In the 17th century, Holland was a rich and powerful country at the center of European commerce and culture. Known today as the “Dutch Golden Age”, it was a time of rapid advancements in science, industry, finance and global trade. The art world also flourished as wealthy merchants patronized artists such as Vermeer, Steen, Kalf, and of course Rembrandt, who is usually regarded as the greatest artist of that time.
'Still life with golden goblet' Pieter de Ring 1650-60, Rijksmuseum, Netherlands.
Still life paintings is a genre that was extremely popular throughout the 1600’s. Elaborate table settings incorporated everything from fruits, vegetables and game to skulls, fabrics, porcelain and glassware. Flowers were also a favorite subject, whether combined with other artifacts or arranged in extravagant bouquets.
'Still life with flowers in a glass vase' Jan Davidsz de Heem 1650, Rijksmuseum, Netherlands.
Golden Age bouquets often included a distinctive type of tulip with flamed petals. These “broken” tulips were all the rage during the early 1600s, and fueled the bulb collecting frenzy we now refer to as tulip mania. Though it wasn’t known at the time, the color variations were caused by a virus whose unpredictable nature only increased the attraction.
'Flowers in a Serpentine Vase' Osaias Beert the Elder, about 1615.
I have always loved these Dutch flower paintings and last fall I decided to grow some of my own striped tulips. The varieties available today have been bred from natural, genetic variations, so there's no need to worry about viruses. Nor does it require a fortune to enjoy growing them. The bulbs are the same price as regular tulips!
The Timeless Appeal of Rembrandt Tulips
Longfield Gardens offers a ready-to-plant assortment of Rembrandt tulips that makes it easy to create your own Dutch Masters experience. You'll receive several different varieties, including red/white, burgundy/white and yellow/red. I planted this mix for the first time last year, and not only was there a range of colors, but every single flower had its own unique color pattern.
Another thing I discovered with this Rembrandt Tulip Mix is that bloom times are somewhat variable. For this reason, the look is different from what you get when planting one tulip variety such as Pink Impression. Some flowers in the bed were still in bud when others were fully open. It's a look I really liked, plus it meant I had flowers in bloom for at least 3 weeks.
Rembrandt Tulip Mix
Some of the bulbs produced two stems: one full size flower and one that was smaller. The slightly smaller flowers were perfect in miniature bouquets, when full-size blossoms would have been a bit too much. And when combined with full size tulips, the smaller-size blooms made the arrangement more interesting. If you’re a fan of nature’s artistry, these tulips will delight you in so many ways!
Clockwise from top left: Happy Generation, Grand Perfection, World Expression and Flaming Club.
Don’t Miss Out on These Other Striped Tulips
Now that I’ve caught the fever, I am eager to grow lots of tulips with stripes and flares. We offer a number of different varieties and for this fall I have ordered the four shown above. Two will bloom mid-season and two are late-season varieties. Give some of these striped tulips a try and see for yourself why they have such a following! To shop all of our tulips, click HERE.
