Eruption of Tulip. Prinsentuin, Groningen, The Netherlands
The Prinsentuin (Prince's Garden) in the Old City of Groningen was established in 1626. It is unknown what plants grew there at that time. But 1626 is also the year in which Henricus Munting (1583-1658) - yet to become first professsor of botany at the young university of Groningen - bought a piece of land in the New Town where he founded his Hortus which was later to be the official Provincial and University Garden. That Hortus had a large collection of tulips. Indeed, Henricus in the mid-1630s took part in the financial speculation in that bulb - the so-called Tulipomania. He continued to love the flower even after seeing his attempt to make speculative money come to naught. In his garden catalogue - with the fine name Gazophilacium - of 1646 Munting lists some 150 different kinds which he owned.
Born the same year the Prinsentuin was founded, Munting's son, Abraham (1626-1683), followed closely in his father's footsteps. One of the few sources for Tulipomania is Abraham's account of it in his horticultural works of 1672 and 1696. He describes in a personable narrative how his father Henricus had been caught up in this craze... and how he'd been disappointed by his investments. From his father he had himself inherited esteem for this originally Turkish flower.
Looking with wonder this morning at this Eruption of Tulip, I was intensely grateful to Carolus Clusius (1526-1609) for introducing these flowers to the northern Netherlands in 1594.
Eruption of Tulip. Prinsentuin, Groningen, The Netherlands
The Prinsentuin (Prince's Garden) in the Old City of Groningen was established in 1626. It is unknown what plants grew there at that time. But 1626 is also the year in which Henricus Munting (1583-1658) - yet to become first professsor of botany at the young university of Groningen - bought a piece of land in the New Town where he founded his Hortus which was later to be the official Provincial and University Garden. That Hortus had a large collection of tulips. Indeed, Henricus in the mid-1630s took part in the financial speculation in that bulb - the so-called Tulipomania. He continued to love the flower even after seeing his attempt to make speculative money come to naught. In his garden catalogue - with the fine name Gazophilacium - of 1646 Munting lists some 150 different kinds which he owned.
Born the same year the Prinsentuin was founded, Munting's son, Abraham (1626-1683), followed closely in his father's footsteps. One of the few sources for Tulipomania is Abraham's account of it in his horticultural works of 1672 and 1696. He describes in a personable narrative how his father Henricus had been caught up in this craze... and how he'd been disappointed by his investments. From his father he had himself inherited esteem for this originally Turkish flower.
Looking with wonder this morning at this Eruption of Tulip, I was intensely grateful to Carolus Clusius (1526-1609) for introducing these flowers to the northern Netherlands in 1594.