Tulips Survive it All

April 19, 2017 by Mary Hosier

Spring weather is always variable. Test Gardens emerge, snow and storms arrive, and somehow the tulips survive it all.

"Students in Mrs. Thrasher's class discovered their tulip bulbs had started to bloom," reported Patrick Hazelton in Warsaw, Indiana on April 14th.

Test Gardens reported emerging in Alaska, New Hampshire, and Vermont this week while big, red, beautiful blooms were on display in gardens across the continent from Washington state to Massachusetts.

"A little snow the day before did not deter — we have a bloom today!"
Victoria, Minnesota on April 12th.

"Excited to report that even with our heavy snow on March 21, Winter Storm Stella, our tulips emerged, and now we have buds!"Northumberland, Pennsylvania on April 12th. 

"Before we went on spring break we had a couple of inches of snow and there were only a few tulips that were starting to bloom. Now they're blooming." Ashland, Ohio on April 14th.

"We noticed how the plants that get more sun have bloomed first."
Douglas, Michigan on April 17th.

Tulip Origins

You may wonder why tulips in your schoolyard lose their leaves and go dormant during the summer. Take a look into the Red Emperor tulip's history and origins in this week's slideshow.