The Philly Flower Show www.theflowershow.com, a favorite and famous harbinger of spring, wraps up this weekend. If you live close enough to visit, it's well worth your time. And elsewhere, it is finally warming up, 65 degrees in the Midwest, no less!
Another classic symbol of spring: the tried and true tulip. I'm planning to send some to my aunt who has a milestone birthday this month.
In honor of warmer weather and the uncommon loveliness of the tulip, here are some fun facts about this flower.
Purple tulips symbolize royalty, making them perfect for the HRM (His/Her Royal Majesty) types in your life. :)
* Tulips hail from Persia and Turkey, and they get their name from the Turkish word for turban. When tulips bloom, they greatly resemble turbans.
* Tulips arrived in Europe in the 1500s. By the 1600s, tulips had become so popular, especially in the Netherlands, that they cost more than diamonds.
* There are almost 4,000 horticultural varieties of tulips. While you can find purple and midnight black tulips, there is no true blue tulip.
* The tulip is the 11th wedding anniversary flower.
* As for symbolism, the black center of the flower is said to represent a lover's heart, made dark by passion. One legend holds that a Turkish prince, grief-stricken when his beloved died, rode his horse over the edge of a cliff. Scarlet tulips appeared from each drop of his blood. So, like red roses, red tulips are the perfect flower to express an intense love. Yellow tulips convey joy, white mean forgiveness and purple tulips stand for royalty.
Can't decide? Just ask your florist to create a mixed bouquet and you can't go wrong.
