Did you know that there is an official tulip for Canada’s 150th anniversary, celebrated next year (2017)? It’s called Canada 150 and is white streaked with red, a combination that “recalls the Canadian flag” according to the press releases. Well, maybe you had to be there…
Another attraction: its foliage is variegated, rimmed with a thin white edge.
Over 300,000 Canada 150 tulips will be planted this fall by the National Capital Commission in its gardens in Ottawa and Gatineau to ensure a spectacular show next spring at the Canadian Tulip Festival (May 12 to 22, 2017). Also, many municipalities across Canada will be planting huge beds of this bulb very soon.
You too can obtain bulbs of Canada 150. They will be distributed exclusively this fall through Home Hardware stores across Canada at a cost of $ 12.97 for 25 bulbs or $44.99 for 100 bulbs. The bulbs are scheduled to arrive in stores in time for the weekend of September 10-11.
Note that other suppliers will be selling the same tulip under the name Canadian Celebration. You’ll likely find it under this name in your favorite garden center this fall.
American and European readers of this blog will also be able to locate this bulb, but this time, under its real name, ‘Happy Generation’. (Yes, the tulip was renamed in Canada for commercial purposes… sorry, I really meant “patriotic reasons”!)
‘Happy Generation’ is a Triumph tulip and reaches about 20 inches (50 cm) in height.
A Few Words About Tulip Care
Tulips need cool to cold winters to grow well and can be planted in hardiness zones 3 to 8 as well as colder parts of zone 9.
Plant tulip bulbs to 6 inches (15 cm) deep; 12 inches (30 cm) deep if you have a problem with bulb-eating squirrels, since squirrels tend to give up digging if the bulbs are planted deeply. (Read Protecting Bulbs from Squirrels for other methods of keeping squirrels from harvesting your tulip bulbs). It is important to plant them in well-drained spot in full sun, preferably in rich soil. Space the bulbs about 4 inches (10 cm) apart, planting them in groups of at least 10 for the best possible effect.
Plant the bulbs when soil temperatures start to drop in the fall, but before the soil freezes. That can be as early as September in zones 3 to 5 and as late as December or even January in zone 9.
Larry, do you have some references to confirm that Happy Generation is in fact the same tulip as Canada 150? I have not been able to confirm that this is true.
Robert Pavlis, Gardenmyths.com
Here you go: http://www.botanus.com/canadian-celebration-triumph-tulip.html
Thank you. This supports the idea that Happy Generation is the same as Canadian Celebration – which I agree with. It does not mention the tulip called ‘Canada 150’ which is a different cultivar name, and I don’t believe it is a rename of Happy Generation – which is a registered cultivar.
It’s still the same bulb. Easy enough to see by comparing photos: not only the same flower colour, but the leaves are variegated in exactly the same way… and the latter point is very telling, since is it not a common characteristic of tulips. You could probably contact Home Hardware, but I doubt if you could find out just the right people. For them, a bulb name is of no real importance as long as they can make money from it. The Botanus people are bulb experts: they could confirm for you.
I followed through on this and as far as the Bulb registry goes, these are different cultivars. They look different in bud, have slightly different leaves, but look similar once fully open. I have published the full story here.
http://www.gardenmyths.com/canada-150-tulip-confusion-cultivar-names/
Thank you!