The History of Tulips: The Queen of Spring Flowers With Oriental Origins
Today, tulips are a symbol of spring, elegance, and colorful beauty. We associate them with Holland, windmills, and endless fields. Their true origin, however, reaches deep into Asia. To uncover their story, we have to travel back to the mountain regions of what is now Mongolia and China, from where they spread, along with the expansion of Genghis Khan's empire, all the way to Turkey.
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Tulips are blooming right now. Which color will be yours?
Why Are Tulips Called "Tulips"?
The whole thing started with a misunderstanding. The name comes from the Turkish word for turban – "thoulypen." According to legend, the Flemish ambassador Ogier Ghiselin de Busbecq, during a trip to Istanbul in 1554, spotted gorgeous wildflowers along the road. When he asked a local farmer (who happened to be wearing a turban) what the flower was called, the farmer thought he was being asked about his headwear and answered "thoulypen." The ambassador wrote it down, and that's how the name Tulipa came to be.
How Did They Reach the Netherlands? (A Story of Theft)
We owe the fact that Holland is a tulip superpower today to (and, in a way, to a bunch of thieves) the Frenchman Charles de l'Écluse. He was an imperial gardener who brought the first bulbs to Europe. But he jealously guarded his collection and refused to sell it to Dutch merchants – or demanded astronomical sums for it. This led local merchants to break into his garden one night, steal the bulbs, and unknowingly kick off the large-scale sale of tulips.
Tulip Mania: When a Bulb Cost as Much as a House
In the 17th century, a madness known as Tulip Mania broke out in Holland. Tulips became a symbol of absolute luxury.
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The price: The peak came in 1624, when a single bulb of the rare striped variety Semper Augustus sold for the price of a grand house in the center of Amsterdam at the time.
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The bubble: The market eventually collapsed, but the love for tulips remained.
Luckily, there's no risk of tulip mania today, and a bouquet of tulips is accessible to everyone. There are over 4,000 varieties – from classic yellow and white to black, purple, or fringed "parrot" types.
A Spring Bouquet of Tulips
What You Don't Know About Tulips (Care)
There's one thing that often surprises our customers.
Did you know tulips keep growing in a vase? Unlike roses, which simply open up, a tulip keeps growing taller even after being cut (sometimes by 3–5 cm).
Our tip: If you're arranging them in a bouquet with other varieties, tie the tulips in a little lower. By the next day, the other flowers will have "caught up."
Water: Tulips love ice-cold water. They only need a little (about 5 cm), otherwise the stems quickly "go soft" and bend.
Celebrate the arrival of spring with a bouquet that has a royal history.
Team KvětinyExpres.cz
