GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Last week’s sunny and 70-degree weather felt like summer. However, on Monday April 17, the temperatures plunged into the 40s. Gwen Auwerda, executive director of Tulip Time, said that’s a good thing for the soon-to-bloom 35,000 tulips.
“Tulips are really a resilient flower, and they like cold weather believe it or not,” Auwerda said during a Zoom interview with FOX 17 on Monday. “So, when it's now predicted to be, you know, 40-50 [degrees] for the next 10 days, that's exactly what they need. The warm weather and the rain that we had started them, their growth pattern up in the sun is what makes them bloom.”
Auwerda said they initially planted the bulbs back in October 2022 before the ground froze. In late March, the leaves began to appear as soon as the snow melted.
“They're really going to begin popping out likely the first of May, so before the festival,” Auwerda said. “Tulips will generally live about 14 to 21 days, depending again on the weather. The hotter it is, the shorter the bloom time. The colder it is, the longer the bloom time.”
The annual Tulip Time festival begins on Saturday May 6 and runs through the 14th. Thousands are expected to attend the event, which will include a parade, an immersion garden, the Art in Bloom exhibit, a quilt show, and a beer tasting at Tulip Time Brewstillery.
And the tulips, Auwerda said, will be in full bloom ready for the crowds.
“It's now really dependent on the weather between now and May 6 through May 14, as to how long they'll last,” Auwerda said. “When we had really early blooms it was in 2012 and things were blooming on St. Patrick's Day. And so we're not at all in that situation. But, it's great because people enjoy the flowers even outside of the festival. So, having them bloom a little early will be just fine.”
