Official tulip for Canada's 150th anniversary unveiled
With spring right around the corner, the landscape is about to get a whole lot more patriotic, thanks to a unique tulip selected to celebrate Canada’s 150th anniversary.
With its fiery streaks, the red-on-white flower bears a remarkable resemblance to the maple leaf design of the Canadian flag. Ottawa’s National Capital Commission (NCC) teamed up with the Netherlands to select the flower, which has been dubbed the Canada 150 tulip.
According to the NCC, 300,000 of the tulips have already been planted on federal properties in Ottawa and Gatineau, and they’re expected to bloom in May during the Canadian Tulip Festival.
Home Hardware has also been selling the tulip bulbs since Sept. 2016, which means the special flower will be popping up in gardens across the country as soon as the weather warms up.
Tulips have long marked the special bond between Canada and the Netherlands. According to the NCC, the first tulip beds in Ottawa were planted in 1945, when Holland sent 100,000 bulbs to thank Canadian soldiers for the significant part they played in liberating the Netherlands.
“The tulip represents gratitude and the long-standing friendship between Canada and the Netherlands,” said Netherlands Ambassador Cees Kole in a press release. “Blooming in the colours of Canada’s flag, Canada 150 tulips will bring both pride and joy to gardens and communities from coast to coast to coast.”
