Tulips are such a sign that Spring is finally here.
I’m a big fan and have no shortage of tulips in the gardens at my house.
In Canada when people think of tulips many think about the Canadian Tulip Festival in Ottawa.
During the Festival, Ottawa is a mass of beautiful colours from tulips. This celebration started as a gift from the Netherlands in appreciation for Canada’s role in its liberation in World War II.
Queen Wilhelmina’s daughter, Princess Juliana, came to Canada with her family after the Nazi’s invaded the Netherlands in 1940. The family lived in Stornoway House, which was the residence of the official opposition, but which today houses our Prime Minister as work is being done on his residence.
After Canadians stormed the beaches on D-Day, Canadians fought their way through the Netherlands and ultimately provided badly need food and relief to the desperate population. In gratitude, the Dutch gifted 100,000 tulip bulbs to Canada in appreciation.
While I missed the great upheaval of the Second World War, my family did emigrate to Canada and I have since developed a huge affinity for spring bulbs, in particular tulips.
Not only do they provide brilliant colour and serve as a celebration of spring, they remind us one more time to be grateful to live in such a peaceful place.
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