Cool weather delays Fraser Valley tulip festivals, again
The Lower Mainland is once again home to two tulip festivals this year. But even though it's typically blooming season, don't count on seeing much more than leaves and buds for about another week.
Tulips of the Valley will be reopening from its new home in Chilliwack, B.C. after organizers had to cancel the event last year because its land lease in Agassiz wasn't renewed.
But as cool weather drags on, both it and the Abbotsford Tulip Festival, are warning that fields will remain green longer than usual.
"This weather has been ridiculous and it was only seven or eight degrees [Saturday] ... so the flowers are very behind." said Kate Onos-Gilbert, owner of Tulips of the Valley.
For that reason, she's decided to open her 8-hectare field to the public on April 18.
By then she expects thirteen rows of early-blooming orange tulips to be a spectacular sight.
As part of the festival's relaunch, she says they've added more photo opportunities including a traditional-looking Dutch windmill and invited Indigenous artist Fred Jackson to create a face cut-out art piece.
Competing festival in Abbotsford
The founder of the Abbotsford Tulip Festival, Alexis Warmerdam, is heading into her second year of operation — and a second year of late blooms.
Except this year's delay is even more pronounced.
"This year's about three weeks later than last year," said Warmerdam, looking at her 5.5 hectares of green buds.
"A couple days of sunshine would do us some good."
She plans on sticking to her opening date of April 10, although there might not be much to see in the first four days.
"I'm hoping for fifteen to twenty per cent colour for the Easter long weekend," she said.
"After that, there should be more and more colour until the beginning of May and then it slowly tapers off."
For those wiling to make the early trek, she hopes to reward them with mystery "perks."
