Well, many different factors attributed to this, but some of the really key ingredients were:
New wealth – The Dutch were hitting their Golden Age, where trade and mercantilism caused a massive bloom in wealth. Infatuation with rarities – Tulips were unlike anything that had existed in Holland before, and arrived a time when the Dutch were infatuated with owning and collecting ‘curiosities’ (quirks of nature such as the skeleton of a two-headed snake)., and more items.
Why are there so many tulips in the Netherlands?
The Netherlands started to grow tulips after they were introduced to the country in the 1700s. Tulips at that time were worth a lot of money, at the peak, a tulip bulb was even worth its own weight in gold. Today, the Netherlands is still one of the largest exporters of tulips in the world.
You got it! Every tulip season in the Netherlands, tourists flock to the Keukenhof Flower Gardens and Dutch fields where they’re mesmerised by the array of flowers, bulbs and tulips on display. The tulip is pretty much the symbol of the Netherlands but one question people never really ask is: “How did tulips become a thing in the Netherlands?
How many tulips are exported from the Netherlands each year?
Each year more than 2 billion tulips are exported from the Netherlands to different parts of the world. Tulips are sold in Aalsmeer, Naaldwijk, and Rijnsburg in the Netherlands. The Netherlands also has the biggest flower auction in the world.
The Netherlands is the world’s largest commercial producer of tulips, with around three billion exported each year. Tulip petals are edible!
Where do Tulips originally come from?
Historians believe the tulip probably originated on land somewhere between Northern China and Southern Europe. The plants were soon cultivated in the Ottoman Empire (present-day Turkey) and then imported into Holland in the sixteenth century.
Then, what is the origin of the tulip?
Tulip flowers are usually boldly coloured, cup-shaped and incredibly symmetrical. The name “tulip” is thought to be derived from a Persian word for turban, which the flower kind of resembles. How did tulips come to the Netherlands?
When is the best time to visit tulips in Holland?
Usually though, the best time to visit the tulip fields in the Netherlands is the second half of April. That’s when you have the most chance of seeing the tulips in full bloom. It comes as no surprise that this is also the busiest time for flower-gazing.