Don’t Miss the Glorious Tulip Bloom
Ever since college, when I did an enterprise project selling potted spring flowering bulbs ( hundreds of them!) I have had a spark of joy when I see Tulips heralding the end of winter.
A myriad of colors, shapes and sizes make Tulips the queen of Spring. To grow Tulips in California it is best to chill them before planting, and lift out after they complete their bloom cycle and the leaves have died off. Left in the ground they tend to rot out and not bloom well again due to the temperate climate in most of California. The exception are the naturalizing wild strains or species group of Tulips which are more hardy and resilient.
Spring flowering bulbs are planted in late fall around the end of October or beginning of November. I noticed that at Descanso Gardens they chill the bulbs till January then plant them out. The warm climate in L.A. is not exactly the Tulips happy place but Descanso makes a temporary display area for them.
March is a good time to see displays of Tulips blooming. They are the last spring flowering bulb to bloom usually.
They always remind me of Easter Eggs with their cup shapes. Make plans to visit a tulip display garden if you can. The perfect event for the beginning of Spring!
Places to see Tulip Displays
Here a few places in California where you can see incredible displays of Tulips and other spring flowering bulbs blooming in mass:
Pier 39 Tulip Tulipmania at the waterfront in San Francisco
Union Square Tulip Day- March 22 in Downtown San Francisco
Queen Wilhelmina Garden in Golden Gate Park at the Ocean end by the Windmills
Stanford Park Shopping Center in Palo Alto, CA
Descanso Gardens Tulip Mania in La Canada-Flintridge area in the Los Angeles Area
Ranunculus Fields
You can also see an incredible array of blooming Ranunculus at the Flower Fields in Carlsbad, CA (north of San Diego)
These are just a few of the Spectacular Tulip Displays
Check your local parks (that plant flower beds) and botanical gardens for displays in your area. Some shopping areas have nice displays also i.e. Stanford Shopping Center.
If you live in another state, check the web for displays of Tulips and Spring Flowering bulbs in your region. And for timing. Its worth the time to see these spectacular events.
I have a few blog articles about spring flowering bulbs
Here is a good one to check out if your are interested in growing spring flowering bulbs:
