Tulip Hunt

I live in a condo now. I do not have land. I do not even have a balcony. This is probably the only thing saving me from a fall time madness that would have only been exacerbated by my current virtual challenge (a walk along the flower road in the Netherlands). In late summer, I used to get a catalogue from Breck’s Bulbs. I would play a little game with myself, saying that I am only allowed to buy one item on every two pages. So, I’d mark those flowers. Then came an imaginary budget cut, and it was one item every four pages, and I’d narrow the selection again. Then finally, I would be only allowed a single flower, but I would be allowed to order hundreds of them, enough to fill an entire bed.

I didn’t get my catalogue this year, but the pictures I’m seeing on the street views of this virtual challenge have compelled with me to make a list of the top nine tulips of this moment for me. I’m not planting a garden that matches, just nine different blooms I love, that mostly clash with each other.

If you mouse over each of these, they’ll flip and tell you their names, but feel free to fall in love based on looks alone.