Amid record-breaking warmth, will Holland's famous flowers wait for Tulip Time?
HOLLAND — It seems spring has sprung early in Michigan, a largely positive development for residents looking to get out and about. But there's one question on the minds of many: What about Tulip Time?
According to city officials and local business owners, it's too early to know for sure. The tulips could bloom early, a la 2012, when Holland celebrated its very own Stem Fest (t-shirts included). But if night temperatures stay cool, it's possible the flowers will hold out.
Across town — particularly on Eighth Street, where snowmelt has a significant impact — tulips have cracked the surface and started to sprout. Andy Kenyon, parks and recreation director for Holland, says he's not overly concerned ... yet.
“The flowers may be earlier than normal due to the El Nino weather pattern,” Kenyon wrote via email. “Back in 2012 when we had the Stem Fest, we had temps in the 70s and 80s for more than a week in a row.
“The nighttime temps are what really drive the tulips (and other bulbs) to grow fast. The warmer nighttime temps, the faster things tend to grow.”
Knowing it's hard to control nature, Holland plants a variety of early, mid and late-blooming varieties to guarantee a long duration of color across town. So far, many of the sprouting bulbs are early bloomers.
At least one business is preparing for either possibility.
Local artist Carolyn Stich plans to create a Stem Fest design for t-shirts, mugs and other items, should warmer temps prevail.
“We'll be prepared and we'll try to make the most of whatever happens,” Stich said. “We have the artwork with the tulips ready to go ... but we'll have something if we don’t have tulips, as well.”
Meanwhile, at Holland Township's Dutch Village, owner Joe Nelis said tulips missed the protective layer of snow they usually enjoy during Michigan winters. Still, only time will tell.
“Certainly the tulips are up higher at this point than they've been in a while, but there's no guarantee they're going to be early,” Nelis said. "We skew heavily toward planting the mid and late-bloomers ... and the hope is to have a display of color over a longer period of time."
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In the coming week, temps are expected to shift between the low 40s, 50s and mid-60s.
“It looks like the weather will cool back down by the weekend,” Kenyon said. “That will be great.”
— Contact reporter Austin Metz at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Amid record-breaking warmth, will Holland's famous flowers wait for Tulip Time?