History and Meaning of Tulips

As one of the most popular flowers in the world, the tulip is a perennial flower with an interesting and lengthy history. Due to their historical past, the tulips meaning and tulip symbolism are equally interesting.

Tulip Flower Facts & History

To understand the tulip meaning you need to look at its history. Native to Central Asia and the Middle East, tulips were considered a luxury, and were first introduced into Europe in the 16th century from Turkey. Side note, the national flower of Turkey is the tulip. Soon after, tulips were distributed throughout Holland resulting in an extraordinary supply and demand which eventually caused the tulip market to crash. Nonetheless, Holland is still known for its tulips today, as well as other flowers, and has been affectionately dubbed the "flower shop of the world."

A Bouquet of Rainbow Tulips in a Glass Vase with Card Message

A Bouquet of Yellow Tulips, Blue Iris, and White Daisy Poms in a Glass Vase with Yellow Ribbon

A Bouquet of White Irises, Blush Tulips, Ivory Narcissus, and Elegant Song Bird in a Wicker Basket

Tulip Color Meanings

There are more than 3,000 different varieties of cultivated tulips, and they bloom anywhere from early to late spring. When grown in fields, they do best in temperate climates and cannot grow in subtropical or tropical climates. Tulips are a popular choice for weddings as they symbolize “happy years” and “love.” The tulip is the eleventh wedding anniversary flower, the national flower for Iran and Turkey, and the unofficial emblem for Holland. Throughout the centuries, tulips have become so popular that several tulip festivals are held each year around the world including North America, in states such as Iowa, Michigan, New York, Oregon, Utah, and Washington. Holland also holds a yearly Dutch Tulip Festival, and is the chief producer of this beautiful flower, with roughly three billion tulips cultivated each year, of which two billion are exported.

A Bouquet of Pink And Yellow Tulips, Blush Hyacinth, and White Star of Bethlehem Stems in a Clear Glass Round Vase with Card Message

A Bouquet of Deep-Red Tulips in a Clear Cylinder Vase with Scarlet Satin Ribbon

A Bouquet of Red Tulips, Purple Tulips, and Pale Pink Tulips in a Cylinder Glass Vase with Message Card

Meaning of Tulips Flowers

What is the symbolism of a tulip? In general, tulips symbolize fame, love, passion, the perfect lover, and romance, but each individual color holds special meanings as well. A variety of multiple colored tulips symbolize elegance and grace; the pink tulips meaning represents attachment and good wishes; purple tulips meaning refers to royalty and rebirth; the yellow tulip flower meaning stands for cheerful thoughts and sunshine; orange represents fascination, happiness, and warmth; white asks for forgiveness; red signifies true love and romance; those that are almost black in color represents the heart of a lover that’s fired with passion; and striped tulips represent beautiful eyes. So when it comes to sending a bouquet of gorgeous tulips or a mixed bouquet with tulips, let these meanings guide you. Knowing the meaning of tulip flowers perfectly expresses your sentiments from your knowledge of tulip facts when you send someone a bouquet.

A Bouquet of Pink Tulips, White Alstroemeria, and Variegated Pittosporum in a Glass Hurricane Vase

A Bouquet of Ivory Tulips Bunch, Greens, Pine, and Holly in a Glass Vase with Cream Bow

A Bouquet of Pink Roses, Hot-Pink Tulips, Pale-Pink Carnations, Pitta Negra, Variegated Pittosporum, and Waxflower in a Glass Vase

Symbolism of Tulips

Whatever tulips you send today, you will have to decide upon which sentiments or thoughts you want to express with your tulips symbolism. Whether romantic tulips, or friendship tulips you can now not only send tulips to someone, but also explain to them in your free delivery message card why you chose that particular flower bouquet, and what it means to you. You've educated yourself on one of the most beautiful flowers in the world and now you need never ask yourself again what is the meaning of tulips. Enjoy your newfound knowledge of the meaning of the tulip flower!