Tulips
Tulips have been my favorite flower for more years than I can count. As I am allergic to roses, tulips have been the great wonders of holidays. I'll never forget the year my son brought me 30 tulips for my birthday. I put them in vases and we had a fun time taking photos. Did you know that, if you cut tulips and put them in a vase, they will continue to grow? It's possible that they get 1" taller. The photo below (taken by my husband) is my favorite photo. I pressed the petals and have them. Nothing like forever flowers.
Did you know that tulips are actually from Asia? It was in 1594 when they first bloomed in Holland. Carolus Clusius, a botanist planted tulips. Because of his planting that first tulip,1594 is when it is said they first started growing in Holland. We close our eyes and can see the fields of tulips as they reach for the sun in Holland. Today more than 3 billion tulips are grown in Holland. You can now find them all over the world.
When you look at a tulip you will see that they are in proportion which makes them pleasant to the eye. They got their name from "delband" which is Persian for turban, because of the shape of the tulip. The petals wrap around. Tulip stems were used to decorate turbans.
The most expensive flower between 1634 and 1637 was the tulip. Can you imagine spending ten times what you make in a year on tulips? This time period was called "Tulip Mania." Tulip prices were higher than houses. Imagine that! Luckily, prices have gone down. With more and more tulips available, we consumers are able to buy tulips whenever we wish. There are over 150 types of tulips and more than 3,000 different varieties, although the varieties take 20 years to cultivate before we see them.
Tulips bulbs are poisonous because they contain alkaloid and glycoside. Although we are able to eat the petals, they taste awful. Some people use them in place of onions. They are poisonous to cats, dogs and horses. Some people even make wine with them. Lily is in the same family group. Each spring, tulips decorate the state capitol. It is a sight to behold. It brings so much joy to so many people. Catch them when you can, as they only last a few days.
Tulips, my favorite flower. They make me smile each time I see them. Out front there are a few beauties that come forth from the Earth each spring.Open your eyes this spring and enjoy the beautiful tulips while they last. Look at them at different angles. See how their petals come out of the center, see the stem's view of the flower. No matter how you look at them, they are a treasure.
Thank you for visiting!
Next week: learn about the turkey mating dance.
Judy
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