Those fleshy bulbs are a lot more affordable now, but the sight of a massed display of tulips in full spring bloom still inspires awe, especially if it’s been designed with artistry by a master gardener with an eye for colour and form. At the peak of what came to be known as tulip mania, a single bulb of the scarlet-and-white streaked variety known as ‘Semper Augustus’ (now extinct) is reputed to have sold for more than 5,000 guilders, enough at the time to buy several paintings by Rembrandt (now that’s an investment that would have paid off handsomely). Talk tulipsĪpril is the month of tulips, those spring-flowering bulbs with blooms so beautiful that legend has it they near-bankrupted the rich merchant class of 17th-century Holland. As many of us look forward to celebrating Easter with family and friends this weekend, here are five lovely ways to share the joy of plants with others. But at least there’s always gardening to cheer our spirits and remind us that nature prevails. What strange, sad, confusing times we’re living through.
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