Spring is coming (not soon enough) and thoughts are turning to the 300,000 special tulips that will bloom to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Canadian confederation. These official tulips are white with a splash of red that evokes the maple leaf on the Canadian flag.
The special flowers were planted in the latter part of 2016 and will bloom in early May along with the tens of thousands of other tulips in the National Capital Region. Other so-called Canada 150 tulips have been planted in community gardens across the country.
Glorious Dutch gratitude
Every year, the Dutch royal family sends 10,000 tulip bulbs to Ottawa and the same amount is sent annually by the Dutch Bulb Growers Association. The tradition began in 1945, when the people of the Netherlands sent 100,000 hand-picked tulip bulbs to thank Canadian soldiers for the role they played in the liberation of the Netherlands in World War II.
In addition, there was gratitude for Canada’s role in sheltering Dutch Crown Princess Juliana and her two daughters during the war. A third child was born in Ottawa and, to ensure her Dutch citizenship, part of the Ottawa Civic Hospital was temporarily declared Dutch territory. The day after Princes Margriet’s birth, the Dutch flag was flown atop Canada’s Parliament Buildings.
It’s so worth the trip
The blooming of all these tulips in the National Capital Region is a marvelous sight to see and a grand way to kick off spring after the long Canadian winter.
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