Read by Matilda Longbottom

April is upon us, and flowers are starting to appear. When I began researching which flowers would bloom best in my area in April, tulips kept rising to the top of the list. I was instantly intrigued and led down a path of memories.

I must admit, it has been years since I last planted tulips. When my girls were younger, it seemed like every Spring, there was a fundraiser where they sold small pots of tulips. We would always buy a few and plant them in front of the house. They would return each year (for a few years) and join the new ones we continued to add. At one point, it almost looked like our front yard was our own personal Keukenhof Gardens. We had a gorgeous display of blooms every April.

After a while, the fundraisers stopped, the bulbs we had planted stopped blooming, and the color slowly faded away. Life with teenagers was busy, and I forgot all about planting new ones. Besides, it wasn’t as exciting without little hands helping to dig the soil.

Now, many years later, I’m thinking it may be time to bring back a tulip garden. After all, tulips symbolize rebirth and new beginnings—what could be more fitting for my garden each Spring? My natural curiosity took over, and I started looking into the history of tulips.

Tulips were originally discovered in Kazakhstan in the 16th century. The sultan of the Ottoman Empire was so impressed with their beauty that he added them to his garden. Each year, when the tulips were in bloom, he would hold a lavish garden party where everyone could admire them.

That may well have been the first tulip festival, but it was certainly not the last. Today, multiple tulip festivals take place each year in the United States, Canada, and the Netherlands, primarily in April or May when the tulips are in peak bloom. The largest of these festivals is the Canadian Tulip Festival, held in Ottawa, Ontario, every May. Over a million tulips are featured each year. This festival, which has been held since 1953, honors not only the tulip flower but also Canada’s role in the liberation of the Netherlands during WWII.

One of the most famous places to see tulips is Keukenhof in the Netherlands. Keukenhof houses the world’s largest garden, with over seven million bulbs hand-planted each Fall to bloom in the Spring. It is open for only about six weeks, from the end of March until the beginning of May. During that time, over a million people visit to view the gardens, with attendees arriving from more than 100 different countries.

Learning all of this has made me see tulips in a new light, and I now know they are a flower I definitely want to showcase. With such a variety of colors, I’ll certainly be able to add a splash of Spring color to my front gardens. It’s a little late for me to start with bulbs this year, so I’m beginning with a few plants from the local elementary school fundraiser. (Thankfully, they haven’t stopped selling them yet!) I’ve also started a wish list for the colors of bulbs I’ll be adding this Fall. I’m thinking of orange, pink, yellow, and red. I can’t wait to see all of those delightful colors poke through the ground next Spring!

Do you plant tulips in your yard? If so, what color do you favor? ❖