Tulips Rank as High as Roses & Mums in Popularity

The tulip is a member of the Liliacea family and had its origins not in the Netherlands but in parts of Asia, Africa, and Europe. The tulip is ranked just behind roses and chrysanthemums in terms of international flower popularity.

Cultivated for 500 years, tulips were commercially cultivated in the Ottoman Empire (Turkey).

During the height of the Ottoman Empire, the tulip was seen, as a symbol of abundance and indulgence and the wealthiest was referred to as the Tulip Era. Today, the tulip is the national flower of Turkey.

Tulips were introduced in 1593 to the Netherlands. During this early introduction, there was a period referred to as Tulip Mania. During this time, people invested their life savings and speculated on purchasing tulip bulbs. As with all good speculations there was a boom and bust cycle in bulb speculation.

Today, Holland is the world’s largest producer of commercially sold tulip bulbs and produces 3 billion bulbs annually.
　
In horticulture, tulips are divided up into fifteen groups (divisions) mostly based on flower morphology and plant size. Another way of grouping tulips is by blooming times: early, mid-season, and late. As for this gardener, classification by blooming time helps me in my selection.

Unlike daffodils, hyacinths, and crocus, tulips do not readily naturalize and generally provide the best flower display for the first two years. After the second season of blooming, tulip bulbs need to be removed and replaced with newer larger bulbs.


Tulips need a cold dormancy period before blooming and do well in climates which have long cool springs and early summers. Well-drained, airy and loamy soils are the best for tulip cultivation. To achieve the most visual impact, plant tulips in clusters of five to 10 and no more than 6 to 12 inches apart and as noted earlier should be replace every two years for most spectacular plantings.