Tulip Festivals Herald Spring
There’s nothing that says springtime more than a tulip festival, and there are at least a dozen in North America from which to choose.
May is a great time to see the flowers in full bloom.
The biggest tulip fest in the world (!) is the Canadian Tulip Festival.
During this year’s 61st anniversary edition, some one million tulips in more than 50 varieties will bring a kaleidoscope of color throughout the National Capital Region May 9 through 19, 2014. The highest concentration tulips – some 300,000, can be found in Commissioners Park.
The first one was held in 1953 as a Board of Trade initiative, under the inspiration of the internationally renowned photographer Malak Karsh.
Further east, on Canada’s Prince Edward Island, there’s a tulip fest where a Road Trips Gardener can pick the flowers. The Points East Coastal Drive’s You-Pick Tulip Fields are open May 9 through 31, 2014.
Down in the States, the best known fest is Tulip Time in Holland, Michigan. Their claim is 6 million tulips, which the organizers fervently hope will be in full bloom May 3 through 10, 2014.
Other notable tulip festivals include the Albany Tulip Festival in New York State (May 10 and 11, 2014) and Orange City Tulip Festival in Iowa (May 15, 16 and 17, 2014).
However, the tulip festival all flower-lovers have on their bucket lists is the one in the Netherlands. The Keukenhof International Flower Exhibition in Lisse, Holland, is a floral adventure no gardener should miss.
Tulips are, of course, the stars, but there’s every kind of bulb flower on display, including crocus and amaryllis. It’s open now through May 18, 2014.
Longwood Gardens Spring Blooms Event features a display of more than 100,000 bulbs: tulips, yes, but also daffodils, hyacinths and flowering trees in its corner of Pennsylvania.
(Photo courtesy of Orange City Tulip Festival)