TULIP MANIA

PLANT THESE BLOOMS NOW FOR A COLOURFUL SPRING SHOWING

- DIARMUID GAVIN

THERE is no better gardening job in November than choosing and planting tulip bulbs.

Horticulturally speaking it’s the right time of year - the ground is not frozen but is cold enough to reduce the possibility of a fungal disease called Tulip fire.

Psychologically it’s a good time as well. There’s something uplifting as you press these bulbs into the earth and imagine them in flower, the warmth of a spring day and some sunshine on your face.

Tulips have had an enduring popularity over the centuries. In 17th century Netherlands they were such a novelty and craze that the trading of bulbs reached exorbitant prices, at its height sometimes the equivalent of the price of a house.

Known as Tulip Mania, this is considered to be one of the first recorded instances of a speculative economic bubble that collapsed.

Despite prices crashing, they've never gone out of fashion and happily they are reasonably priced and easily sourced.