The Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm is one of those places that I’ve seen on Instagram, and have been meaning to visit for years. It’s only an hour south of my house, so I don’t really have a good excuse for not going for so long, except procrastination. There’s a limited window of tulip blooms, and if you don’t make it during that time, you’ll have to wait until the next year.

There’s a bunch of stuff other than the tulips, but honestly most of it is too corny and carnivalesque for me. Maybe if you have kids you’ll appreciate the bouncy rides and games, but they weren’t my cup of tea. I just went for the tulips and scenery.

One of my favorite parts was the planters with exotic tulip varieties I’d never seen before. Fringe, stripes, and ruffles were just a few of the embellishments these tulips grow.

I had no idea tulips could look like this!

They wouldn’t arrive until fall, but if your mom likes tulips and gardening, I bet an order of bulbs would make a great Mother’s Day gift.

When I got home I went to the tulip farm online catalog and added 7 types of fancy tulips to my cart. But at 10 bulbs per type, that meant 70 bulbs, and there’s no way I need that many. Plus, I realized that only a few of the tulip bulbs in my yard bloomed this year–I think the blooms got eaten by slugs or squirrels. So my dream of a yard filled with fancy tulips is unrealistic, and I haven’t ordered any.

I’m thinking maybe container tulips would be the way to go. You can even make them super dense by layering them and making “bulb lasagna.” Maybe I’ll give it a try this fall and have my own mini tulip farm by next spring.

What’s your favorite type of tulip? Do you grow them? Any tips or tricks?

The tulip fest is still going daily 9am to 6pm until May 1, and there are other events at the tulip farm for the rest of the spring, including photography and art classes. This year the unseasonably hot weather has taken a toll on the tulips, so if you’re thinking of going, you can check the field report beforehand.