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Ogier de Busbecq was an ambassador for the Hapsburgs. In 1555, he was sent to negotiate with Suleiman the Magnificent of the Ottoman Empire. While traveling the area of Constantinople, de Busbecq saw the fabulous tulips cultivated in the Turkish empire. De Busbecq sent bulbs to his botanist friend, Carolus Clusius working in Prague and Vienna.

Rembrandt Tulip Mix Re-create "Tulipomania" in your garden. That phenomenon gripped Holland in the 17th century and fortunes were spent for just a single bulb. Most prized were the Rembrandt tulips, noted for their intriguing colour patterns.

Dutch hybridizers have bred superior varieties - healthy, hardy bulbs that produce the unique colouration often featured in the paintings of Dutch Masters.

This special mix of modern-day Rembrandt tulips from Holland features a colourful array of feathered, variegated 4" blooms that are stunning in the garden and gorgeous in bouquets. Free $25 off any order of $50 or more at Brecks Bulbs

Clusius was well-known for his scientific studies of medicinal plants; he directed the Imperial Medicinal Herb Garden of Prague. In the 1590s, Clusius' religious beliefs jeopardized his career at the Garden. He took the position of head botanist with the new Hortus (botanical garden) of the University of Leyden (Netherlands). Before he left Vienna, he dug the tulip bulbs sent to him by de Busbecq.

Clusius planted the tulips in Leyden's Hortus valuing the plants from a scientific point of view. When gardeners saw the blooms, the bulbs were in instant demand. Clusius refused to give any away and, it's said, demanded a high price for them. A portion of the tulip collection was stolen and started the infamous Tulipomania.

Clusius's bulbs became the "rage". Anybody who was anybody had to have the streaked tulips in their garden. The tulips, dubbed Rembrandts, were often depicted in paintings by Dutch Masters. The Rembrandts were infected with a virus; eventually the virus won and the plant died.

Tulipomania was an economic phenomenon--a speculation bubble or more crassly, the "greater fool expectation". The price of tulip bulbs climbed to the modern equivalent of thousands of dollars. People bet their homes, land, daughters' dowries, and sometimes their lives thinking they would find a buyer who would pay more. Most people never even planted the tulips; the bulbs were too valuable to put into the ground.

The bubble popped in February, 1637. The tulip market was saturated with bulbs, the economy crashed and homes, land, and businesses were lost.

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Brecks Dutch Treat Collection

Breck's Bulbs®

The ideal starter collection for your garden - or a friend's. Eight outstanding varieties of fresh, prime-quality Dutch bulbs rushed across the Atlantic to America and fully guaranteed to grow and bloom.

This spectacular 100-bulb assortment demonstrates to beginners, as well as to expert gardeners, how lovely your surroundings can be with a multitude of bright flowers from the fields of Holland. Exciting blooms start peeking through in early spring and keep coming until summer is in sight. Shipped in a distinctive gift box with complete planting instructions. Free $25 off any order of $50 or more at Brecks Bulbs [More Spring Blooming Collections...]

Breck's Deluxe Perennial Tulip Collection

Breck's Bulbs®

The tulips in the Deluxe Perennial Tulip Collection are unique in two ways:

>>> First of all, these are Perennial Tulips. Unlike most tulips, which grow and bloom with vigour for only a few years, Holland's Deluxe Perennial Tulips have many of the characteristics of fine daffodils. They will bloom in your garden with increased vigour and beauty year after year.

>>> But that's not all! There are a limited number of Deluxe Perennial Tulip bulbs which are unusually large - 14 cm. or larger. These big, plump, healthy bulbs produce vastly superior blooms. Fewer than one in a thousand Perennial Tulips grow to this huge size...and it's these rare giants which we have set aside for our Deluxe Perennial Tulip Collection.

Each collection includes 8 jumbo-sized bulbs of each variety, all of which bloom in early to late spring and grow 16 to 26 inches tall:

Red Dynasty - robust, eye-catching, signal red blooms.
Sun Gold - sparkling, golden-yellow blooms.
Halley's Comet - brilliant yellow blooms with flames of deep red.
Purissima - lustrous white blooms.
Guinevere - elegant, dramatic pink blooms.

Plus, as a FREE GIFT, with every collection you order we'll send you one rare, giant size Towering Prism bulb. This enormous bulb - a full 14cm. or larger - will grow with vigour in your garden, producing a tall (over three feet tall!), chalice-shaped flower with a beautiful pink blush, fading into a yellow trim.

Enjoy all 41 bulbs for one low price! Free $25 off any order of $50 or more at Brecks Bulbs
[More Spring Blooming Collections...]

Peony-Flowering Tulip Collection

Breck's Bulbs®

The Dutch take great pride in the vast variety of tulip blooms they have created...like these showy, double-flowering tulips that bear a striking resemblance to peonies. The full double blooms are formed of huge bowlfuls of spoon-shaped petals, gracefully curved and notched. Distinctive 4-5" blooms atop strong stems are superb for beds, borders or mixing with shrubs - and are unmatched for long-lasting bouquets. Four spectacular varieties shipped direct from Holland. Zones 3-8. 12+ cm bulbs. Free $25 off any order of $50 or more at Brecks Bulbs [More Tulips From Holland...]

Colour Magic Tulip Mixture

Breck's Bulbs®

With this delightful mix, you will enjoy not just two or three shades of colour but truly dozens of them! The maturing flowers change in hue, as if by magic, becoming more intensely coloured as time goes by. Watch closely...each day brings a completely different mix of magnificent shades! the only difficulty? Deciding when to cut your bouquet! Zones 3-8. Grows to 18-24" tall. Blooms in Mid-Spring. 11-12 cm bulbs. Free $25 off any order of $50 or more at Brecks Bulbs [More bulbs from Holland...]

Parrot Tulip Collection

Breck's Bulbs®

Feathery-petaled parrot tulips command attention in any garden.

Collection includes 7 each of:

White Fire Parrot - Exotic flowers crown sturdy stems, creating a dashing display equaled only by the finest fields of Holland. Fringed petals combine bright white with flaming red and touches of green. Vibrant blooms open to 7".

Flaming Parrot - Flamboyant 7" yellow flowers are accented with a banner of velvety pure red. These 12+ cm cream-of-the-crop Dutch bulbs produce vivid blooms with slashed, fringed petals on strong, towering stems.

Muriel - Muriel's feathery petals - a gorgeous blend of deep violet and royal purple with hints of blue - seem almost iridescent. Her dark, mysterious colour makes a dramatic compliment to lighter-coloured varieties in the garden and cut-flower arrangements. 21 bulbs in all! Free $25 off any order of $50 or more at Brecks Bulbs [Gardening 101 Assistance...]