Dutch Tulip Grower Breeds New Flower as Tribute to Health Care Workers

A tulip grower in Noordoostpolder in the Netherlands has named a new variant of tulip ‘stay strong’ as a tribute to front line health care workers and transformed a field to display artwork and “#staystrong,” video shared on April 25 shows.

Sales of the flowers, developed by Joris Schouten and Frank Timmerman, will benefit Doctors Without Borders.

Drone footage recorded by Jhon Koopman shows the giant tribute to health care workers in the middle of a tulip field.

The camera then focuses on Jenny Groen, who is christening the new ‘stay strong’ tulip in a ceremony in the middle of the field.

The traditional Dutch christening of the tulip was delegated to Groen, an ICU nurse working at a hospital in Amsterdam. She gave the tulip the name ‘stay strong’ to pay tribute to health care workers.

‘Stay strong’ is a mix of red and yellow tulips and was part of the display featured in the video.

The logo in the field “shows a strong fist, symbolizing the impressive perseverance of doctors and nurses,” Koopman told Storyful.

The tulips are being grown for an initiative called Stay Strong Flowers, which is raising money for Doctors Without Borders. Groen, who is also involved with Stay Strong Flowers, has previously worked with Doctors Without Borders in South Sudan.

The design for the logo is by Floor van Paassen of Zuiverwerk. The execution was done by a company called Geoservice Landmeetkunde, according to reports.

The field consists of a total of 3 million to 4.5 million tulips and covers approximately 7.5 acres (three hectares).

The Stay Strong tulips and tulip bulbs can be pre-ordered from Stay Strong Flowers.

The Netherlands reported 38,440 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 4,566 deaths from COVID-19 on April 28. Credit: Jhon Koopman via Storyful