It's Tulip Time

  Nope - you're not missing anything.  Earth Day isn't until April 22nd.  But it is tulip time!  Because of our mild winter, the tulips are blooming, several weeks ahead of schedule.  Since I'm busy hanging out with my mom during the last few days of her visit, I thought I'd re-run this post from last spring.  

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Let's talk about tulips on this beautiful Earth Day.  They are one of my favorite flowers, and I am lucky enough to live only 30 miles from the Skagit Valley and the annual Tulip Festival. 

The Skagit Valley is the largest grower of tulips in the United States, and during the spring festival over 1/2 a million people visit to ooh and ahh over the 700 acres of colorful blooms. You have to be quick though - as soon as the festival is over, they top the blooms and all of those vibrant fields go back to green.

For many years we have joined the other 500,000 people, and let me tell you, it's crowded. This is a small valley with two lane farm roads.  The traffic jams can be horrific. It's not uncommon to have people stop in the middle of the road to hop out and take a quick picture. If you visit the festival, you have to pack your patience.  Ah, but the tulips!

C and T with my Grandpa in 2002

If you would like to grow these beautiful flowers in your own yard, now is the time to order them. The Washington Bulb Co. has a wonderful on line catalog, and they will ship the bulbs direct to you in the fall when it's time to plant.