Sweet Flag Tulip | Original Floral Watercolor

For centuries people have been fascinated by this incredible flower- tulip. Every spring, here, in Holland Michigan, the well-known Tulip Festival brings thousands of people to enjoy tulips’ endless beauty. To me, its such a joy after a long snowy winter, it’s a HOPE and NEW BEGINNINGS, don’t you think?

Generally, tulips symbolize love and romance.

Here is just a bit of fascinating history of tulips.

Tulips are wildflowers native to central Asia in the Tien Shan Mountains near the Russian-Chinese border. They spread west and were cultivated in the Ottoman Empire (modern-day Turkey) by 1000 A.D.

 In the 1500s, Carolus Clusius, a botanist at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands, received some tulip bulbs from the ambassador to the sultan. In fact, the word “tulip” comes from the graceful shape of the flower and the bulb that inspired the word “tülbend,” a Turkish pronunciation of the Persian word “dulband,” which means turban.

Holland Tulip Mania ended in 1637, but the fascination with tulips was deeply rooted and grew into a huge commercial enterprise. Today, Holland is the largest producer of tulips worldwide, exporting about 3 billion bulbs per year.  Over 3,500 named varieties of tulips exist today, and they are organized into 15 groups. 

And the local settlements here by the lake Michigan, who came from original Holland, continuously dedicated to celebrating tulips.

Give the gift that never wilts!

This original artwork ships FREE from our studio in Holland, MI in 3-5 business days.

Size: 9”x12”

Original Watercolor Signed by Artist Alla Dickson

Comes with cardboard backing and inside a plastic sleeve for safe shipping.

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