Tulip Displays in Arkansas
Arkansas attracts travelers from all over the country with all the splendor the Natural State has to offer, especially in spring. The vivid blooms of tulips usher in the warmer months and knock out the remaining gray of winter.
Here are a few of the state's most spectacular tulip displays:
Moss Mountain Farm
We've planted 8,000 tulip bulbs at the Moss Mountain Farm Garden Home this year. I choose an array of types, bloom times and colors, including: 'Blushing Girl', 'Menton', 'Maureen', 'Negrita', 'Princess Irene', 'Queen of the Night', 'Daydream', 'Red Impression', 'Golden Parade', 'Apeldoorn', 'West Point' and 'Red Shine'. The vast diversity of tulips makes them one of my favorite flowers¬— I never get tired of growing them.
The tulip display makes April's tours at the farm a real treat. One of the greatest joys of gardening for me is to share the beauty with visitors, making the tours of the farm very personally rewarding. There are four tours that will be available in April, the 4th, 5th, 11th and 25th. These give me a chance to meet fellow gardeners, poultry enthusiasts and flower lovers. Plus when I see visitors enjoying the farm, it renews it for me; I see it in a fresh light. Click here to learn more about visiting the farm.
Garvin Woodland Gardens
Garvin Woodland Gardens boasts a spectacular display of tulips every spring for its Tulip Extravaganza. This 210-acre garden, owned by the University of Arkansas, has planted 130,000 tulips of all types this year. Just outside of Hot Springs, a spa city famed for its purportedly healing waters, the garden makes for an excellent day trip. The tulips are planted in curving, full beds, blocked by their respective colors - pink, red, purple, orange and variegated - and surrounded with still-blooming daffodils and hyacinths. The sheer numbers overwhelm your senses with beauty, and it's simply impossible to take a bad picture in these gardens. If you're in Arkansas in the spring, this is a must-see. The Tulip Extravaganza is March 16 through April 16, 2013. Click here for details.
Downtown Little Rock
The streets of downtown Little Rock are bursting with pink and purple tulips this month. I partnered with the City of Little Rock this year to create March Tulip Madness, and we filled planters around downtown with 25,000 tulips bulbs as part of the city's effort to revitalize downtown.
I choose a blend of three different types for the planters: 'Menton', 'Pink Impression' and 'Negrita', which when combined create a pleasing pink and purple display. These mid and late bloomers take full advantage of the season and make stunning streetscapes. Read about everything you can do in downtown Little Rock.
Argenta Arts District of North Little Rock
The Argenta Arts District of North Little Rock is another fantastic place to see tulips. The city planted 28,000 'Red Impression' tulips this year. These bright flowers reach the peak of their blooming in late March and continue through early April. They are growing in beds and planters throughout the Arts District.
One of the most wonderful aspects of this display is that the majority were planted by 75 volunteers last fall during a tulip planting party. The Bank of America, the North Little Rock City Beautiful Commission and the Park Hill Garden Club partnered to sponsor this effort, and the red tulips paired with yellow spring flowers create a vivid contrast in the district's streets. Find out what's going on in Argenta.
