Tulip Bulb Habitat

Fundamentals

• While tulips are most closely associated with the Netherlands with its fields of flowers growing beneath iconic windmills, tulips are native to the mountain slopes of what was the far-reaching Turkish Empire, according to Bloms Bulbs. The heat of summer in Asian and North African habitats sets up the next season's flower buds, and the cold winters let the bulbs go dormant and rest.

  Tulips ranged wild into southern Europe and east into China. They were imported into the Netherlands, where growing conditions favored the flower.

Characteristics

• Tulips grow from bulbs and produce colorful cup-shaped flowers in the spring. More than 100 species produce flowers ranging from white to black and almost all colors in between, including those that are striped, speckled or edged with color.

  Bulbs are usually planted in late summer or fall for spring blooms. Most tulips grown today are sterile hybrids and do not produce seeds. Tulip bulbs tend to degrade and die after a few years.

  As plants native to sunny hillsides, tulips do not grow well in shade. Over time in shady areas, the plant weakens and stops producing flowers, according to Tulip World.

Cultivation

• Tulips grow best in conditions that mimic their native habitat. Well-draining soil is critical, according to Tulip World. Without it, the bulbs rot. Sand can be added to garden soil to improve drainage.

  Once bulbs are planted, they need to be watered regularly. Generally, tulip bulbs are planted at a depth that measures three times the length of the bulb, but are planted deeper in hot climates. Tulip bulbs can be left in the ground year-round or dug up and stored in a cool, dark place during dormancy.

History

• Traders brought tulips to Western Europe from the Turkish Empire in the late 16th century, according to Wild Natures. The first written reference to tulips in Europe dates to 1560, and the plants first appeared in the Netherlands around 1570.

  Botanis Carolus Clusius planted the bulbs at Leiden University in 1593. He planned to just study the plant's possible medicinal qualities, according to Wild Natures, but someone broke into his laboratory and stole some of the bulbs, leading to their spread around the country.

Tulipmania

• By the early 1600s, the popularity of tulips became a major trading product for the Dutch. Bulbs sold for such high prices that botanists began creating even more decorative hybrids commanding even higher prices, according to the Netherlands tourism office. In 1637, some varieties sold for more than the cost of a house, leading to what has become known as the period of "tulipmania" in the Netherlands.