DE-333561 Tulips of The Netherlands

The tulip originally grew wild in the mountains in Kazakhstan, Persia, China and Turkey.  A Dutch scientist took the tulip bulb with him to the Netherlands. There the flower enjoyed the climate and the soil and the inhabitants immediately fell in love with the flower and soon designated it a national symbol.

Note: Though not official symbols of the Netherlands, tulips, windmills and wooden shoes are widely associated with the country.  Perhaps no one item symbolizes the Netherlands more succinctly than the tulip.

The Netherlands produce approximately nine billion flower bulbs annually. That incredible number of bulbs would allow for almost two flower bulbs for every person on the planet.

Admiration for the tulip knows no bounds. Seven million tulips bloom annually in Keukenhof, the world's largest flower park. And during the flower parade, dozens of floats adorned with tulips and other flowers parade through the tulip fields of the Bollenstreek (Bulb Region). Both flower events attract hundreds of thousands of flower lovers to the Netherlands every year.

This postcard came from Heike (29 July 2014) Postcrossing.