A big bunch of tulips does not automatically make you rich and famous in the Netherlands nowadays. However things were very different a few centuries ago, when the Dutch weren't giving bunches of flowers to celebrate moving house – instead they paid for entire canal side houses with tulip bulbs. If only that was still the case in Europe!
Real sultans wear tulips
When the tulip arrived in Turkey from Iran, Afghanistan and Kazakhstan, it was soon adopted by sultans as the finishing touch on their outfit: they would stick a tulip in their turban. This is why the flower was given the name ‘tulipan’, which means ‘turban’.
A long journey
In 1550 Turkey was a powerful state. The palace gardens of the sultan Suleiman were filled with the most beautiful tulips, and in those days a human life was worth less than the flower. Sultan Suleiman had considerable status, and this powerful man very occasionally gave a guest the gift of tulips. One lucky recipient was a nobleman from Flanders. This nobleman then gave the floral treasure to a friend who was in charge of the Emperor of Austria’s herb garden.
Grab and run
The friend moved from Austria to the Netherlands to take up a professorship at the University of Leiden, where he was also put in charge of the university’s herb garden. Naturally, the tulips travelled with him. He tended and studied the remarkable flowers as if his life depended on it, so it came as a great shock when he discovered one morning that the tulip bulbs had been stolen from his garden. The Dutch trade in tulip bulbs had begun.
Expensive petals
The tulip became the flower of the moment. Lots of people with money invested in this magical, unusual flower and prices shot up. Some went for the quick buck and invested everything they had in a single bulb – including, sometimes, their house. The mania that accompanied the buying and selling of tulips was simply asking for trouble.
The bubble burst
In February 1637 the government brought an end to the trade in tulips and the market completely collapsed. Some people had earned incredible amounts of money, whilst others were left with nothing but a worthless piece of paper.
Tulip joy for everyone
The tulip remains an iconic flower in the Netherlands. We Dutch have embraced it as the country’s unofficial national flower. Bringing a tulip bulb into a real estate office might not get you very far these days, but a generous bouquet at home is sure to brighten your day. You can choose from over 150 different varieties and thousands of hybrids. Want to keep them looking their best in a vase for as long as possible? Check out these 10 smart tulip care tips.
