Vincent van Gogh’s Flower Beds in Holland is anoil on canvas (19-1/4x26 inches) housed in theNational Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

Flower Beds in Holland by Vincent van Gogh
Vincent van Gogh painted Flower Beds in Holland in 1883. The painting is an early example of van Gogh’s approach to landscapes.

During his second year in The Hague, van Gogh painted this small but luminous view of tulip fields in blossom. The foreground of his composition, observed from a low position, seems to rise sharply, accentuating the low horizon in a panoramic effect. The thatched cottages and bare tree trunks in the distance are engulfed in somber shadow, a striking contrast to the bright colors of the flower beds. These elements -- raked perspective and tonal contrast -- persisted in Vincent's conception of landscape painting.

Tulip:

The tulip is the most popular of the spring-flowering bulbs. It also offers the greatest variety in color, shape, and form of any bulb. Although tulips are associated with Holland, they actually are not native there; tulips descend mostly from species originating in the Middle East.
Tulips are the world's most popular spring bulb flowers.

Description of tulip:

Tulips typically bear cup-shaped flowers in almost every shade but true blue. They can be double or single, fringed or twisted, perfumed or nonscented. The plants range in size from rock garden miniatures to 2 1/2 feet or more in height. Most have broad leaves that quickly fade away in summer heat. Individual flowers last barely two weeks. However, since tulips offer various flowering seasons, you can have tulips in bloom from snow melt to the beginning of summer.

Ease of care: Easy.
Growing tulip: Plant bulbs 5 to 8 inches deep (less for tiny species tulips) and 4 to 6 inches apart in a sunny, well-drained area. Plant in fall, then water well. Divide bulbs every few years when flowering diminishes. Tulips need a period of cool weather to bloom. For that reason, pre-cooled bulbs are available for winter planting in warmer zones. These should be treated as annuals and replaced yearly.

Propagating tulip: By division.
Uses for tulip: Cut flowers, forcing, beds, and borders. Species tulips are ideal for naturalizing.
Tulip related varieties: Hybrid tulips are divided into various categories: early tulips, with large flowers on 10- to 14-inch plants; midseason tulips, both medium-high Triumph and the tall, giant-flowered Darwin hybrids; and late tulips, mostly consisting of tall-growing tulips with large flowers. Most species tulips bloom in early spring, often before the earliest hybrid tulips. Species tulips include T. greigii, T. kaufmanniana, and T. tarda.

Scientific name of tulip: Tulipa species

Tulips are among the most popular spring flowers of all time, and it's no wonder. They are easy to grow, they come in an incredible variety of colours, heights, and flower shapes, and some are even fragrant. There are now over 3,000 different registered varieties of cultivated tulips.
Every year billions of tulips are cultivated. The majority are grown and exported from Holland. However, millions of tulips are also grown all over the world.
Most tulips are adaptable to many different kinds of climates. The only thing to be careful of is to plant them in fairly well-drained soil. If not, the bulbs may rot before they have a chance to establish a root system. Otherwise, just plant and enjoy.
Most tulips bloom well for only one or two years. Therefore, you will probably want to dig up the bulbs and put in new ones after two years. However, some types of tulips do well for several more years. These are said to perennialize (or naturalize) well.

The primary bulb species used for gardens and landscapes include: true bulbs, corms, tubers, tuberous roots, rhizomes, and enlarged hypocotyls. All are "Geophytes" and, collectively, they are commonly called "Flower Bulbs". Although each specialized storage organ is morphologically different, their basic function is to serve as an organ for survival of the species.