower had been cultivated for decades prior. A botanist by the name of Carolus Clusius was one of the first to really pioneer the cultivation of tulips in the Netherlands around 1590. He had his own private garden in which he planted numerous bright and beautiful tulips and devoted much of his later life to studying the tulip and the mysterious phenomenon known as tulip breaking. Slowly, but steadily tulips won over the heart of an entire country. It was almost unbelievable when I came to know about something called Tulip-Mania which gripped Netherlands in the 17th Century. The love for Tulips still swept across Netherlands and the price of flowers was on a steady rise until it skyrocketed to a level that was unprecedented. Tulip Trade became very popular among people, and the flowers as well as bulbs became the new Dutch currency, almost like crypto-currencies of today. Tulip Gardens Keukenhof 

During the same time as Tulip Mania, some varieties of tulips suddenly started getting strange patters on their petals, which made them even more beautiful. The cause of these mysterious patterns was later found to be a virus and the infected flowers became even more expensive than healthier ones. With beautiful patters lining the petals, these flowers were so immensely pretty that artificial ways to breed these multicolored tulips were devised soon, and the phenomenon came to be known as ‘Tulip Breaking‘  which was further responsible for increase in prices.Tulip Gardens Keukenhof

There are a lot of facts about how expensive the flower had become and I was told that once a house by a canal in Amsterdam was sold off in return of 10 such bulbs. As unbelievable as that is, the bubble had to burst some day, and it did. The cause still not clear, but one day it all came crashing down and people lost a lot of money, lives ruined, and the Dutch had to re-build the economy. These were testing times for the country, as World War -11 had it’s affect as well adding to the misery. One of the worst famine recorded in Europe also occurred this time, making it a very difficult time. But then the Tulip helped people survive. The stock of bulbs that people had accumulated ( which didn’t cost a thing now) turned out to be the only source of nutrition to many families who couldn’t afford food. Tulip, thus, runs in the blood of Dutch people, and the love for the flower is still widely seen all around. Tulip Gardens Keukenhof 

Amsterdam Tulip Museum showcases the history of this beloved flower and is a must visit if you’re interested in bits of interesting information about how Tulips became the symbol of the Netherlands. I was so intrigued by this mysterious flower and the path it had taken to reach Europe that I planned a visit, which was super informative. I also visited a couple of tulip markets in the city, and got a few bulbs which refused to sprout in India. 🙁  Tulip Gardens Keukenhof 

 

If you’re visiting Amsterdam, then Keukenhof Garden has to be in your itinerary. Keukenhof is the International and independent showcase for the Dutch floricultural sector, with a special emphasis on flower bulbs. In the space of eight weeks Keukenhof shows what the Dutch floricultural sector has to offer. The park’s focus is on the 7 million spring-flowering bulbs, which allow the 100 participating companies to show their living catalogue. 500 flower growers present an enormous variety of cut flowers and pot plants at the over 20 flower shows.T

It all began in 1949 when a group of 20 leading flower bulb growers and exporters came up with the plan to use the estate to exhibit spring-flowering bulbs, signalling the birth of Keukenhof as a spring park. The park opened its gates to the public in 1950 and was an instant hit, with 236,000 visitors in the first year alone. 2018 will be the 69th edition of Keukenhof, with Romance in Flowers as its theme. Open for only two months a year, Keukenhof Gardens, a major tourist draw for Netherlands are located just south of Haarlem and most of the gardens are located on public transportation routes for easy access. With flowers that seem like a dream, a visit to Keukenhof is a once in a lifetime experience that leaves you in awe. A carpet of flowers of different colors and varieties, it seems like mother nature has sprinkled her love on earth during Spring. Just 35 km from Amsterdam, this beautiful carpet of colorful flowers will blow your mind away!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don’t forget to visit the nearby Tulip fields as well, for that’s only going to add to this wonderful, colorful experience of a lifetime. Though most farmers grow tulips not for the cut-flower industry but the bulb-industry and that means the blooms have to be chopped off sooner to get healthy bulbs. Nevertheless, whether it is the fields or the gardens, the beauty of Tulips is enchanting enough to plan a trip to the Netherlands. Tulip Gardens Keukenhof 

 

 

Picture Credits – Aggy Pictures