Heading up to Skagit Valley in April for the annual Tulip festival. There is one near here in Woodburn that runs the same time, but i am wondering if anyone has been to the one in Skagit Valley? I am assuming a weekday would be best?
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Skagit Valley.. anyone been there?
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If you're wanting to shoot pictures of the tulip fields chances are they're going to be in full bloom in just a few weeks. They're already about 8" above ground. The festival itself can be fun but there's no guarantee the flowers will still be around in April. I can't comment on comparisons between Woodburn and the Skagit Valley.
I haven't been to the festival but I have spent a LOT of time in Skagit county. There are a lot of neat places to go it you have the time to drive around.
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I've been to the Tulip Festival nearly every year for the past several years... it makes for a nice Sunday drive down from Vancouver. If you wait until April, most of the flower fields will be gone. Perhaps a few will remain just for tourists... I suspect they harvest the flowers in late March.
Here's a pic from last year in one of the few remaining fields and the proprietors were charging for parking and the police were nazi like in enforcing restrictions on the road-side.
BTW, A great place to tour shops and restaurants is La Conner... a quaint little town with lots of funky shops.
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I could be wrong, but I believe tulip bloom times are significantly tied to daylength. In that case El Niño should have little to no effect on the timing of blooming from year to year. But in trying to confirm my statement, all I've managed to do is find a lot of conflicting information on the web - so I can't give you a definitive answer.
I'm more of a veggie gardener than a flower gardener, unfortunately (in this instance). I can tell you definitively that onions bloom based on daylength.
I'm more of a veggie gardener than a flower gardener, unfortunately (in this instance). I can tell you definitively that onions bloom based on daylength.
I haven't been to the festival since I was a little kid when I went with my grandparents. That must have been in the early 90's.
By now I hope there isn't going to be any freezing cold weather for the rest of the winter/spring. I was hoping for some snow but then I heard about all of the farms and their crops already growing full force due to the warm winter we are having.
By now I hope there isn't going to be any freezing cold weather for the rest of the winter/spring. I was hoping for some snow but then I heard about all of the farms and their crops already growing full force due to the warm winter we are having.
The blooms are dependent upon the weather, if the weather is warmer they bloom sooner, if it is colder they bloom later. The best bet is to get in touch with the Tulip Festival group as they have the best knowledge. I actually got in touch with them a few weeks ago and this is what they told me. I would also suggest going during the week if you can as it can get crazy on the weekend and as one poster already said, the police are VERY crazy about parking along the roadside, I saw about 11 people get tickets one day last year when I was there. I too would suggest La Conner for food, I HIGHLY recommend going to Seeds and getting the Cougar Gold Mac and Cheese, it is awesome. It is a great town and one my wife and I go to about a dozen times a year when we can get away from the city for a weekend.