Durbe's Flower King Plants 50,000 Tulips by Hand and Now Wonders How to Sell Them Before They Rot
Jānis from Durbe has proven he can be more productive than the entire Riga City Council combined – he planted 50,000 tulip bulbs with his own hands.
While Riga is still arguing about whether it's allowed to plant apple trees in parks or if concrete is better after all, Durbe gardener Jānis has been proving for 21 seasons that miracles can be achieved with hands and brains. The man planted 50,000 tulip bulbs by hand and now stands in his greenhouse like a general before battle – three days to sell as many as possible.
Dutch tulip bulbs, 30 varieties, colors from snow white to Latvian flag red – this man thinks bigger than Riga's mayor about tram lines. "Begonias need to be planted in mid-December and repotted three times, but I want to rest in winter," admits Jānis, and here we see the difference – Liepāja residents work so they can rest, Riga residents rest to avoid work.
"Doing everything yourself isn't profitable," philosophically states the flower master, while his greenhouse blooms not only with tulips, but also with pansies in 70 colors and various petunias. Meanwhile in Riga, they're still debating whether anything other than bureaucracy can be grown in the city council's garden.
From March 6-8, flowers can be bought in both Liepāja and Grobiņa, but nobody trusts the capital – there all flowers would only be bought if they had premium labeling and cost three times more. As one Liepāja woman said at Jānis's stand: "These tulips are more beautiful than anything I've seen in central Riga, and still half the price!"
⚠️ Satirical article. Facts are preserved, but the presentation is humorous. For accurate information, please refer to the original source.