Celebrating Canada’s 150th at Ottawa’s Tulip Festival

On July 1, 2017, Canada celebrates a big birthday – we turn 150! The Dominion of Canada was signed into being in 1867; we were only four provinces then: Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. A century-and-a-half later, we are 10 provinces and 3 territories. Our nationhood is acknowledged on the Centennial Flame that has burned in front of the parliament buildings in Ottawa since our centennial in 1967.

Canada Flame-Ottawa

I was in Ottawa last week to visit friends and catch a little of the Canadian Tulip Festival. Though there weren’t many tulips at the Parliament Buildings, I did the requisite “lie flat on the grass and attempt to get both tulips & Peace Tower in the shot”.

Parliament Buildings-Ottawa-Tulip Festival

And since a lovely flame-like tulip called ‘Canada 150’ was introduced this year to commemorate our birthday, I decided to put all the flames together and try to ignite a bonfire!

Canada Flame & 'Canada 150' tulip-montage-Tulip Festival

The weather was perfect and cool when we were there, though the normally dry trail below the Parliament Buildings flanking the Ottawa River was still under water from this spring’s historic flooding of the area.

Flooding-Ottawa River-Parliamenet Buildings-May 2017

We began our tulip quest at lovely Commissioners Park adjacent to Dow’s Lake, where the tulips were splendidly arrayed between the lake….

Commissioner's Park-Tulip Festival-Ottawa

…. and a residential neighbourhood.

Commissioner's Park-houses-Tulip Festival-Ottawa

Everyone was trying their hand at photography…..

Photographer-Ottawa Tulip Festival-Commissioners Park1

….including the serious shutterbugs….

Photographer2-Ottawa-Tulip-

….and those who still seem to have good knees!

Photographer-Ottawa Tulip Festival-Commissiners Park2

Some were mastering the tulip selfie. Smile!

Selfies-Tulip Festival-Commissioners Park-Ottawa

Double-flowered ‘Miranda’ was a big hit (if you like red tulips on steroids….)

Tulipa 'Miranda'-Commissioners Park-Ottawa-Tulip Festival

‘Pretty Princess’ is a sport of old ‘Princes Irene’.

Tulipa 'Pretty Princess'-Commissioners Park-Ottawa-Tulip Festival

I liked this citrus-flavoured tulip mix.

Tulips-Commissioners Park-Dow Lake-Ottawa-Tulip Festival2

‘Ottawa’ is just one of a number of tulips named for Canadian cities.

Tulipa 'Ottawa'-Commissioners Park-Ottawa-Tulip Festival

‘Calgary’ is a pure white Triumph tulip.

Tulipa 'Calgary'-Commissioners Park-Ottawa-Tulip Festsival

And I’m sure there’s a joke somewhere in ‘Double Toronto’, especially if you come from elsewhere in Canada.  As in: “Q. Why are Toronto tulips double? A. Because they think they’re twice as good as the other cities.”

Tulipa 'Double Toronto'-Commissioners Park-Tulip Festsival-Ottawa

Truth be told, I’m not a big fan of massive blocks of tulips in one colour, whether it’s at the Keukenhof in the Netherlands or Ottawa. I do understand they attract crowds to public places, especially in a city that features winter for half the year. And as a stock photographer, I do love finding well-grown, labelled plants to shoot. However, as a tulip-lover, I’m partial to naturalistic designs incorporating them with perennials, as I illustrate in this video of my own front garden yesterday. But if I had to name a favourite planting at Commissioner’s, this would be the one – a big, happy circus of tulips.

Tulips-Commissioners Park-Dow Lake-Ottawa-Tulip Festival

There were more than just tulips in the park, like these lovely late daffodils….

Commissioner's Park-daffodils-Tulip Festival 2017

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Muscari 'Blue Magic' & Hyacinth 'Rembrandt'-Tulip Festival-Commissioners Park-Ottawa

There is also a row of interpretive signs at Commissioners Park describing the origins of the Tulip Festival, the first 100,000 bulbs a gift from Princess Juliana and the Netherlands in dual gratitude to Canada for providing a safe haven for her during the 2nd World War and also for liberating the country in spring 1945. The Netherlands royal family and Dutch bulb growers continue to send 10,000 bulbs to Canada each year.

Tulip Festival-interpretive sign-Netherlands Gift.

On our second full day of three in Ottawa, we visited Major’s Hill Park, across from the beautiful, Moshe Safdie-designed National Gallery.

Major's-Hill-Park2-Tulip-Fe

I loved this view of the Gallery’s atrium through elderberry flowers (Sambucus pubens).

Sambucus pubens-Elderberry-National Gallery-Ottawa

This is the National Gallery entrance, from a previous visit.

National Gallery of Canada-entrance-Ottawa

And since we’re here, this is ‘Maman’ by the late French-American artist Louise Bourgeois (1911-2010), in tribute to her mother. At the time, in 2005, its $3.2 million price tag made it the most expensive artwork acquired by the gallery.

Maman-National Gallery of Canada-Louise Bourgeois-Ottawa

Behind ‘Maman’ is the Notre Dame Cathedral, with its twin spires that peek out over this cloud of serviceberry flowers (Amelanchier) from the park.

Amelanchier-serviceberry & Notre Dame Cathedral spires-Ottawa

There were lots of tulip-lovers at this centrally-located site, which has a spectacular view of the Parliament Buildings and the Ottawa River….

Parliament Buildings & Ottawa River

…. and the Douglas Cardinal-designed Canadian Museum of History across the river in Gatineau, Quebec. Both the National Gallery landscape and the landscape of the Museum were designed by Vancouver’s renowned Cornelia Hahn Oberlander.

Canadian Museum of History-Douglas Cardinal design-Ottawa

Little children ran around the brilliant tulips.

Major's Hill Park-Tulip Festival-Ottawa

I have a special place in my heart for tulips that perform this brave task on behalf of misfits everywhere.

Single red tulip-Tulip Festival-Ottawa

It was in Major’s Hill Park that I photographed the ‘Canada 150’ tulip…..

Tulipa 'Canada 150'-Ottawa Tulip Festival

….with its white-edged leaves.

Tulipa 'Canada 150'-Ottawa

At the top of a rise, there’s a pretty tulip bed leading to the monument honouring Lieutenant-Colonel John By.

Tulips-Colonel By Monument-Ottawa-Tulip Festival

His statue looks out over the Ottawa River, which leads to the downtown locks and the Rideau Canal, his great engineering achievement on behalf of the British in the 1830s (and a fabulous winter skating rink for the people of Ottawa).  His name is also memorialized in the nearby and fashionable Byward Market.

Lieutenant Colonel John By-Statue-Ottawa

As the engineer in charge of this grand engineering project, By lived in a home on this site with a wonderful view of the river, Chaudières Falls and the Gatineau Hills.  “Colonel By lived with his wife and two daughters in an ornate, cottage-style home. Visitors were charmed by the residence with its English gardens and surrounding pastures.” In 1848, long after he’d returned to England and the house was occupied by other officers, it was destroyed by fire, leaving the foundation cornerstones as part of a living museum here.

Lieutenant-Colonel John By House Foundation-Ottawa

As my patriotic effort for this, our Sesquicentennial year I made a video of our Tulip Festival sojourn, complete with stirring national anthem soundtrack, followed by a lovely bit of music by an English composer named T.R.G. Banks, who generously makes his music available as public domain. Happy birthday, Canada. And many happy returns!