We are weather watchers. We keep track of the weather weekly, daily, and sometimes hourly via online Weather Underground. So we knew that the right time to go see the tulips in the Skagit Valley was Tuesday.
About an hour and a half after leaving home, we arrived in the valley. See that sky? Yep. It's gonna' be a great day.
Our first stop was at a service station, a pit stop for us and the car, and then to the espresso stand for coffee. Now we were good to go. We always stop at one of our favorite nurseries first, Christianson's.
And we always come away with at least a few plants.
See that hat in the upper left corner? I bought it.
As we drove across the valley we passed fields full of color. Here late daffodils were still in bloom.
We were headed next to RoozenGaarde, one of the largest bulb growers in the valley, and the site of the most wonderful display garden. This is the greeting outside along the road.
The colors are breathtaking. I caught myself with my hands to my face, saying "Oh, Oh!" And then I took hundreds of photos, of course!
After lunch at the display garden we walked over to some of the bulb fields. They have to rotate the fields every year, so this year they were not adjacent to the display garden as they were last year.
Of course these are just a few of the tulip and daffodil fields here in the valley. The Skagit Valley is the largest producer of tulip bulbs in the United States.
It was about 2:00 when we decided we would spend the rest of the day doing some touring on Whidbey Island as we worked our way down island to the cabin for an overnight.
That will be another post.
Although we'd been to the Netherlands to see their tulips, it did not prepare us for the tulip grandeur that we saw at Skagit Valley. We could not believe that endless stretch of incredible color!!! We saw nothing to surpass it in the Netherlands. Everybody should go to see Skagit Valley in spring. It's such an experience. Thank you for your gorgeous photos. I'm enjoying it vicariously through your post.
ReplyDeleteIt does look beautiful, no doubt about it. I wonder how long it lasts, though?
ReplyDeleteNow that is a tulip display. One can never have enough tulips unless you have voles like I do.
ReplyDeleteHad to laugh at your getting more plants. I always think I am through for the season but always come home with something new.
Beautiful tulips. My mother had a beautiful tulip garden. I have not been able to grow them here which always makes me kind of sad in the springtime. (It's the vole problem.)
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to see what the tulips look like a week later, Linda! You got them right at their peak, it seems, while we saw them just a bit early. But so nice nevertheless. Your pictures are stunning. :-)
ReplyDeletejust beautiful...today I go with the camera club to see the wild flowers and take photos. We have to appreciate any little color we get in the desert. Thanks for sharing your bounty in the NW.
ReplyDeleteStunning photos! It is a beautiful area you live in. Here in eastern Oregon we only get that color when the canola fields are in bloom...bright, bright yellow.
ReplyDeleteI am glad you got up to see the Valley. I chuckle when you say you are weather watchers. We are too. I wonder if all PNWers are. You just have to if you want to get something done.
ReplyDeleteSuper super shots of the Tulips. don't you just love Roozengaardes. Breath taking images. Such color. You and your camera did a great job.
MB
Seeing the fields of cultivated flowers outside of Wasco, California was an amazing sight to me.
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