Dutch couple plants 150 tulips celebrating Canada’s anniversary
Canadian spirit is in full bloom outside Jerry Hagemeyer’s home in Penticton. In honour of the upcoming 150th anniversary of Confederation, last fall, she planted 150 special tulip bulbs. The result is magnificent — and poignant.
Since they began blooming in April, the red-and-white flowers have added a patriotic splash of colour to her yard on Wilson Street.
“The weather was cold, so everything was late, but I’m really thrilled that they came up quite good anyway,” said Hagemeyer.
The special Canada 150 bulbs were bred in the Netherlands — often referred to as the flower shop of the world — for the occasion.
The two countries have been connected by tulips since 1945, when the Netherlands began sending bulbs annually to the National Capital Commission in Ottawa to thank Canada for helping liberate it during the Second World War and providing refuge to the Dutch royal family.
That spirit of friendship is not lost on Hagemeyer and her husband, Martin, who emigrated from the Netherlands in 1958 and became Canadian citizens in 1967 — the 100th anniversary of Confederation.
“And we are very proud Canadians, because Canada has been very good to us. We had to work hard, but we’ve accomplished a lot,” said Hagemeyer, who retired to Penticton in 1996 after spending nearly two decades in northern B.C. as a school custodian.
The avid gardener jumped at the chance to plant the special bulbs: “I said, ‘I’ve got to do something for Canada,’” she explained, “so that’s what I did.”
Reports have surfaced this spring in Ontario about the bulbs producing stunted or orange flowers, but the ones in Hagemeyer’s yard came up exactly as advertised.
The results have also been breathtaking in Ottawa, where 300,000 Canada 150 tulips were planted throughout the capital city’s gardens.