Tulip Time

 

My tulips are blooming and filling my flower beds with a colorful display that makes me smile every time I set foot outside. 

These tulip bulbs came from bulbs my husband's grandmother transplanted from her mother's yard back in the 1950s. I felt very fortunate to get a few of them because they are so pretty and different from today's modern bulbs. 

I'm thrilled with the modern stripe and colors, though.

It's so fun to see them blooming. 

And it makes me wonder about the women who lived in rough, rugged places on the frontier. Did they plant tulips for a bit of color?

Or reminders of home? 

Tulips have such an interesting history. They’ve traveled continents, inspired art, and even caused one of the first economic bubbles in history.

Although many people assume they originated in the Netherlands, they were first discovered growing in the Near East and Mediterranean on mountain slopes and steppes. Those tulips looked different than today's garden varieties, with smaller petals and thinner leaves. 

Tulips were cultivated and cherished by the Ottoman Empire (modern-day Turkey) as early as the 10th century. The flowers became symbols of paradise, beauty, and abundance. Even the word tulip reportedly comes from a Persian/Turkish word meaning “turban,” because the flower resembled the shape.

Tulips made their way to Europe in the 1500s. The first recorded use of the word "tulip" was in a 1554 manuscript.  A few years later, the flowers were being cultivated although they remained aa bit of a rarity.

In 1590s Holland, Charles L’Ecluse planted the flower at the University of Leiden’s gardens – a leader in botanical innovation – and discovered it could tolerate Northern Europe’s harsh climate. 

For the wealthy, tulips became a symbol of luxury. The unusual colors and patterns made them highly desirable. 

Tulip bulbs were used for trade and lead to a period widely called “Tulip Mania,” which occurred in Amsterdam from 1634 to 1637. During this period, a single bulb could allegedly go for as much as 12,000 guilders – about the price of a fashionable Amsterdam townhouse.

Then the market fell out just as suddenly as it surged, but tulips were still planted. Still adored. 

Tulips traveled to America back in the 1600s. Although The Netherlands is still the leading grower of tulips in the world, there are many places across America that grow them commercially.  I wonder that those pioneer women would think to see acres of land covered in gorgeous tulips.

I bet they'd take a moment just to enjoy the splendor of fields bursting with color. 

What is your favorite spring flower?

USA Today Bestselling Author Shanna Hatfield grew up on a farm where her childhood brimmed with sunshine, hay fever, and an ongoing supply of learning experiences.

Shanna creates character-driven romances with realistic heroes and heroines. Her historical westerns have been described as “reminiscent of the era captured by Bonanza and The Virginian” while her contemporary works have been called “laugh-out-loud funny, and a little heart-pumping sexy without being explicit in any way.”

When this award-winning author isn’t writing or testing out new recipes (she loves to bake!), Shanna hangs out at home in the Pacific Northwest with her beloved husband, better known as Captain Cavedweller.

Find out more about Shanna and the sweet romances she writes on her website.