Tulips are blooming in Holland Michigan!
It’s that time of year again for Holland Michigan’s annual Tulip Festival. There are more tulips blooming then anywhere I know of and the town’s streets are lines with every kind of tulip there is! You can join them each spring for a unique festival of beauty with the display of millions of tulips and celebration of Dutch heritage and culture through dance, art, theater, and so much more! There goal is to continue to host one of the best small town festivals in the country with events like; 3 exciting parades, Klompen Dancing, big name entertainment, free concerts, music and variety shows, Dutch market, trolley tours, children’s events, fireworks and so much more!
Links:
Tulip time Holland.org
Slide show Dutch Village
Veldheer Tulip Farm
Where are the tulips:
Front Yard Gardens and Area Businesses
Since the first Tulip Time festival in 1929, (when teacher Lida Rogers recommended planting tulips in celebration of Holland’s heritage), residents and businesses have planted tulips in their own yards. Unique plantings can also be seen throughout the community including Pillar Church, Welcome to Holland signs, and area parks. The city hosts an annual contest for the best tulip displays.
Tulip Lanes
143,600 tulips Six miles of curbside plantings wind through Holland’s neighborhoods, including the historic district. There are several small parks and special plantings along the route, which are best viewed from your vehicle. The most picturesque portion of the lanes features 25,500 tulips nestled under beautiful flowering kwanzan cherry, crab and plum trees along the boulevards
Veldheer Tulip Farm
5.5 million tulips This 40-acre farm has been run by the same family for 79 years. Just driving by this farm is breath taking!
Windmill Island Gardens
110,000 tulips This beautiful city park is home to “DeZwaan”, a 12 story, 246-year-old windmill.
Window on the Waterfront
90,000 tulips A rainbow of tulips and a stand for pictures and viewing make this a “must see”.
Tulip Tidbits:
Twelve full-time and five part-time city employees plant nearly half a million tulips in Holland’s parks and flower beds each fall. While most of us plant our tulip bulbs and leave them to come back each year,the city wants to ensure that the tulips will bloom for the festival. As a result, the city employees dig up and replace the bulbs in all of the beds and 1/3 of the tulip lanes every year. Holland Transplanter, a local farming equipment manufacturer, has even designed special machinery to assist in this process. Early, mid, and late blooming varieties of tulips are planted throughout the community to ensure tulips bloom for several weeks. Late bloomers are planted downtown where the snowmelt system, which heats the streets and sidewalks in winter, often accelerates the blooming process.
Although bulbs are only available in the fall, if you see a tulip you like you can order that variety at Windmill Island, Dutch Village or Veldheer’s. Bulbs will be shipped to arrive in time for planting in your area.
If a tulip was planted from seed, it would take 21 years to bloom!
There is a $50 fine for picking a tulip in Holland!
