'It symbolizes spring': Millions of tulips in bloom on Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island is looking a little like Holland this spring, with millions of bulbs and acres of tulips all tucked away in one rural community.
Vanco Farms grow bulbs that will eventually become the tulips sold at Atlantic Superstores in the Maritimes, as well as independent flower shops across the region, from January to May.
The ones in the fields of Dromore, P.E.I., aren’t cut to send to stores, but to grow more tulips.
“This is where the bulbs for next greenhouse season are growing,” said tulip farmer Bas Arendse. “That’s a very important part of what we do.”
Many Island florists say you can’t beat the quality of the locally-grown tulips, due the flowers themselves and the short distance to them.
Vanco Farms is the biggest tulip farm east of Quebec, and is a source of pride for the farmers and Island florists.
“It’s good to get our name out there,” said Mary Langille, a florist at Hearts and Flowers in Charlottetown. “We’re a small province, but we can do a lot. The tulips are beautiful and it’s good to see other people enjoying them elsewhere.”
Though the tulips grow in greenhouses for much of the year, the flowers are particularly popular right now.
“It symbolizes spring,” said Langille. “It’s one of the first things to come up, so a lot of people look forward to it every year.”
Tulip cultivation has taken off on P.E.I. The island’s mild climate is perfect for the flowers to grow in a field.
“It doesn’t work everywhere. You need cool weather into July,” said Arendse. “After blooming, you need about six weeks of mild weather.”
The farmers plant about 350,000 blubs per acre, and with 100 acres, that’s millions of bulbs. Each can grow up to three more bulbs per season.
The field in Dromore is a working farm, and is not the kind of place where people can go and walk down the aisles.
The farmers know how tempting it is for people, so they partnered with another local farm to set up a u-pick in Belfast, P.E.I., where they can walk among the rows and get a few tulips themselves.
For full coverage of Prince Edward Island news, visit our dedicated page.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.