Tulips, Descanso Gardens, La Cañada, California
Spring arrived early in Southern California thanks to unseasonably high temperatures and the tulips unfurled their colorful pennants into full bloom at Descanso Gardens. I often walk in the Gardens and am dazzled by the floral frenzy. Thousands of tulips blaze a patchwork of Purple Lord, Zurel, Orange Monarch and other bright colors along the walking paths.
I saw my first tulips in Pella, Iowa, a small city founded by a group of Dutch who immigrated to America for religious freedom in the mid-1800’s. They brought their families, their belongings and, of course, their beloved tulips. When we would visit grandma who had a farm in Knoxville, a favorite drive was to nearby Pella with its windmills, maypoles, and fields of tulips in the town square.
Although tulips are associated with the Netherlands, they actually originated in the mountainous regions of Central Asia. The sultan of the Ottoman Empire, Emperor Suleiman, grew tulips in his Constantinople gardens. The turban-shaped tulips so intrigued his Austrian ambassador that he sent bulbs and seeds to the Vienna Imperial Gardens in 1554.
Eventually, a Dutch botanic garden acquired tulips from Vienna in the late 1500’s. These new and beautiful flowers prompted a Dutch hybridizer and investor movement. Rare tulip type bulbs were sold for as much as 3,000 guilders a bulb, the equivalent today of $1,500. Many Dutch cashed in their families’ valuables to buy bulbs and enter the “tulipomania” trade. Huge sums of money were made, but in 1637 the tulip market crashed when buyers no longer would pay the exorbitant prices.
The Dutch steadily built a production and export business and the Netherlands now produce nine billion tulip bulbs annually, exporting seven billion.
Thanks to the Dutch, I can spend a leisurely hour strolling and watching magnificent tulips sway in the breeze on their long slender stalks. Oh — and did I mention the daffodils, cherry blossoms, lilacs, poppies, and wisteria?
Hi Susan,
What an intriguing and informative article about tulips. “Tulipmania” by Mike Dash was an extraordinary book about a seductive flower that traveled from the East in the satchels of Europeans to become the centerpiece of the 15th century’s biggest bubble and crash.
Thank you for taking beautiful photos and we look forward to more!
Millie Paul
Hi Susan, The tulips are beautiful and enjoyed the history lesson. I haven’t thought about Descanso Gardens in a long time. Always loved the gardens and how they changed with the seasons. Thanks for the lovely walk down memory lane. Bridget
Hi Susan,
The docents are planning a trip to Descanso Gardens in April!
What a wonderful introduction!
Thanks,
Mary
What a great blog entry. I love tulips more than ever.
Beautiful picture! Will definitely visit Descanso to see the tulips in person.
They are so pretty! The color palette so varied. Saw lilacs in the store yesterday and was reminded to get to Descanso while the lilac window is still open. Thanks for the re-reminder:) Sounds like your walk was truly joyful!
This post makes me long for a stroll through Descanso Gardens! And what an interesting bit of information about the Dutch settlement in Iowa. The town square in Pella sounds enchanting.
It’s a beautiful painting. I forget the gardens are there. I spend lots of time at the Huntington, but Descanso is awsome.
Your post is a perfect start to my day, as I am headed to the Macy’s Flower Show in Chicago right now. Can’t wait to see the colorful blooms. I will get to Descanso one of these days!
Well done, Reminds me of Keukenhoff, one of my favorite places!
Visited Descanso yesterday along with hundreds of others. Did see the tulips which are so beautiful. It was not sunny when we were there so my pictures look nothing yours.
Tulips are my favorite flower and since I haven’t carved out time to visit Descanso, thank you for bringing Descanso to me. And thanks for the interesting history behind them–I did not know about their Asian origin. Fascinating!
Susan, What a beautiful picture and story. Tulips are my dads favorite flower, so if course, I love them, too. I am definitely heading to Descanso Gardens to see them. Thanks for reminding me of how beautiful their gardens are and that I need to visit.
Thanks for helping me decide where to take my friend from Northern Calif. when she visits next month. I haven’t been to Descanso for a long time and am now looking forward to a beautiful day.
The picture is grand….all of those colors!! Thank you too for the historical perspective. Rika started her Descanso walks again. She was so thrilled with the colors and numbers of the tulips. I cannot yet do much walking but I can now see what Rika was talking about. Your pics and words have “brought them to me.” Thank you.
Great story! Thanks for researching and sharing along with the beautiful image.
There’s a special place in my heart for tulips, thanks to my husband who always buys them for my birthday. Lovely post, thank you.
As always, your article and photo are top notch. Thank you so much for researching these gorgeous flowers. Pella, Iowa must be a lovely place. I have a new appreciation of tulips and loved your description of Descanso Gardens showing a “floral frenzy.”
It is wonderful how most of us have tulip stories! Growing up in suburban New York, we watched for signs of spring; spotting the first robin, then spying the humble crocus pushing through the thawing, hard ground, then admiring the cheerful daffodils (my birth flower) and next, marveling in the beautiful tulip with its somewhat odd fragrance but hearty shape. We didn’t have the variety of colors we see now in Descanso, but we were so charmed by their presence because now Spring was in full swing and the colors filled out our rock gardens.
I like being treated to a short bit of history along with your lovely photographs. Merci beaucoup!
Thank you, Susan, for the terrific history lesson. Tulips are a favorite flower. Hope to get to the Netherlands to see them some day.
If you ever get to the Dallas, TX Arboretum in the spring, they have an enormous tulip display. This year they planted 500,000 throughout the gardens. What a lovely sight.
Hi Susan,
I love tulips also!! Your article is very interesting!! You do a great job!!
Bev
“1637 the tulip market crashed when buyers no longer would pay the exorbitant prices.” isn’t it amazing how history keeps repeating itself!!…
Yes Descanso is one of the best kept secrets in LA if you ask me… Also my granddaughter and I visited El Morino Viego and had a surprisingly great afternoon there http://www.old-mill.org/