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Tulip Bulbs Luckily, you needn't bribe a Dutchman to enjoy the splendour of the tulip in your garden today! Though cultivated by the Turks as early as 1000 A.D., the Tulip is synonymous today with the Netherlands. In the 1600's, Holland found itself in the grip of Tulip mania with a single bulb being worth an exorbitant price, paper vouchers for tulips being worth more than money and the government having to enact laws in an attempt to curb the Tulip hysteria sweeping the country.

Whether you prefer the classic single, the fluffy double, the parrot or the Darwin, you just can't plant too many Tulips. Tulips are a blessing to the gardener with a colour scheme in mind. They cover the entire spectrum from white to black with everything in between. Tulip bulbs should be planted in the fall, at twice the depth of their height from root to tip. Plant them point side up in well drained soil in a sunny spot. For the time-honoured colour combination of red and yellow tulips, we vote for red and yellow Darwins. They are tall, reliable performers.

The lover of exotic blooms need look no further than the Tulip. The striped, ruffling petals of Parrot Tulips are like a rare gift from the rain forest. Another showstopper would be Rembrandt Tulips, so named for the Dutch Master because of the random brush strokes of bright paint on their petals. Viridiflora tulips are in a class by themselves with the distinctive green markings.

A relative newcomer in the Tulip world is the variety known as peony-flowering. Their exquisite double blooms are a thing of beauty. Choosing tulips is the time to let your heart be bold, certainly, and we feel you can't go wrong with any Tulip you choose. A little trowel work this fall will be richly rewarded in the spring.