Hold Tight The Rainbow

by Connie Handscomb

Title

Hold Tight The Rainbow

Artist

Connie Handscomb

Medium

Photograph - Photography - Fine Art

Description

Colour comes from plucking the rainbow.
~ Philip Ball [fr. Bright Earth]

*---------------------- *

Tulip
Genus : Tulipa spp.
Family : Liliaceae

The tulip grew wild abundantly in the central Asia mountains, in China & Mongolia, in North Africa, and later throughout Europe.

Tulip designs have been found on pottery dating back to 2200 BC. So, while one might tend to think of Netherlands as home of the tulip, it was actually first cultivated in Turkey, grown in the palace gardens of the sultans, and is in fact the national flower of Hungary, Turkey & the "Tulip state" Kyrgyzstan. Turkey held the first tulip festivals - it represents abundance and indulgence - and Istanbul still hosts them. Its name is derived from the Turkish word for 'turban' (tulband) because of its shape. As a cultural symbol of the Ottoman Empire, it appeared on textiles, ceramics, woodcarvings and many other art forms.

By the 17th c., 'Tulipmania' was in full swing: a single bulb was worth the equivalent price today of a house and a garden.

Today, 15 groups with approximately 2,600 varieties of tulips exist, with Holland exporting 60% of the world's tulips. The species bulbs are more vigorous than the weaker hybrids which tend not to lose vigour after a year or two but whichever is used, it is now the 'people's flower' , cherished by all.

In a vase, tulips prefer not having flower preservative.
Tulips are symbolic of love, eternal life and are heralds of spring. Variegated tulips mean 'beautiful eyes'.

Sources:
Fifty Plants that changed the Course of History (Bill Laws)
Four Chefs, One Garden : Seasons Of West Coast Living [Roy]
Painterly Plants [Clare Foster; Photog.Ruber]
The Romantic Language Of Flowers [Davies; Saunders]
A Garden Of Fragrance [S. Bales]

*---------------------- *

It seems that rainbows and tulip florals go together in my mind: I had posted a tulip image called Floral Rainbow just a little while back. This colourful display was captured in front of my gardening cupboard, providing the image its cobalt background.

Uncropped; captured in natural light .... nature in all its splendour ;)

💕 Heartfelt Gratitude to FAA groups for featuring this image ;

Roses And Tulips
Fine Art Exploration Photography
Tulip Macros
Arts Fantastic World
The Niche
Just Perfect

Uploaded

June 12th, 2017

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