Health&Wellness Magazine March 2014 | Page 35

For advertising information visit www.samplerpublications.com or call 859.225.4466 | March 2014 NATURE’S BEAUTY: Tulips & 35 Did you know tulips are edible? When Germany occupied the Netherlands during World War II, starving people were reduced to eating tulip bulbs. FLAMBOYANT FLOWERS STILL INSPIRE MANIA IN GROWERS AND ADMIRERS By Tanya J. Tyler, Staff Writer It’s a sure sign of spring’s arrival when you see tulips popping up in gardens. These beautiful flowers come in a wealth of bright, cheery colors, including red, yellow and purple. The name “tulip” is derived from the Persian word for turban; Persia is where tulips were first cultivated around the 10th century. Ogier de Busbecq, who was an ambassador to Turkey in the court of Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I, is generally considered to be the person who introduced the tulip to Europe. He sent bulbs to Vienna in 1554 from the Ottoman Empire. Today tulips are closely associated with the Netherlands, which is still a major grower of the flamboyant flowers. Tulips first came to the United States in the 1800s. It was in the Netherlands that a phenomenon called Tulip Mania occurred. When botanist Carolus Clusius wrote the first major book about tulips in 1592, the flowers became so popular that Clusius’ garden was raided and his bulbs stolen. Prices for single tulip bulbs reached amazingly high levels in the 17th century. But just as sud- denly as it began, Tulip Mania ended, and many investors were ruined. It normally takes from seven to 12 years for a flowering tulip bulb to grow a seed, but it’s certainly worth the wait. Tulips bloom in April and May and then lie dormant from June to September. They require well-drained si ѕ́