Tulips are one of my favourite cut flowers to bring home and display. And especially to photograph. I am regularly grabbing a bunch or two at the grocery store to add some colour to our home. Especially at the end of this long long long winter that never seemed to end!
This bunch was the only one of it's kind when I picked them out last week. They caught my eye because they were white with just a strip of colour and they had a variegated leaf, which I've never seen before.
I was given an extra surprise once the blooms started to open! Last year Canada celebrated it's 150th birthday and in honour of that a special tulip variety was bred in the Netherlands. Once these blooms started to open I began to suspect that these were that special variety.
The flowers were bred to look like our Canadian Flag. What do you think, do you see the Maple Leaf in there?
I think I do!
The Netherlands and Canada have a special history that dates back to World War II. The Canadian forces led the liberation of the Netherlands and, I've read, provided sanctuary for the Dutch royal family during Nazi occupation. In gratitude, the Dutch sent 100,000 tulip bulbs to Canada with a commitment to continue to send thousands more each year.
Here are a few more images of our anniversary tulip!
