When I think of spring, I picture the first sign of tulips sprouting in my garden. I’ve had a love affair with tulips since I was young girl, when I would visit my maternal grandmother in her garden every late April - early May. Everywhere I looked, I would get a glimpse of different shades and species of tulips popping up. To me, it was my first fond memory of these beautiful Dutch imports.

Fast forward a few years and now I have tulips in my own garden. Sometimes I plant a section of Double Angeliques and then the following year I may fancy a long-stemmed French Tulip variety. Nonetheless, I never can seem to get enough of them.

This spring, when I received a call from the director of The Stevens Coolidge Place about their planned tulip festival, I was hopeful that the event would still take place. Unfortunately that was not to be. Sadly, all 30,000 tulips they planted in the fall would not be viewed in person this year!

As we chatted, I knew we had to brainstorm to see how we could salvage this visual treat. I immediately called a photographer friend, grabbed my vintage basket and headed to the tulip field. We took many photos and videos commemorating the hard work of all their volunteers. We shared it on our social media channels so that our followers could see the beauty from afar.

We were fortunate that the estate let us a pick a few stems to make a floral arrangement to be photographed and later donated to a local community care center. Hopefully, these beautiful tulips helped to make this trying, uncertain time seem brighter for the many residents. My gift was to spread a little tulip joy. I think my grandmother would be proud.

If you wish to share some of your favorite memories or stories about tulips in the comments below, we would love to hear from you.

Happy spring everyone!

Merci,
Sandra

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