Tulips coming up all over!

Tulipa, known in English as "tulips" and in French as tulipes is a genus of flowering bulbs native to Eurasia and north Africa. The city of my birth, Ottawa, has an annual Tulip Festival in May, which I've never been to because they started doing it after I moved away. But I do have fond memories of the beautiful tulip beds which abound in Ottawa, thanks to Netherland's Princess Juliana, who donated 100,000 tulips to Ottawa in gratitude for the safe home Ottawa provided for the Dutch royal family during the second world war.

Today it seems all of a sudden the little bed in front of the house is full of tulip shoots! At least some of these should be the 'Angelique' tulips I put in last fall (less than $2 including tax, shipping, and handling thanks to a generous offer from Brecks: $25 off, no minimum order.) Here's a close look at an especially beautiful plant. I can't wait until the tulips start blooming!