The North Coast of California gives us the majestic Coast Redwoods, the tallest trees on this planet. The cool, coastal climate up here in Northern California allows for their amazing growth
—plenty of fog, plenty of rain, and steady, temperate summers. This ideal environment responsible for our region's "Redwood Curtain," is also what allows us to grow some of the best bulb flower around, including our French Tulips.
Redwood Grove French Tulips
Our French Tulips, much like the Redwoods on our shores, are the tallest and biggest of all the tulips, which is why we branded them with pride:
Redwood Grove French Tulips. French Tulips are mutations of a Single Late Tulip (SLT) variety, known as Mrs. John T. Scheepers, which has been referred to as the "Mother of all Tulips." The original tulips were grown and picked in the Cote d’Azur region of Southern France, which led to the name French Tulips.
These French Tulip Hybrids are highly sought after for their incredible height, strong stems, large, shapely flowers, and genetic vitality, aka, long vase life. And when we say incredible height, we mean incredible height!
Redwood Grove French Tulips are picked when they are at a minimum height of 24 inches.
The challenge for the flower farmer lies in the growing conditions needed for optimal French Tulip height and quality. Unlike standard tulips, which are grown in greenhouses and can be influenced by changing temperature and light conditions, French Tulips refuse to be manipulated in this way.
French Tulips do not tolerate glass greenhouse conditions--they prefer to be planted in hoop houses, where that cool, coastal weather (the same that helps those tall redwoods grow) can move freely through their rows.
The wonderful thing about this process is that it leads to stunning, super-tall tulips that are bursting with color and personality. The foliage is a rich green which highlights the bright bloom, and the stems are big and strong in order to support the large, egg-shaped bloom heads--just check out the customer favorite,
Renown Unique, below.
With their tall height and large buds, customers sometimes express concern that their French tulips will fall over. However, Redwood Grove French tulips are quite good at keeping their form, especially with our thick and sturdy stems--all you need to do re-hydrate your Frenchies correctly and you will be able to enjoy your tall arrangement for weeks.
French Tulip Care and HandlingStep 1: After purchasing Redwood Grove French Tulips, simply trim the ends while the tulips are still in their sleeve.
Keeping the sleeve on is key! Whatever form the tulips are in when they're re-hydrating is the form that they will keep.
Step 2: Dissolve a
flower food packet in a clean vase filled with water and place the
still-sleeved tulips in the vase and leave 'em like that for at least four hours.
Step 3: After four hours, remove the sleeve.
Step 4: Place the tulips back in the water-filled vase, and keep them in a cool location out of direct sunlight.
Step 5: Enjoy, replenish water as needed, and keep watching! Tulips continue growing in water, so your already-tall French Tulips can gain up to 5 more inches in height while in the vase.
I took some of my favorite French tulip varieties home to try out this technique last week. Here is how they looked in the days following the in-sleeve hydration technique:
As you can see, a little French Tulip care and handling goes a long way! These Frenchies continued standing straight while their stems grew taller, their leaves loosened up, and their buds gained color. Watching cut tulips continue to go through their growing cycle is fascinating; my favorite moment is when their flower buds open up and you get a peek inside to their eye.
If you are a fan of standard tulips, why not try French Tulips, which have the same vivid colors, but larger blooms, longer stems, and a height that is perfect for creating tall centerpieces, impressive designs, and really special gifts. Take a little bit of Northern California's Redwood Forest home with you when you buy our
Redwood Grove French Tulips.
When it comes to harvesting Iris, timing is everything. The heads must be full, which means the tip of the iris will still be sheathed by green leaves, but contains color on the inside. The sheath keeps the iris petals safe during transport, and this picking point is considered the "window pane"-- the iris is still closed, but ready to bloom within a few days. It takes an experienced eye to notice the "window pane," and once it's noticed we have to move fast. At this stage, iris develops quickly and green buds in the morning can turn to colorful heads in the afternoon, which is why our dedicated Iris team sometimes picks two times a day. This hard work pays off, and is the backbone of our successful iris program, which is one of the largest in the country.
We have been growing iris for decades, using time-tested traditions and modern technology to perfect our techniques in both the fields and hoop houses. Our proprietary post-harvest care is something special too -- we are continually testing, innovating, and improving our post-harvest treatments, and that, when used in tandem with our cold-chain management, has created a consistent supply of high-quality, cut iris for the market, direct from our farms.
When it comes to harvesting Iris, timing is everything. The heads must be full, which means the tip of the iris will still be sheathed by green leaves, but contains color on the inside. The sheath keeps the iris petals safe during transport, and this picking point is considered the "window pane"-- the iris is still closed, but ready to bloom within a few days. It takes an experienced eye to notice the "window pane," and once it's noticed we have to move fast. At this stage, iris develops quickly and green buds in the morning can turn to colorful heads in the afternoon, which is why our dedicated Iris team sometimes picks two times a day. This hard work pays off, and is the backbone of our successful iris program, which is one of the largest in the country.
