ST. JACOBS, Ont. — Home Hardware has extended a “very Canadian” apology to gardening enthusiasts who purchased bulbs of its Canada 150 tulips. The commemorative cultivar, celebrating the sesquicentennial of Confederation, is meant to bloom red and white, but some gardeners took to social media complaining that they were coming up orange. Home Hardware’s Jessica Kuepfer told CTV News that refunds will be offered to customers with proof of purchase from a Home Hardware store. The company will confer the Dutch supplier of the bulbs to troubleshoot.
Tulips have been a symbol of friendship between Canada and the Netherlands since the Second World War, when Canadian troops assisted in the European country’s liberation from Nazi rule. As University of British Columbia horticulturist pointed out, the “wrong” orange colour is appropriate in one way: it’s the national colour of the Netherlands. “Maybe this is their way of getting in on Canada 150,” he said.
