Midwestern winters do have an advantage. They allow us to grow tulips. Tulips cannot be grown in warm, tropical climates because they need a cold period to grow successfully. Tulips have an unusual history from both a horticulture and economics perspective. The word tulip immediately evokes images of windmills, wooden shoes and Holland, but tulips are actually native to Turkey and were imported to Holland in the late 1500s. Their name comes from the Persian word for turban.

Originally, tulips were luxury plants only the very rich could afford. The most vividly colored, striped varieties fetched enormous sums. Semper Augustus, a flamed red and white tulip, was especially prized. One Dutch farmer is recorded having bought one of these bulbs for two loads of wheat, four loads of rye, four oxen, eight pigs, twelve sheep, two oxheads of wine, four tons of butter, a thousand pounds of cheese, a bed, some clothing and a silver beaker. Now there's a plant lover!

By 1636, tulips were traded on the stock exchanges of many Dutch cities. Promissory notes were issued guaranteeing future delivery of the most sought after tulip varieties. The notes often changed hands many times, increasing in value with each transaction. In 1637, the tulip market took a severe downturn, leaving thousands of businessmen financially ruined, and the Dutch government enforced economic controls ending tulip mania, a term still sometimes used to describe any large economic bubble.

An interesting horticulture fact is that the most prized bulbs were infected with a tulip breaking virus, which caused the tulip petals to have such vivid colors and distinctive markings. Today, the virus has been almost completely eradicated, though some breaking has been genetically introduced to produce unique cultivars.

Currently there are fifteen tulip categories: single early, double early, Triumph, Darwin, single late, lily flowered, fringed, Viridiflora, Rembrandt, parrot, double late, Kaufmanniana, Fosteriana, Greigii, and species.

Single early are lustrous, cup-shaped tulips with strong stems that stand up well to rain and wind. April bloomers, they work well for bedding or indoor forcing.

Double early tulips produce lovely, dramatic double flowers. They are available in a wide range of colors. Like the single early category, they are ideal for bedding and forcing. Most bloom in mid-April.

Blooming from mid to late spring, Triumph tulips grow 24 inches tall and have conical flowers.

Darwin tulips have huge, goblet-like flowers. They have strong stems and perennialize well. Reaching 22 to 28 inches tall, they bloom from mid-April into May.

The tallest and most popular tulips are the single late varieties. They are also the largest class with the most diverse colors. Their May flowers are square to oval and sometimes have pointed petals.

Elegant lily-flowering tulips bloom in May on strong, tall stems. Their long-lasting flowers are large and have pointed petals flaring outwards at the tips.

As their name suggests, fringed tulips have sharply fringed petals. They flower in late spring and can reach 32 inches tall.

The softly colored petals of Viridiflora or green tulips are delicately feathered and streaked with green. They are late blooming tulips with long-lasting flowers.

Rembrandt tulips have been genetically developed to contain a virus that causes the flowers to have striped or blotchy patterns.

Parrot tulips are some of the most striking. Their May blooms are rather large and have showy fringed, frilled, twisted or scalloped petals. Many are beautifully bicolored.

Double late or peony-flowering tulips are some of my favorites. These scented, long-lasting, breathtaking tulips bloom in late April and closely resemble peonies.

Kaufmannianas are also called waterlily tulips. They are low-growing, early spring blooming tulips ideal for rock gardens or border plantings. Their leaves can be striped or mottled with reddish or brownish purple pigmentation. Waterlily tulips are usually bicolored. They naturalize particularly well.

Fosteriana or Emperor tulips are some of the earliest blooming tulips. They produce remarkably huge flowers in a wide range of colors. Excellent as cut flowers, they typically bloom in mid-April.

Known for their purple-brown or maroon striped, mottled and wavy foliage, Greigii tulips have large, brightly colored flowers. Most bloom in April and May.

Species tulips cover a wide range of flower colors, shapes and sizes. Native to Mediterranean areas, most are small and delicate appearing, but they tend to perennialize better than most tulips. They are best used in rock gardens and large drifts.

Tulips will thrive in most soils having good drainage. During the growing season, they like plenty of moisture, but the roots must not stand in water. Fertilize tulips once or twice a year in the fall or early spring to boost flowering. Feeding tulips during the growing season will produce leggy plants. Tulips can be planted from October until late December.

Remove the spent flower heads on your tulips, but always let them die back naturally before removing their foliage. This allows the plants to build up a supply of food to feed the bulbs that will produce next year's flowers. Frequently, tulips don't flower as well during their second and subsequent years. Many gardeners simply treat tulips as annuals and replant them each year.