Daffodil Fields and Tulip Mania
tulips at RoozenGaarde, March 20, 2015
Tulip Mania in Seventeenth Century Holland.
If you’re an investor, you may have heard of “tulip mania,” sometimes referred to as the world’s first recorded speculative bubble. Speculative bubbles always sound crazy after the fact, this one especially so.
Tulips were the new big thing in Holland in the early seventeen century. They were originally cultivated by the Turks, but now Dutch farmers were growing them. The country was in the midst of their Golden Age, and its upper classes were feeling exceptionally prosperous, and tulips were the luxury they coveted above all else, especially the flamboyant multi-hued tulips with streaks of white or yellow.
Soon speculators entered the market, buying on margin. At some point ordinary people began to dabble in tulips. And since ordinary people always come late to investment opportunities, their entrance into the market was a clear sign that tulips were ripe for a fall. By then, the price of a single bulb had climbed so high that the most prized variety sold for more than the value of an Amsterdam house.
Finally, in 1637, the inevitable happened. The tulip bubble burst.
Tulips meet daffodils at RoozenGaarde.
The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival.
Holland is still known for its tulips, but the bulb farmers in the Skagit Valley in Washington State give them a run for their money. In fact, the largest single business in the world for growing tulips, daffodils, and irises is the Roozen family’s Washington Bulb Company located in Skagit Valley.
The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival doesn’t officially start until April 1, but this year our winter was warmer than usual, so my sister and I took a little day trip on the first day of spring, March 20, to see what we could see.
Daffodils are always a little earlier than tulips, so it was no surprise that we saw fields bright with daffodils. We also saw fields of early blooming daffodils that had already wilted.
Sue and a field of daffodils
After some amateur photography from the side of the road, we headed for the display garden at RoozenGaarde. Each year, hundreds of thousands of people visit the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, the vast majority of them making a stop at RoozenGaarde. Even on March 20, the garden had crossing guards to help us cross the country road from their event-sized parking lot.
It was windy and cool. I’m glad I brought my hat.
Each year three hundred thousand bulbs are planted by hand in RoozenGaarde. Not all the tulips were in bloom by the first day of spring, but there were more than enough for a beautiful display.
tulips and hyacinths
We topped the day off with some fun shopping in nearby LaConner.
