The name tulip comes from the Persian word, Toliban, meaning a turban, which the inverted flower resembles.  The origin is unknown, as tulips were cultivated so long ago.  However, records show that the seeds were first introduced into Europe at Vienna, the Austrian Ambassador to the Sultan of Turkey brought tulips to Austria in 1554.  In this same year, the flower found its way into England and for over a century was the height of fashion.  As time went on, for whatever reason, the tulip lost its high standing and became a common "cottage" garden plant, only to regain some of its prestige during the present century.

Holland, in 1600, became a production center for tulip bulbs; in 1634 a craze for speculation in Tulips swept the country and was only ended when the government intervened after a single tulip sold for 13,000 florins.

The garden varieties of tulips are divided into so many classes by the florist trade that it would be impossible to attempt their enumeration here.  The basis for tulip classifications is primarily the time of flowering: Early, Midseason, and Late flowering tulips.  The early tulip flowerings are divided into Singles and Doubles; the midseason, Triumph and Mendel types, and the late into Feathered-and-Flamed, Bizarres, Byblloemens, Roses, Darwins, Breeders, etc.

Fragrant Tulips

The Fragrant Tulip was found growing wild in Southern Europe about 300 years ago.  It was probably an escapee from gardens, and not just a primitive form!  It had a fragrance that compared to certain Turkish Tulips.  The parrot tulips, with their serrated or cut edges, were developed by the French in the latter part of the seventeenth century.

The Star of Bethlehem is a tulip common in American gardens.  The name, "Ornithogalum umbellatum" being a quaint old appellation meaning "bird milk."  It is a hardy bulbous dwarf with green and white leaves, each scape bearing ten to twenty nodding white flowers, with green reverse petals, during May.

The Hyacinth (pictured at left) is a native of Greece, Asia Minor, and adjacent countries.  This tulip was cultivated before the sixteenth century, when it was brought into Western Europe.  Originally, both single and double varieties of this special tulip only produced blue, purple and white flowers.  It is said that the first lilac variety was developed from a red-flowered Hyacinth tulip bulb in Holland.  As far back as 1725, the Gardener's Dictionary lists over 2000 variations of hyacinths.  The great poet Shelley speaks of the Hyacinth as follows:

"And the Hyacinth purple and white and blue,
Which flung from its bells a sweet peal anew,
Of music so delicate, soft and intense,
It was felt like an odor within the sense."

The four to six inch spikes of lovely bells with such delicious fragrance are now found in many rich colors and pastel shades.

Trillium, also known as Wake Robin, is also a tulip.  Trillium grows naturally in a rich, moist woodland location; however, after the flowering season in April and May, the plants may be readily transported into the cultivated garden.  The three-parted, white, terminal flowers, born one per stem, are very beautiful indeed.  Of the several varieties, T. grandiflorum is, perhaps, the most handsome.  This tulip will thrive in a shady border and provide lovely scentless cut flowers, perfect for a centerpiece.