Tulips!

How I love spring! After a few lovely warm days some of the tulips are just beginning to come into flower. My favourite tulips are the Parrot tulips with their flamed and feathered petals. A similar type of tulip was extremely popular in Holland in the seventeenth century. The tulips with flamed petals were rare and very expensive. What they didn't know in those days was that the flamed effect was caused by a virus. The modern day Parrot tulip is virus free while still possessing the beautiful features which were so popular nearly 4 centuries ago.

These are my miniature Parrot tulips. I do enjoy making them although they take me long enough! The petals have to be all hand cut and hand painted several times before assembly. The tulips in the first photo were commissioned by someone for a little scene she was working on.