Tulips look like ordinary flowers that are unremarkable. For example, even in roses there is more sophistication and elegance. But still, when it gets warm, and after the winter period you want to feel the arrival of spring in your house, then they mainly buy tulips. The beautiful plants have about 80 species and boast centuries of history.
Next, consider where these wonderful flowers originated, which country of tulips in Europe is the most fertile for their cultivation.
Origins of the origin of the name
Each plant has its own name, most of them come from Latin, but as for these onions, things are different here.
The name "tulip" has Turkish roots and comes from the word "turban". At the beginning of the 16th century, when these plants came into fashion, women began to use them for beauty purposes and inserted this flower into their hairstyles, from which the name came.
Further, since they gained popularity in Europe, the Italians took up the name, and the word "turban" was replaced by "tulip", as it remains to this day.
A fruitful start
At the beginning of the 11th century, the cult of this flower began to be popularized in the Middle East and personified spiritual harmony and tranquility. It has also appeared as a symbol in poetry and has been sung by great philosophers and prose writers such as Omar Khayyam.
The first detailed information on growing tulips appeared in the Ottoman Empire in the 15th century. At that time, they were bred exclusively at the royal courts and at the top of society.
Turkey at that time was the main producer of these flowers, there were a huge number of plantations, and each time they tried to bring out more perfect species. The most popular at that time were considered tulips from Kafa and Kavala. They have become the undisputed leaders in the flower industry. Suppliers by all means sought the "recipe" of these beautiful plants, but at that time this country of tulips in Europe was impregnable, and it was very difficult to find out the secrets of growing.
Step into Europe
These flowers went beyond the Turkish borders in the distant XVI century. So, the first tulips appeared in 1530 in Portugal. Then they began to spread throughout Europe, but primarily in its northern part.
Many scientists still cannot give an exact answer to the question of who brought the bulbs to this part of the continent, but most agree that they came to Portugal by sea from Istanbul.
Nevertheless, the 16th century was a real breakthrough, and it was not so difficult to comprehend the secrets of flowers. After the first case of the import of bulbs, Portugal became interested in the supply of newspecies, but the Turkish authorities took care of their treasure, so they had to breed new varieties on their own.
The bulbs that arrived from Istanbul were of a hybrid type, as the flowers were odorless and did not have a characteristic bright color. The best scientists in Europe worked on the creation of new, improved varieties.
If today we know that the country of tulips in Europe is called the Netherlands, then in those days this title was borne by Portugal. Its fertile soils, and later plantations, revealed to the world this beautiful plant in all its beauty.
Last century
at the beginning of the 20th century, scientists became seriously interested in these colors, in order for everyone to bring out a new, more improved look. The main criteria were divine smell and endurance.
During the interwar periods, a large number of experiments were carried out, mainly in the Netherlands. The climate here was more favorable than in Portugal. Humidified warm sea air made it possible to get results much faster than usual. Cool summers (average July temperature 16-17 degrees above zero) and fairly warm winters (2 degrees Celsius in January) contributed to the excellent growth of flowers.
Which country of tulips is better? It's still the Netherlands. Only there you can find rare species of these beautiful plants and discover the variety of colors and aromas.
After the war, experiments continued with even greater enthusiasm, as people liked this relatively inexpensive version of the plant. Already by 1952about 55 thousand varieties were bred. But closer to the 90s, they were reduced by exactly half.
The country of tulips - the Netherlands - gave a huge impetus to the development of plantations and thus attracted attention, becoming a truly flourishing state.
Our days
With the advent of the XXI century, these plants have become the main and unique ornamental plant. The country of tulips still occupies a leading position in the cultivation of these flowers. 92% of international trade belongs to this state, and in most cases, only there you can get rare and interesting varieties.
The country of tulips literally blooms in March-April, when the active planting of fertile soils begins.
The state's profit from such plantations is substantial. They make about $25 billion from flowers alone.
No wonder the country of tulips in Europe is called the Netherlands. After all, only there you can discover the beauty of flower fields.
Path to colorful paradise
The realm of these magnificent plants is located in the Dutch park Keukenhof. He became famous not only for the fact that these magnificent flowers grow there, but also for the opportunity to view creative compositions that are created for display at the annual exhibition.
Land of tulips also gives tourists the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of the flower park from the inside, for this you need a regular bike. When planting fields, farmers never havethe plants are too dense and leave empty rows of earth between different species.
If you like an unusual variety of tulips, then welcome to the garden shops. In them you can buy bulbs of various varieties. Of course, there is plenty of such “goodness” at home, but it will still be more pleasant to bring something unusual directly from the flower’s homeland.
Well, I would like to say that the Netherlands really is a country of tulips. In Europe, this is the undoubted leader in flower production.
