Flower Focus: Tulip

Perfectly cup-shaped and symmetrical, Tulips are perhaps one of the most easily recognizable flowers that also happens to have one of the most dramatic stories. Why do we say this? To date, Tulips are the only flower to have “successfully” caused a country to suffer an actual financial crisis.

Known as Tulip Mania, this unfortunate event took place in the 1600s when Turkish traders first introduced Tulips to the Dutch. It was not just novelty that got the Dutch hooked, but also their vibrant colors. Seeing a demand, Tulip sellers started introducing more varieties and colors to the market, and at the same time, control the number of Tulips sold.

This created an even higher demand for Tulips, which resulted in the prices of Tulips to surge. It came to a point where people would trade their land, homes or anything they could liquidate, just to purchase Tulips. But with any bubble, it burst due to a weakening demand. To add to that, Tulip owners themselves were trying to sell their Tulips for profit which further caused Tulip prices to plummet. So, when we said “dramatic” we really meant it!

Apart from its not-so-glorious past, Tulips have come to become the symbol of perfect or deep love due to their shape and delicate petals. However, different colored tulips symbolize slightly different things. So, before you pick your next bouquet of Tulips as a gift here’s a list of what different colored Tulips symbolize!

For more flower related articles, head back to our homepage. But if you are looking to get your hands on some tulips, head to FarEastFlora.com!