‘Seeing these flowers start to open immediately sets me up for Easter. I can almost taste the chocolate when I see them.

I recently learned that most wild tulips are native to the mountains of Central Asia, particularly around the Tien Shan, Pamir, and Hindu Kush ranges. The flowers were traditionally a powerful emblem for nomadic people and a welcome sign of spring.

Tulips were first cultivated in Persia, modern day Iran, as early as the 10th century. Persian poets celebrated the flowers and they were subsequently planted in Ottoman palace gardens. These gardens are most likely where they were first seen by visitors from Western Europe.

Last week, just as these tulips were starting to open, the tips of their pink petals were by far the brightest colour in the garden, almost luminous! I did my best to capture that here.’