It's Tulip Time in Holland, Michigan

The 2018 Holland Michigan Tulip Festival is May 5 through 13, 2018. The 5K Tulip Tome Run starts at 8:00 am on May 5, 2018.

The Holland, Michigan Tulip Festival should be on the checklist of every gardener.  My visit was an early Mother's Day gift.

Plant tulips in the fall.  Depending on the variety, the optimal depth is four to eight inches.  Tulips bulbs that don't bloom may be planted too deep.

A scoop of bone meal at planting is optimal as the matter breaks down, and nutrients emerge, just as the plant blooms--providing energy when needed.




After blooming, it's not obligatory to allow spent tulip greenery to die back naturally.  This can be unsightly.  Leave four to six inches exposed above ground when cutting back.

There are only a few spots on earth where the climate is conducive to tip-top tulips.  To thrive in droves, they require cold winters, cool springs and fairly dry summers. 

Ottowa County in Michigan is one of those lucky areas.  Holland is a coastal city on the western shore of Lake Michigan.  Proximity to the lake enshrouds the area in temperate weather.  Winter winds off the lake produce plenty of blanketing know.  Summer breezes keep Holland cool and dry.





Last year we took a daytrip from our home near Detroit.  My family gamely set out early on a drizzly and cool Saturday morning.  Despite the gray skies, Holland was a rainbow of color.  In the downtown area, the common green was awash with dozens of varieties of tulip surrounding gazebos and the bandstand.  Along the residential medians, homeowners had created colorful street borders as far and the eye could see.

City parks throughout Holland plant fields of like tulips which rival Europe's finest displays. Windmill Island Gardens on the edge of town is thirty six acres of manicured gardens, with more than 150,000 tulips, dikes, canals and walking paths.

Seated along the main street for lunch, our timing was perfect.  Sipping local brewed beer we watched and cheered as a thousand young dancers performed the traditional "Dutch Dance" in twice as many wooden shoes.  Surprisingly graceful despite their eight layers of socks.  The sound of tapping wood in unison creates a unique soft sound that lifts the heart.

It's a joyful noise.

So there we were watching a thousand folks dancin' in the street when I looked up...

My heart skipped a beat...

Until I realized he was there to protect.

It made me sad that a sweet parade on a spring day had lost some of its innocence.

Damn those monsters in Boston.

But the innocents below were protected.



So offer one up for those who serve and protect us.


Even when we are blissfully unaware.

Bizzy Lizzie Update: Should I Plant Impatiens?

Impatiens are likely not safe to plant in 2017

Are impatiens safe to plant in 2014?  Does the Bizzy Lizzy blight remain?

Chances are impatiens should remain quarantined.  As the hardy fungus known as downy mildew overwinters, several seasons will need to pass in order to eradicate the spores from soggy spring soil. 

Trouble is, if the garden is re-infected, the cleansing process starts over.  Conservative gardeners should resist the temptation to buy Busy Lizzies for a few more years.


Impatiens blight's now lingered for over three seasons, making these former fancies a
fading memory.

Stick with hardier replacements such as begonias and coleus.

Don't be impatiens.

They'll be back!

More Articles of Interest:

Planting Pansies and Violas

Should I Plant Coleus Instead of Impatiens?

Begonias are the New Impatiens

Snow Mold -- What is that White Stuff on my Lawn?

What's that white stuff on my lawn?

It's been four months since I last saw my lawn.  I'd nearly forgotten what grass looked like.  When it
finally appeared under the receding glacier that had surrounded the yard, something was awry. I know it's been awhile, but since when is my grass white, gray, or even pink in patches?

Patches may be an understatement.  Wide sweeping arches of crusty goo's more accurate.

I've heard these blotches referred to as "fairy rings. "  It's doubtful that Tinkerbell had her tiny wand in this mess.

Snow mold is the technical and descriptive term for the most recent byproduct of an exceptionally harsh winter.  Huge piles of snow created and retained moisture.  There was no cyclical thaw this past season.  The moist cold created a breeding ground for mold.  Notice some sneezing and scratchiness lately?  That could be early allergies, not a spring cold.

The frost line is deep and consistent.  Moisture can't wick away in the soil nor soaked up by dormant root system. 

Areas where the lawn was cut shorter or compacted were not as susceptible.

Treatment will have to wait.  Hold off on using the blow-dryer.  Warmer temps are predicted and much of the unsightly areas will improve after some sun and few cuts.

For those patches that remain, rake and remove the infected blades.

Antifungal sprays are preventative and not always effective.  They won't fix the problem once the mold takes hold.

Try to avoid infected areas to avoid further damage and dispersion.


To prevent a reoccurrence, trim the lawn  short in the fall and limit any fertilization, if necessary, to late spring.

Better yet, hope for a mild winter next year !

This one was an aberration?  Right?

More Articles of Interest:

When to Plant Pansies and Violas?

Trimming Rhododendrons -- Snap!

Planting Bulbs -- Pay it Forward