Tulip Season 2024 was fast and furious. We started pulling tulips on March 6th and by March 26th, we were done. We had around 1,300 tulips this year with varying bloom stages. It’s remarkable to me that small changes in weather can force them to bloom earlier.
We had a lot of last minute changes to our bulb order in November 2023. This meant that we had varieties we had never grown before plus some tried and true varieties. Some of our favorite varieties were Icoon, La Belle Eqoque, and Salmon Impression. One of our least favorite this year was Royal Centennial. I loved the color and the fringe on the edge of the petals, but it bloomed very short for us and isn’t something I would grow again.
Every year we try something different with our tulips which leads us to thinking about 2025. Our order is already placed and I hope that tulip season is much better for bulb production this year. We always order our bulbs pre-chilled in March and plant around Thanksgiving. One thing that has given us trouble in the past is our clay soil. While it is getting better and more manageable over the years, I believe we are going to opt for growing in crates this year. One, this will free up a 25 foot row for us to grow other things. Two, it will make it much easier for us to lift the tulip with the bulb attached. Admittedly, this has been a struggle for us when all of the tulips in one variety aren’t ready at the same time.
We’d love to hear from you. Leave us a comment if you grew tulips this year and had a favorite or even if you had one you wouldn’t grow again.