The tulips are here!
Tulips make us happy. (These are from last year.)
You may have noticed it yourself while driving around the Capital Region, but Albany City Gardener Judy Stacey says the first tulips of the season have reared their pretty heads.
Red Emperor Tulips are visible at the bottom of Broadway and Clinton, on the islands between Western and Madison and a few other spots throughout the city. And as you enter Washington Park near Madison and Willett St, Stacey says "The beds are just about to explode."
This year there were supposed to be 209 thousand tulips (they tack on a thousand extra bulbs each year)
Then Holland sent us a little gift. Awww...thanks Holland.
In honor of the of the Hudson River Quadricentennial and the anniversaries of several Dutch organizations, tulip breeders in Holland have created the Manhattan Tulip.
"They offered them as a gift to communities along the Hudson where the original Dutch settlements were. We've planted about 15 hundred of them. The tulips are named for the first Dutch inhabitants that Henry Hudson met on his journey along what is now The Hudson River. I don't know exactly what they'll look like, just that they're orange."
Also in honor of the quadricentennial, Stacey says this year you'll also be able to see a selection of the old species of tulips that would have been found in Holland back in the
1600's.
What won't you see this year?
Stacey says they can only fit 140 varieties of tulips in the city's beds, so she rotates them every year, but she's stopped featuring the tulip named for NY's former senator.
"They're not my favorite. They always started off with such promise and they never really developed. They just turned out to be a fading wishy washy pink."
Earlier on AOA:
How to sound smart about tulips
Tulips really are edible...sort of
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Comments
The Hillary Clinton tulip 'They always started off with such promise and they never really developed'.
Sounds like the Spitzer tulip. Had so much promise and then ended up smelling baaaaad.
... said komradebob on Apr 16, 2009 at 3:34 PM | link
I saw red & yellow tulips in full bloom last night outside Boscovs @ Colonie Center. I was taking pictures with my phone I was soo exciiited! Totally makes winter worth living through.
... said Alison on Apr 16, 2009 at 4:45 PM | link
I will check out the tulips on my run through Washington Park this evening!
... said Kathleen Lisson on Apr 17, 2009 at 3:50 PM | link
Didn't realize the pink and white ones were named for Hillary. It's a pity that we won't see them this year. They're my favorite. They do appear daintier and more ethereal than the other varieties.
... said josie on Apr 18, 2009 at 10:47 AM | link
I LOVE TULIPS!
I was scared they would all bloom while I was gone and I would miss them eventhough I know they last through Mother's Day. I cherish tulip season.
... said Katherine on Apr 20, 2009 at 4:27 PM | link