Tulip mania..... the blossoming fields of Nederlands

The creative mind of man makes beautifully conceivable structures – great patterns and more…. the computer aided designs make them more better – but nothing can beat Nature ~ read this and see the striking colors of the flowering tulip bulbs,  a typical sight in Holland during the spring. The bright red, pink and yellow colors are overwhelmingly beautiful and overwhelm us even to see on the computer…….. then what a sight it could be to see in person !

The tulip is a perennial, bulbous plant with showy flowers in the genus Tulipa.  They are largely found in Southern Europe, Israel, Palestine, Iran and some other countries.  A number of species and many hybrid cultivars are grown in gardens, as potted plants, or to display as fresh-cut flowers.

Tulips are associated in a big way with Nederlands…….the commercial cultivation of the flower  is believed to have begun in the Ottoman Empire.  In Persia, to give a red tulip was to declare your love. The black center of the red tulip was said to represent the lover's heart, burned to a coal by love's passion. Tulip mania was a period in the Dutch Golden Age during which contract prices for bulbs of the recently introduced tulip reached extraordinarily high levels and then suddenly collapsed. By 1636 the tulip bulb became the fourth leading export product of the Netherlands—after gin, herring and cheese. The price of tulips skyrocketed because of speculation in tulip futures among people who never saw the bulbs. It is stated that at the peak of tulip mania, in February 1637, some single tulip bulbs sold for more than 10 times the annual income of a skilled craftsman. The term "tulip mania" is now often used metaphorically to refer to any large economic bubble (when asset prices deviate from intrinsic values).

European papers including Guardian, Telegraph and Daily mail declare that if  you love flowers you must visit the colorful display of tulips and other springtime bulbs in bloom at the magnificent Keukenhof Gardens! The unforgettable seasonal display is created by more than seven million tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, spring bulbs and gorgeous trees. Keukenhof is one of Holland's top attractions and  there are special tours arranged for enjoying this display of flowers.  The striking colors of the flowering tulip bulbs are a typical sight in Holland during the spring. The bright red, pink and yellow colors are overwhelmingly beautiful and are a must see.

It is stated that the period from end March till mid May is the time when bulb fields bloom; however the exact period depends on the weather.  Reports state that at  the end of March the crocus season starts. The daffodils and early and small tulips are next, from the beginning of April. From mid-April the daffodils and the hyacinths bloom. Finally, from mid April until the first week in May the tulips show off their glorious colors.

Holland has a thriving horticultural industry and lowland fields turn  into a blanket of blooms.  By some accounts, starting in Haarlem, the northernmost point of the Bollenstreek Route—also known as the Bloemen Route (Flower Route)—and running approximately 25 miles (40 kilometers) south to Leiden, is the  drive that takes one  in the densest concentration of flower fields, with alternating strips of flowers shooting in thick ribbons of primary colors to the flat Dutch horizon.

Here are some photos of the most wonderful gardens sprawling across the landscape like a gigantic patchwork of flowers – strewn over acres of flowers decorating e the countryside in Anna Paulowna, North Holland with fields in pink, yellow, red and purple.  There are millions of them ~ it is stated that evenly distributed, the flowers produced would allow almost two flower bulbs for every person on the planet.

An exceptionally great sight indeed

Regards – S. Sampathkumar.

Photos courtesy : www.dailymail.co.uk