Lots of tulips here at Bedford Park sway in the gentle morning breeze. There are other places with tulip gardens sprinkled around the city, including the Oaks, but the gardens here are a favorite. And now my tulip tip of the day--- many of the variegated varieties that create such amazing color blends are the result of diseases, that will overtake and eventually destroy the bulb. I did not know this. As in life, great beauty and grandeur often belie what hidden destruction is lurking just beneath the surface.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Red Onslaught
Lots of tulips here at Bedford Park sway in the gentle morning breeze. There are other places with tulip gardens sprinkled around the city, including the Oaks, but the gardens here are a favorite. And now my tulip tip of the day--- many of the variegated varieties that create such amazing color blends are the result of diseases, that will overtake and eventually destroy the bulb. I did not know this. As in life, great beauty and grandeur often belie what hidden destruction is lurking just beneath the surface.
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This is why I have to continually destroy our checkbook in my never ending attempt to find beauty. See?
ReplyDeleteBeautiful pic and a botany lesson that will forever change my perception of variegated varieties.
ReplyDeleteLovely Tulips. Our valley was filled with them. MB
ReplyDeleteAhh, they are beautiful. Nothing like tulips.
ReplyDeleteThe artist who painted my mother was Richard V. Ellery. He was a friend of my father and painted on Boston's North Shore for decades.
Hello, tulip philosopher; love this post and also Elenka's comment. :)
ReplyDeleteDidn't know this about tulips. Thanks for the education.
ReplyDeleteLovely capture. Save the tulips!
ReplyDeleteI've enlarged your picture and it's breathtaking!Thanks so much for these tulips!
ReplyDeleteLéia
Symphony in red and green.
ReplyDeleteCostas
Oh Birdman....this photo is just gorgeous! It made me smile!
ReplyDeleteI always seem to learn something new when visiting my favorite blogs!
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to see colour after so many months of white and grey!
ReplyDeletenice post! it awoke the biologist in me, sorry for the coming monologue!
ReplyDeletethose tulips have a virus (called the tulipmosaic-virus) that changes the DNA of the plant, and results in 2 colors (color #1, and white; so it in fact results in removal of color). in the 17th century people really liked those tulips, thats why on many paintings from this time you see such colorful tulips! (rembrandt, for example). But, those tulips grow less well, and are less easy to breed, so nowadays they are less popular in the netherlands. but.... the dutch florists export a lot of these tulips to the US, since americans really like them... :)
you can clearly see the growth defect when you put normal and dualcolor tulips in a vase; the normal ones will last a few days longer.
but actually, i am more of a biochemist... ;)
I did not know. So interesting and so beautiful!
ReplyDeleteBirdman -- nice shot of the lipstick red tulips. I especially like these words from your post -- As in life, great beauty and grandeur often belie what hidden destruction is lurking just beneath the surface -- barbara
ReplyDeleteUmm, it makes me think of strawberries and mint - just need some vanilla ice cream underneath. And as for the infirmities of the most beautiful tulips, well, none of us survive the glory of each moment of existence. The second law of thermodynamics is such a downer.
ReplyDeleteOutta sight! Thanks. I'm so happy with the brilliant colors!
ReplyDeleteThis is like a strawberry field forever. Yes, beauty.
ReplyDeleteSimple and beautiful!
ReplyDeleteYou're teaching us all something we didn't know! thanks!
ReplyDelete