The annual tulip display at Garvan Woodland Gardens is expected to reach its peak this week, the botanical gardens’ marketing director said.
Tulip Extravaganza is the second-most popular display at the gardens behind Holiday Lights, Kristin Mangham said late last week.
VideoTulip Extravaganza to hit peak this week
“It’s our second-busiest season,” she said. “Holiday Lights, of course, is our busiest season. There’s so many people that only come during Holiday Lights, but spring and tulips is our second busiest, and we see about as many people in three months for tulips as we would for Holiday Lights. We really depend on it to stay open, but why wouldn’t you want to come out here? I mean, it’s gorgeous.”
Mangham said Tulip Extravaganza should start to peak between Tuesday and Thursday.
“We have 150,000 blooms this year, and 150 different varieties of tulips — all different colors, all different shapes and sizes, things that you’re not going to see everywhere else,” she said. “I think that people are really familiar with that basic tulip, but we have way more than the basic. We have frilly ones. We have some that look like peonies, multi-colored. We have it all.”
Spring is Mangham’s favorite season in the gardens.
“This is my favorite season in the garden overall,” she said. “Spring is my favorite. The tulips are my favorite, but really, it’s like a new year. The weather is perfect. I don’t love the cold weather, so having the spring weather and the warm and all the color in the garden. Everything’s waking up, and so it’s just kind of like a welcome back to nature. I love seeing families out here. I love seeing the kids run around in the tulips. Great opportunities for awesome pictures.”
The Sensory Garden is one of the places that often sees a large number of visitors during Tulip Extravaganza, but Mangham said that shifts.
“We’re standing in the Sensory Garden right now, which is where the biggest wash of color is currently,” she said. “This will be where visitors lean to right now and into (this) week, but really, as the bloom changes and there are bigger washes of color — down Camellia Trail or near the pavilion, that’s where visitors are going to go towards, too.”
This year, there are some special events taking place as part of Tulip Extravaganza, including a March 19 concert.
“It’s called Blackbird,” Mangham said. “It will be in Anthony Chapel, but it includes admission to the gardens, which will include admission to the tulips. The band that will be performing is called Solid. They’re an R&B group, so it’s a more modern concert, something different that we haven’t offered at Anthony Chapel any in the past. We’re going to give that a shot.
“We’ve sold quite a few tickets already. I think people are excited about it. It’s pretty inexpensive for a concert. It’s $40 for non-members, $25 for members. And so people can come out here, walk the gardens, enjoy the tulips, and then go to that concert, which will be awesome.”
There will also be two nights for Sunset Tulip Strolls, Mangham said, on Thursday and March 16 from 6:30-8 p.m.
“People always ask for us to open the gardens later,” she said. “‘We want to see sunset. We want to see the tulips at night. We want to come after work and have dinner.’ And so we’re going to provide that. The Chipmunk Cafe will be open, so people can order dinner. There will be alcoholic beverages available, which is new for us, too. So people can really make a night of it. Come after work. Enjoy the tulips; have dinner out here. Eat first, then walk (and) enjoy the sunset. It’s going to make for some really awesome pictures, too, because typically you wouldn’t have the opportunity to see sunset in the garden, and it’s really beautiful.”
Mangham said the gardens’ horticulture team set a new best in getting the flowers planted this year.
“They planted 150,000 tulips in 10 days,” she said. “That blows my mind. They are rock stars.”
The display is new each year, Mangham said, so the tulip bulbs have to be planted each year.
“I’m always surprised and impressed with what our horticulture team comes up with,” she said. “We replant the tulips every year, so the show is always different. It’s never, ever going to look the same. The colors are never in the same order. The flowers aren’t even the same, so it’s always a surprise for me to see what it’s going to look like when things are blooming.
“And I think every year it really does get better. I always say, ‘OK, this is my favorite year. This is the best. We will never top it,’ and then they surprise me, and the next year is even better.”
Several varieties of tulips can be seen throughout Garvan Woodland Gardens as Tulip Extravaganza reaches its peak this week. (The Sentinel-Record/Gwen Kudabeck)
The Sensory Garden at Garvan Woodland Gardens is awash with color as Tulip Extravaganza nears its peak this week. (The Sentinel-Record/Gwen Kudabeck)
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