15 items of tulip trivia
1. On the third Saturday of January, the tulip season will be officially opened with a
gigantic tulip-picking garden.
2. From Tulip Day onwards, you can enjoy over 100 days of tulips.
3. With tulips, you bring springtime indoors.
4. The tulip was discovered in Europe when in 1562, a cargo vessel carrying fabric
from the Ottoman Empire arrived at the Port of Antwerp with a number of strange
tulip bulbs among the fabric.
5. From 1634 to 1637, the prices of the recently introduced tulip bulbs in the
Netherlands reached extreme heights. During this tulip mania, tulips were worth
about as much as an Amsterdam canal-side house.
6. Yellow and pink are the colours of the tulips given on International Women’s Day
(8 March).
7. The tulip is becoming increasingly popular in Spain as a Valentine’s flower. The
red tulips in particular are popular because of the colour symbolising love and
passion.
8. In 2015, a red and white tulip was named after Paul McCartney. The colours of
the Tulipa Paul McCartney are a reference to the city in which he was born,
Liverpool.
9. The Netherlands, France, Germany and Great Britain are the main buyers of
tulips. (FloraHolland)
10. All new tulips are registered with the Royal General Bulb Growers' Association
(KAVB). Over 8000 varieties of tulip have now been registered.
11. A large number of tulips are named after famous people, such as: Katie Melua,
Mickey Mouse, Rambo, Armani, Pink Floyd and Abba. (FloraHolland)
12. Tulips continue to grow another few centimetres in the vase, so you should
choose a vase that is tall enough.
13. A tulip bulb retains a reserve stock of food in the centre of the bulb, so it is
possible that the tulip will start to flower early in the season.
14. Research has revealed that apart from its cast-iron spring image, the tulip, more
than any other flower, has additional positive associations: colourful, typically
Dutch and not expensive.
15. Over 1.9 billion flowers find their way to tulip lovers all around the world each
spring.