Did you know?
Washington is home to the largest bulb grower in the United States! The Roozen family producers over 1000 acres of flower bulbs including tulips, daffodils, irises and hyacinths in the Skagit Valley. They produce half the country’s tulips and tulip bulbs.
There are many other tulip bulb growers across western Washington. There are many farms in the Skagit Valley and in Mossyrock, Satsop, Sumner and Woodland. Nearly all are owned and operated by families who immigrated to the United States from Holland. Most include multiple generations of family members.
The Roozen family began growing tulips in Holland in the 1700’s and has been growing in the Skagit Valley for nearly 70 years. Today, they are one of the largest employers in the Skagit Valley.
Growing tulips is easy!
How do I know the tulips I buy will bloom?
Plant bulbs in the fall and watch them bloom in the spring!
Behind the scenes, it’s not quite that easy. There are over 100 species of tulips. When deciding which ones to grow, bulb growers evaluate color, height, stem strength, disease resistance and more. The grower must determine which varieties will produce flowers that make the customers happy and will produce enough bulblets for the grower to plant for next year’s crop.
To ensure the tulip bulbs they sell will perform well in the garden, bulb growers chill the bulbs in coolers to imitate the cold climate of Eastern Turkey and the foothills of the Himalayas where tulips originated.
Special thank you to RoozenGaarde and www.tulips.com