Are We Walking to Alaska

Are We Walking to Alaska
Are We Walking to Alaska - A True Story

Thursday, April 9, 2015

Another Trip to See the Tulips

The crowds and traffic were so bad last time we went down to see the tulips we decided to try a week night.  Traffic was better, no traffic jams, but there were thousands of people - hundreds of cars - but plenty of tulips.  

The growers have left the flowers alone for longer than usual.  After this long in bloom the heads are popped off the tulips so they can put their energy into the bulb, which is the main seller for the growers, but this year the rainy weather has kept crowds away and the tulip growers are not making as much money from their tours so the flowers are still in the fields - but they are starting to turn and wilt in many fields so this will probably be the last week of flowers - and with a rainy weekend coming up the farmers will be beheading the flowers, as the crowds will be less.
We picked a sunny day - it was glorious yesterday - and drove down again. Some have asked where the tulip fields are.  They are in Skagit (sounds like gadget) Valley, 20 miles south of Bellingham, WA and about 70 mile north of Seattle.  They are off Highway 20 and there are signs with "Tulip Route" posted at all intersections that lead to the fields.  Sometimes you have to drive around a bit to find the fields - and there are far less than last year, but when you find them, they are fabulous. 


 We discovered a field of tulips we had not seen before, with more colors than most of the other fields.
 I couldn't get close to the dark purple tulips in the upper middle of the photo.  There are many, many signs warning to stay on the paths around the fields and not to walk between the rows, but so many people break that rule and I find I have to wait and wait to get a photo of a field without people walking among the rows.

 Peony Tulips were grown in this field
 Some of the growers have displays of tulips planted along the roads leading to their festival events - and the parking lots

 These lavender tulips are my favorite this year



Yellow is always a favorite - and with the sun shining through them they absolutely glow.




 Also Parrot Tulips were growing in this newly discovered field of flowers
And the fences added to the beauty of the flowers
 
 The stripes of color in the tulips is caused by a disease in the bulb - which the growers encourage to get the two colored flowers.  

Dutch Tulip Mania - in the 1630s, reached a climax.  In March 1637, some single tulip bulbs sold for more than 10 times the annual income of a skilled craftsman.  It is recorded that a single bulb once was traded for an empire.  Then as suddenly as the desire for this newly introduced flower rose, it fell, the bottom dropped out of the market and the bulbs were available to everyone at reasonable prices. 




17 comments:

Thelma said...

Wow! Lovely. I have the peony tulip. My favourite is the purple. It is not always easy to find the purple bulbs in my region. Thanks for sharing.

TexWisGirl said...

they're just spectacular! each year in blogland when folks post photos of these fields, i am in awe!

and thanks for the pronunciation of skagit. i've always been wrong in my head. :)

Montanagirl said...

Absolutely fabulous!! I love all the colors, and the fences are really a nice tough in the middle of all that color.

Debra She Who Seeks said...

OMG those tulips and your photos of them are gorgeous! I've never seen (or even heard of) a peony tulip but I can see why it deserves the name.

J said...

I never get tired of looking at these fields! Amazing! This time, though, you zeroed in on the walking rows between the lines. For some reason I had thought they were solid acres, but then how could they be harvested or maintained? I'd find the "beheading" tool to be an interesting piece of equipment. Surely they don't do this task by hand?
I was aware of the frenzy for investing in tulips when they were first developed - and how quickly the market crashed. Kinda like Beanie Babies!

eileeninmd said...

Gorgeous post! The rows and colors of the tulips are just beautiful. Lovely images.. Have a happy day!

Ida said...

I can't believe I've lived in WA state all my life and have never visited the Tulip fields. I must make a note to do that next year. Wonderful shots, so much color , so much beauty & oh yeah, some nice fences too.

A Colorful World said...

Wow! These photos took my breath away!!! And the info was so interesting! Love these gorgeous fields of color!

21 Wits said...

Tip toe through the tulips! it's a delightful view across the rows of rainbow shades!

Marigene said...

What a magnificent sight it would be to see these fields of tulips! I would have love a couple dozen orange ones for the tablescape I just posted...
Do they cut the heads or just let them die down.naturally?
Thanks for sharing all this eye candy today, JoAnn!

Annesphamily said...

Those tulips are stunning. I am overwhelmed by the color and the rows and fields filled with their beauty! My goodness that would be a sight to see. Thanks for sharing all the beauty here and enjoy a wonderful weekend.

Stephanie said...

Wow!!! Stunning shots of the different variety of tulips and those colors. A feast for the eyes here to see. I enjoyed viewing your photos immensely. And I love your Intro photo at top with all the blossoms!

Kay said...

Stunning! I've never been able to declare a favorite. I'll immerse myself in one row, thinking "this is it," and then move on to the next and fall in love with a new color. They're all spectacular and your shots do it all justice. It doesn't look like I'll make it there this year; thanks for giving me a tulip fix!

Margaret Birding For Pleasure said...

A cascade of beautiful coloured flowers.

The Furry Gnome said...

Those are just. Incredible!

Candy S said...

My favorite time of the year is tulip season, my heart swoons at the sight of a dozen tulips artfully placed around a fence pole. But this is spectacular. Oh the beauty of the tulip fields where you live. I do love the lavender and the pale pink but then again the yellow is beautiful too. And then there are the peony tulips - gorgeous!!! Your photographs capture all of the glory of a beautiful sunny day and the dazzling array of colorful tulips.

Mary said...

Again, I'm blown away by the beauty of the tulip fields your state has - these are amazing!
I'll be in Holland early May but fear they may already be over by then in that area - next Spring I should just come to Washington State!

Thanks for the beauty this morning JoAnn.
Hugs - Mary