Tiptoeing through the Tulips, Morges, 21 April 2021
Can you visualize over 140,000 tulips, in a dazzling variety of colours, laid out in imaginative winding, oval, triangular, serpent-like, beds (“massifs”) of flowers over three hectares of parkland on the enchanting banks of Lac Léman ?
No ? Well neither could I. Which is why I absolutely had to join RW’s excursion in April to visit the annual Fête de la Tulipe at the Parc de l’Indépendance of Morges. This 52nd celebration of the annual event brought together some 275 varieties (!) of tulips, with the different massifs, consisting of hundreds of the same type, being mostly sponsored and created by the surrounding communes. Diversity is therefore guaranteed.
Entrance to the park (with good parking at the entrance) was completely free and our group quickly broke up into pairs or individuals so as to enjoy the spectacle at leisure.
Apart from the pure beauty of the display, one discovers that tulips come in different types, petal shapes, colour shades, origins, etc. The website of the World Tulip Society, of which Morges is a member, bears testimony to the absolute passion that the flower continues to invoke around the world.
Fortunately, the collections were well labelled, so I was able to deduce that some of the varieties were named Triumph, Lily (Fleurs de Lys), Narcisse, Viking and Double Tardive. However, within these categories, one’s imagination can apparently run riot. Every massif therefore proudly boasted its own identification such as North Pole (white), Flaming Prince, Sugar Love (pink), Honeymoon, Roman Empire (!), Negrita (red?), Avalon, Orange Empress, Baby Blue (dark purple), Python, Yosemite and Mistress.
The visit was much enhanced by the park’s view of the lake, as beautiful and peaceful as one could wish for. With a little bit of advance planning, we were also able to enjoy a delightful lunch at the restaurant Le Léman on the quay of Morges, which concluded an ideal outing.
Derrick Deane
