The Flowers of
Spring
BY LORRAINE BERTAN,
CULTURAL AFFAIRS
The crocus and snowdrops
have pushed their way out
of the snow and the daffodils
and hyacinths appear exhibiting
the colors that will brighten the
environment. Nature puts a lot of
energy in producing plant color
and scent and the attractiveness of
plants and flowers have a special
purpose: reproduction.
The flowering plants appeared
on earth during the time of the
dinosaurs, the Cretaceous period,
and the tiny and fragile plants have
outlasted the non-avian dinosaurs.
What makes the flowering plants
unique is their ability to produce
enclosed seeds, rice, wheat and
maize. Their seeds can be stored
for a period of time which provided
nourishment for early humans, who
lived a nomadic life style depending
on hunting. The development of
agriculture allowed people to live
in large groups, and the eventual
development of city-states.
The flowering plants have
coevolving relationships with
insects, birds and mammals which
carried pollen and seeds to new
locations and increased the diversity
of plants. The plants are the food
producers of the planet. The colors
and scents of flowers are a result of
complex chemical reactions which
are as important to the reproductive
survival of a plant species as the
exotic plumage is to mating birds.
Various medicines come from
plants, quinine for malaria, aspirin
from willow-bark, digitalis from
foxglove, and of course the opiates,
cocaine, and opium. Flowering
plants like vanilla flavor food, as do
the various herbs dill, basil, oregano,
cilantro, mustard and garlic.
Farmers use artificial selection to
breed varieties of the mustard plant,
like cauliflower, cabbage, Brussel
sprouts and broccoli. Wine and
beer, are brewed from grapes and
hops; and the grains like barley
and wheat are the base for scotch
and whiskey. The flowering plants
are the source of natural dyes, like
indigo, madder root, chestnut and
saffron. The beauty of antique rugs
is a result of natural dyes. What do
we like to give as gifts? Flowers!
Soon the tulips will appear in
their magnificent display along
with the daffodils and hyacinths.
We associate the Dutch with the
bulbs of spring because in the 17th
century the Dutch were colonizers
and prolific traders brought back
unusual spices and flowers. The
tulip, which is in the same family
as onions and garlic, originated
in Turkey, along with spices and
rugs, and became major imports to
Holland. At that time Holland had
amassed considerable wealth from
its explorations. The tulip was unlike
any flower seen in Europe. It was an
exotic that appealed to the rich. The
more unusual the coloration of the
tulip, the more desirable.
Tulips showing multiple colors,
a mosaic, was a genetic aberration
caused by a virus. They were
known as “broken tulips” and
commanded the highest prices.
The Dutch learned how
to propagate tulips
from part of the
plant, the bulb,
which could
be stored
and planted
in the fall
to bloom in
the following
spring. Tulips
grown from
seed take 12 years, and the colors
could change.
Tulips bulbs were a known salable
commodity, and people bought
tulips to sell for profit. This became
so popular that “Tulip-Mania” resulted
in people buying far more tulips
that could be sold. The Amsterdam
Stock Market was formed in 1634
and listed tulips as an investment
property, along with other forms of
investment, primarily to raise money
for the voyages of companies like
the East India Company, which
fueled the economy of Holland.
When the professional traders get
into the action, prices are hyped up,
people are encouraged to buy more
using credit, and eventually the market
is saturated and the price falls.
This was the famous market crash
of 1637. Today Holland is the largest
producer of tulip, lily, hyacinth and
daffodil bulbs, accounting for 60%
of the world supply.
As civilizations became more
complex, gardens were planted
not only as a food source, but a
source of beauty. As societies
increased in wealth,
large dwellings would
include a garden.
An interesting
garden on Long
Island is the
Planting Fields
A r b o r e t u m
State Park in
Oyster Bay,
Long Island. The
Planting Fields were
built in the 1913 by
William Robertson Coe and
his second wife, Mai Huttleston
Rogers Coe, heiress of Standard
Oil. The sixty seven room mansion
is known as Coe Hall and is used
for concerts. The property occupies
400 acres, and includes the
famous Camellia House, a heated
greenhouse containing 200 varieties
of camellias which bloom
profusely from February through
March. Camellias are related to
the tea plants and are evergreens
like rhododendrons and azaleas,
which appear later in the spring
at the Planting Fields Arboretum.
Camellia House at Planting Fields, Coe Mansion, Oyster Bay
Flowers from Ms. Oh’s Fruit Market at NST
Colorful
camellias
March 2021 ¢ NORTH SHORE TOWERS COURIER 29