ORANGE CITY, Iowa | Going into their 11th year as the owners of Tulip Town Bulb Company, tulip experts Brett and Nora Mulder are excited to reap the rewards of the hard work they put in this past fall.
“This is the fun time of year. We get to see what we planted where, which ones grew tall, which didn’t grow as tall as we’d thought. The hard work comes in September and October,” Nora says.
The Mulders plant between 2,500-3,500 tulip bulbs on the Tulip Town property each October. “We aim for the third week in October. Bulbs should be planted when the ground is about 55 degrees," she says.
Brett and Nora tell customers to plant bulbs six-to eight-inches deep, but recommend digging down about 10 inches to get that light soil. "Bulbs root better with soft soil," adds Brett. Go the extra mile by putting a bulb boosting fertilizer over the tulips to absorb over the winter. "It gives it the extra food for next season's bloom."
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If all goes according to plan, festival-goers will be able to see how each tulip looks in bloom and order the ones they’d like to plant for the next season. Brett, Nora and Don Vander Wel, former owner of Vander Wel Tulip Test Gardens, will be at the festival all three days taking bulb orders and answering questions.
It’s toward the beginning of September when boxes carrying bulbs from Holland begin to fill Brett and Nora's garage. “Most of the orders come from our website. The majority of the people who order online have either been to the festival or have a connection to Orange City,” says Brett.
Bulbs should be stored in a cool, dry area until they are planted in Autumn. "Tulip bulbs have to go through eight to 10 weeks of a dormant, chilling period for them to bloom," Brett says. "If people forget about them over the winter, put them in a refrigerator and plant them in a pot. They will do fine."
To give your tulips a more dynamic effect, "plant in groups, not in a line." "I'm one who likes contrast," says Brett "so I like putting light and dark colors together. Nora is one to say it all looks good together and she's right. They all end up looking great."
Tulip Town offers 40-45 different varieties of tulips and offers custom Tulip Town mixes with two to three varieties of bulbs. "To get the impact of a mix, they all have to bloom at the same time," says Brett.
This year, "Big Easy," a mix of yellows, purples and pinks, is the center piece at Windmill Park. "People have been favoring unique colors, but they're never as strong as the classics," says Nora. A traditional Darwin Hybrid, single-late variety is still the most popular selection.
Tulip Town works with a distributor who gets the bulbs from various growers in Holland. “He helps find us what the customers want. Most (tulip) growers have three or four varieties. There are hundreds of tulip variations, but the growers specialize in a few,” Brett says.
Years ago, the Mulders wanted to add the Jackpot, an early blooming purple tulip with white tips. Their distributor found a Jackpot grower who, coincidentally, shares the surname Mulder. Tulip Town has carried the Jackpot since.
"The end of May is the last growing season, so most of the tulips planted in Orange City are single late varieties, like Lily Flowered tulips or Parrot tulips," say Nora.
Brett and Nora replace their bulbs every year, though most bulbs should last for three years. "If you want them to last, plant them in a good dry, sunny spot," Brett recommends. "You'll know it's time to plant new bulbs when you're getting more leaves than bloom," adds Nora.
