It’s Still Just Dirt – October 2015, The Tillsonburg News
by Penny Esseltine

From  Bear Lake, Kelowna, and Vancouver in the west to Sackville, Conception Bay, and Charlottetown in the east and even Aklavik in the north, 140 Canadian communities will be planting Dutch-Canadian Friendship Tulip Gardens this fall in recognition of the 70th Anniversary of the original Dutch-Canadian Friendship Tulip Garden planted in Ottawa at the end of World War II in 1945.

And did I mention Tillsonburg. Yes, we are one of the 140 communities selected from the more than 400 applications received by the Canadian Garden Council.

Tillsonburg Director of Parks, Culture and Recreation Rick Cox says he thinks this is a really good thing for this area. “Local people of Dutch ancestry have helped to build this area so it’s appropriate that we recognize and celebrate this connection.”

It all started 70 years ago at the end of the war. Princess Juliana of the Netherlands presented 100,000 tulip bulbs to Ottawa, Canada’s capital, in appreciation of the safe haven that members of Holland’s exiled royal family received during World War II, and in recognition of the role Canadian troops played in the liberation of the Netherlands. This presentation of tulip bulbs was the beginning of the Canadian Tulip Festival.

The tulips in Ottawa have grown to be a symbol of peace, freedom and international friendship. Today over a million tulips in 50 varieties bloom in public spaces across the National Capital Region during the Tulip Festival each year.

Each of the 140 new 70th Anniversary Dutch-Canadian Friendship Tulip Gardens across the country will consist of 700 red and white tulip bulbs (350 of each colour) generously donated by Vesey’s Bulbs in Prince Edward Island. Rick says our bulbs have already arrived.

A planting ceremony for the Tillsonburg Dutch-Canadian Friendship Tulip Garden is set for Saturday morning, November 7 starting at 9:00 a.m. at the northeast corner of the Tillsonburg Cemetery facing Simcoe Street.

Everyone with an interest in the Friendship Garden is invited to come and help plant tulip bulbs. A special invitation is extended to children of all ages, veterans, gardening enthusiasts, and of course local residents of Dutch descent.

If you would like to participate as an individual or as a group you are welcome to come out with a trowel and perhaps a pair of garden gloves too.

Whether you are planning to plant tulip bulbs in the Friendship Garden or at home in your own garden, here are some basic instructions to consider.

• Tulip bulbs should be planted right side up, at least six to eight inches deep measuring from the  base of the bulb. Ideally you should dig a little deeper to loosen the soil and allow for drainage. Remember, the bigger the bulb the deeper the hole needs to be.
• Make sure the top of the bulb (the pointy end) is facing up toward the light. You should be able to see leftover root scales on the bottom of the bulb and perhaps some dry remnants of foliage at the top. Set the bulb in the hole and press the soil firmly around it.
• Water bulbs right after planting. Bulbs will need water to trigger growth.

Of course in the spring we will all be looking for our Dutch-Canadian Friendship Tulip Garden to bloom and Rick says a bloom celebration will be planned. In Southern Ontario tulip bulbs generally bloom between the end of April and the beginning of June depending on the type of tulip and where it’s planted.

In 2016 the Ottawa Tulip Festival expects their tulips to bloom during the annual festival celebration which is scheduled for between May 13 and 23, 2016.

For more information about the Dutch-Canadian Friendship Tulip Gardens visit canadasgardenroute.ca; and for information about the Ottawa Tulip Festival visit tulipfestival.ca.

If you would like more information about Tillsonburg’s Dutch-Canadian Friendship Tulip Garden call Rick Cox at 519-688-3009, ext. 4228.

Lastly, for information about the Tillsonburg Horticultural Society visit tillsonburghorticultural.ca.