In Carlsbad, California, the Flower Fields 2010 will soon be full of colorful ranunculus. The season begins March 1, 2010, when the buds are expected to show. Road Trips Gardeners heading that way can check field conditions online.

The Flower Fields (on Carlsbad Ranch, 5704 Paseo Del Norte, Carlsbad California) are a direct result of over 85 years of floral cultivation that began when Luther Gage settled in the area in the early 1920’s. Gage brought Ranunculus seeds to the area and began growing them in his fields. Fast forward ’til today, and the hills of North San Diego County are spectacular in spring. The nearly fifty acres of Giant Tecolote Ranunculus flowers that make up the Flower Fields are in a full bloom for approximately six to eight weeks each year, from early March through early May.

The ranch also has a our Miniature Rose Garden, with many Award of Excellence roses. The American Rose Society’s highest award for miniature roses, The Award of Excellence, is presented to cultivars that have proven to be outstanding in designated test gardens throughout the United States over a two year period. Roses are evaluated on 11 criteria including novelty, bud form, flower form, color opening, color finishing, substance, habit, quantity of blooms, vigor or renewal, foliage, and appearance along with resistance to insects and plant diseases. The Walk of Fame at the garden is the only display of each of the more than 170 All-American Rose selection winners since 1940. Near by is the All American Rose Selection (AARS) garden It’s one of the 130 AARS-accredited public rose gardens nationwide that tests and displays more than 50 different varieties of roses.

This year’s season for the Flower Fields is March 1 through May 9, 2010. They’re open to the public seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults, $9 for seniors 60+, $5 for children 3 – 10, and children 2 and under are Free