Tulips are not the only thing in the Netherlands – there are 15 Greek species! (photos)

A small tricolor meadow with red, yellow and purple tulips of Greek species bloomed in Thermi of Thessaloniki, in an area of ​​about fifty square meters, where, for the first time in Greece, thousands of bulbs of native and endemic tulip species of the country were grown in an organized manner.

The effort began four years ago, in 2019, as part of a research project, in order to investigate the conditions under which Greek tulips can be cultivated, so that their systematic cultivation by nurseries and flower growers is possible later.

“We have found that there are 15 species of Greek tulip in our country and we are making efforts to save them”, ELGO researcher Dimitra in the field of floriculture and scientifically responsible for the “Value Chain for Greek tulips” project explains to APE-MPE. gr, Giorgos Tsoktouridis.

“We are now conducting an experiment at the Institute of Genetic Improvement and Phytogenetic Resources of ELGO Dimitra in Thermi, with Greek species and we are trying to find out what size and weight a tulip bulb must have in order for its flower to bloom,” he says characteristically. He adds that the process for the tulip is extremely slow, as it takes four to seven years for a plant to bloom, from the moment the soil receives the seed.

However, it states that “the tulip is the third strongest flower in the world and has been established in the floriculture industry as a garden plant and as a plant for the production of cut flowers in the vase, which is of great interest.”

How long does the tulip flower last in the vase?

The Department of Agriculture of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and the Department of Agriculture of the University of Thessaly also participate in the project, while flower production, greenhouse and fertilizer production companies are represented. At the same time, experiments are carried out to determine how long the tulip flower can be kept in the vase.

“The time to keep the tulip flower in the vase depends on many factors, such as the type of tulip, the temperature, the use of preservatives, etc. and it can range from five to ten days,” he adds.

In seven years such a crop is expected to be possible

Regarding the time horizon within which a systematic cultivation of tulips in Greece by nurseries and flower growers will be possible, Mr. Tsoktouridis estimates that thanks to the preparatory work that has been done in previous years, within seven years from today they will be able to the first bulbs are produced.

He clarifies that in any case the whole process is not easy as it requires capital and a lot of patience.

How the cultivation of the tulip began

Mr. Tsoktouridis mentions that four hundred years ago the Dutch took tulip bulbs from Greece, Turkey, Uzbekistan and elsewhere and brought them to their country where they started cultivation and research on the crossing of the species. The species, in fact, seems to have acquired great value as there were many who paid large sums of money for flower bulbs of rare colors and shapes.

Since then, the relevant know-how and a successful marketing policy to promote the product worldwide have been particularly developed in the Netherlands. Today, out of ten bulbs sold on the world market, nine are Dutch.

On the other hand, the legislation in Greece prohibits the collection of plants, seeds or bulbs from Greek nature for the purpose of renewing the local flora. “From nature we cannot even take the seed, because it falls down and grows again and this is how the renewal of the material takes place. Only at the research level is a special license granted by the competent ministry to research organizations for the collection of specific samples only,” ELGO researcher Dimitras adds.