Yellow And Orange Tulips T-Shirt

Tulips are members of the lily family. These hardy, bulbous-rooted flowers originated in the Old World and flourished in temperate climates ranging from Japan to Asia Minor. Wildly popular during the 1600s, the flowers have retained a devoted following among modern gardeners who cannot envision spring flowerbeds without hosts of colorful tulips. Most cultivated tulips are varieties of T. gesneriana and possess the slender stems and turban-shaped blossoms typical of the flower. Yet a walk through the Netherlands' tulip markets provides an astonishing lesson in horticulture. Nestled among the more familiar flowers are strange, exotic plants in many shapes, sizes and colors. Some have pointed, lily-like petals which curl daintily. Others are voluptuous flowers, lushly petaled like peonies or dahlias. Their colors range from soft pastels to rich shades of crimson. Occasionally a tulip "breaks" -- its bulb produces a new color or bizarre pattern. In the past broken bulbs fetched extravagant...