For Valentine's Day I bought myself some flowers. I stopped in Reasor's and they had that slap you upside the face display right by the produce, so I decided to treat myself since I was already there. I bought an orchid (that I hope I can keep alive) and some tulips that look a little like the ones in the picture above.
A Short History Lesson
Tulips have never been my favorite flower, but they have an amazing history. Did you know that during the sixteenth century tulip bulbs were worth more than 10 times a skilled craftsman's annual income? That's anywhere from $1,000 to $4,000 per bulb. "Tulipmania" swept across the European continent after the flower was discovered by an Austrian ambassador in the Turkish empire. The Ottoman Turks had been cultivating tulips for years at that time. The inflated value of tulips is widely accepted to be the first recorded "economic bubble" and left many merchants penniless when the market value of the bulbs finally dropped.
I learned about this in a medieval history class in high school. I remember thinking how strange it was that someone would pay thousands of dollars for a flower that, while pretty, isn't one I would consider very special. Strange how opinions change over time. I was able to buy all six of my bulbs for under $10.
Spring Planting
Today I took advantage of our beautiful weather to plant the tulips outside. A few months ago I planted some day lilies that my grandmother had given me on either side of my garage. Since there were only six tulip bulbs I decided to add them to the same area as the day lilies. For now they've already lost their bloom, but hopefully they will bloom again and I'll have a gorgeous arrangement of day lilies and tulips.
The weather is perfect for being out of doors, now I'm just hoping it will stay that way. Oh, and if anyone has suggestions on how to keep an orchid happy and alive I'm all ears!
No comments:
Post a Comment