Nanaimo's Dutch-Canadian Friendship Tulip Garden celebrated

NEWS RELEASE - Distributed April 12, 2016 11:45 AM

Summary

Today, Mayor Bill McKay and Councillor Ian Thorpe along with representatives from the Royal Canadian Legion, Canadian Scottish Regiment, the St. John Ambulance Brigade and students from Bayview Elementary celebrated the blooming of Nanaimo's Friendship Tulip Garden at the Dallas Square Cenotaph. The ceremony, officiated by Councillor Ian Thorpe, recounted the history of the enduring friendship between Canada and the Netherlands so that it may live on for future generations.

In the spring of 1946, 100,000 tulips bloomed in Ottawa. Planted the previous fall, the Dutch tulip bulbs were sent to Canadians as a symbol of appreciation for the role Canadian soldiers played in the liberation of the Netherlands and the hospitality Canada provided to the Dutch Royal Family in Ottawa, where Princess Margriet was born, during WWII.

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Key Points

Last fall, the City of Nanaimo was one of more than 400 applicants to receive one of the 140, 70th Anniversary Dutch-Canadian Friendship Tulip Garden distributed by the Canadian Garden Council.
Nanaimo's Dutch-Canadian Friendship Tulip Garden is listed on www.canadasgardenroute.ca along with the other successful applicants.
Now, a gift-in-perpetuity, Canada continues to receive 20,000 tulip bulbs every fall. The blooms are enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of people every spring during the Canadian Tulip Festival.

Quotes

"Last year, Nanaimo was fortunate to be chosen as one of 140 communities across Canada to be awarded a 70th anniversary Dutch-Canadian Friendship Tulip Garden. Now, and for years to come, we can enjoy the blooms from this special garden and remember the friendship that was formed between Canada and the Netherlands out of a dark time in history."

Ian Thorpe

Councillor

City of Nanaimo

Images

Nanaimo's Dutch-Canadian Friendship Tulip Garden Blooming Ceremony

Nanaimo's Dutch-Canadian Friendship Tulip Garden

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Contact:

Gail Pasaluko

Horticulture Supervisor

City of Nanaimo

250-755-7540

Ian Thorpe

Councillor

City of Nanaimo

250-713-9135

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