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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 6, 2009
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Leeann Lavin: 718-623-7289, leeannlavin@bbg.org
Kate Blumm: 718-623-7241, kateblumm@bbg.org
Tulipomania Strikes Again!
BBG Presents a Dutch-Inspired Display Revealing the Dazzling and Dark Past of One of the World's Favorite Flowers
PHOTOS: Painter Ambrosius Bosschaert became the father of Dutch flower painting at the height of the 17th-century Dutch Tulip craze (image courtesy essentialvermeer.com); BBG visitors of all ages enjoy the tulip border (photo by B. Alper, courtesy BBG).
Brooklyn, New York—April 6, 2009—What do 17th-century Holland and 21th-century Brooklyn have in common? Tulips, of course! "Breukelen" Botanic Garden's Annual Border is a vibrant swath of brilliant ribbons of color that visitors anticipate toward the end of April and treasure every spring. This year, in conjunction with the quadricentennial celebration of Dutch explorer Henry Hudson's arrival on New York shores, the tulip border will provide visitors with even more than a dazzling visual, as it explores the surprisingly dramatic history of this legendary flower—and the "tulipomania" it spawned across around the world nearly 400 years ago.
Newly appointed curator of the Annual Border, Perennial Border, Lily Pool Terrace and Judith D. Zuk Magnolia Plaza Cayleb Long has developed a particular historical Dutch theme for the tulip border at BBG this spring. The border comprises 10,000 tulips representing 80 different species, cultivars and hybrids (and each of the 15 tulip divisions). Almost all of the blooms will be bi- or tri-color in the tradition of the peculiar and rare "broken" tulip, which, contrary to the impression of its nomenclature, is a visual masterpiece. The flame-like and feathered patterns on the petals are, in fact, symptomatic of a benign virus in the flower that causes the color to "break." Several kinds of true broken tulips will be on display, representing all three possible color combinations: Rosen (red or pink pattern on a white background), Violetten (pale or dark purple pattern on white), and Bizarden (orange, brown or red pattern on yellow).
Throughout the border, Rembrandt tulips will also abound. Bred to resemble the true broken tulips, the captivating Rembrandts are not as desirable in horticultural or collectors circles, but are captivating none the less and, in BBG's border, will help show the horticultural lineage of the original broken tulips. Rembrandt tulips were so named in honor of the famous Dutch painter; curiously, however, the artist never actually painted the flower—but he did live in a society obsessed by them and thus became their namesake. Finally, along the front of the Annual Border, many graceful species and cultivar tulips will be displayed to represent the progenitors of the more contemporary hybrids and cultivars.
The unusual beauty of broken tulips fueled tulipomania, the bulb craze that dominated all classes of Dutch society in the 1630s, driving prices to unthinkable highs before suddenly collapsing. During the height of tulipomania, broken tulips were so prized that a single bulb would sell for the equivalent of thousands of today's dollars and were regularly traded for livestock and dry goods. One precious 'Semper Augustus' broken tulip bulb is said to have been purchased for 12 acres of land; and a 'Viceroy' bulb was traded for a lot of goods including four fat oxen, a thousand pounds of cheese, a bed, and more. "Tulipomania" continued until tulip speculators could no longer find buyers—and the market crashed. Despite the spectacular fall from its position as the object of national obsession, broken tulips remained the most desirable form of tulip well into the 1800s.
At BBG, Long will complete his inspired display of broken tulips by featuring 'Gloria Nigrorum' (circa 1837) and 'Absalon' (circa 1780) in the containers around the Lily Pool Terrace. These heirloom bulbs have the advantageous tendency to naturalize truer than modern hybrids and cultivars—meaning they keep their original characteristics—and in early summer these tulips will be accessioned into BBG's Perennial Border (along with other heirloom and species tulips) directly across Lily Pool Terrace, where they will continue to flower year after year for future enjoyment by BBG's visitors.