Having experienced a remarkable Sunflower field and also an Iris field in Michigan, imagine my excitement when I read about Texas Tulips just south of San Antonio in Lavernia, Texas! Following our educational tour of Sandy Oaks Olive Orchard this past Saturday, Bill, his daughter Sarah, and I decided to check it out!
This is actually the second such tulip field in Texas, the original one located in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. A second generation Dutch family decided to move to Texas and try their hand at planting what they call “early tulips” in what they felt was ideal soil. The process involves putting plastic foil over the bulbs while they are still in the field, which somehow forces them to bloom about 2 weeks ahead of a normal schedule.
Having viewed the website, I looked forward to seeing acres upon acres of tulips fully in bloom, but unfortunately this was not the case. As you can see from the photos, some tracts appeared totally past bloom while other varieties seemed nowhere near ready to pop. To be fair, however, there were several areas that were quite colorful and ready to be picked.
Upon entry ($5) you were invited to pick up a basket and help yourself to the tulips. The website was also not real clear in defining that each tulip picked was $2.50! Another element missing from the experience was a person, preferably several, available to share background and specific information about the tulips. Through personal research I discovered that there are over 100 different varieties of tulips including Texas Gold, Texas Flame, American Dream, fringed, parrot, and striped tulips.
Couples of all ages, along with families, lots of children and photographers, filled the attraction on Saturday afternoon. We did enjoy wandering through the tulip fields and even picked 6 flowers – all different colors and varieties. Our modest bouquet is still quite lovely even 4 days later – a harbinger of spring for sure! Texas Tulips San Antonio officially opened on January 23 and the tulips will be gone by the end of February or early into March.
Stay Calm and Travel On…
thervdreamlife 