Every year, the cold winter snow melts away and we welcome spring, a new beginning.  This new beginning is marked in our garden by tulips.

‘April rains bring in May flowers‘ is a common saying in Canada. Tulips and daffodils do not wait for the rain and by end of April they sprout out marking the beginning of spring.

Tulip flowers last only a fortnight.

 
We have Early-Spring, Mid-Spring and Late-Spring varieties.  Thus we extent the Tulip flower season in our garden.
  
This year around we did not receive many showers in April and it did have a telling effect on the quality and size of tulip plants and flowers. It is said that the tulip’s velvety black center represents a lover’s heart, darkened by the heat of passion.
 
At least we were lucky to have the best flowers in the city as claimed by many visitors.

 
Tulips Originated in Persia and Turkey and were brought to Europe in the 16th century. They got their common name from the Turkish word for gauze (with which turbans were wrapped) – reflecting the turban-like appearance of a tulip in full bloom.
 
Canadian Tulips have a great history.  In 1945, the Dutch royal family sent 100,000 tulip bulbs to Ottawa in gratitude for Canadians having sheltered the future Queen Juliana and her family for the preceding three years during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands in the Second World War. 
 
he eleventh wedding anniversary flower is also tulip, it conveys forgiveness too.   
Yellow tulips symbolises cheerful thoughts.
  
The Red Tulip became associated with love based on a Turkish legend.

 
Purple symbolizes royalty.

 
We have multi-colored varieties too.

With all of the history, sentiments and meanings of tulips, it’s not surprising that their popularity continues to endure. The wide range of colours and varieties available allows them to be used for many occasions.