Tulips in July
Several nights ago, some of our granddaughter’s friends came over for a visit. Joel, who is from England, did a very English thing. He brought a bouquet of flowers, not unusual; however, orange tulips in July! Surely they did not come from Holland! So, where did they come from?
They came, likely, from Kroger. In Madison, they would have, could have. Therefore, Tom Stettner, can you answer this one?
In California tulips are a year round inexpensive crop. I believe flowers are forced year round in California from stored bulbs, probably from the Netherlands.
The also move the bulbs between hemispheres and with temperature controls can make them flower on any predetermined day. There are huge cold treatment houses in southern NZ for this purpose.
Alternatively, as at Alzmeer market, flowers grown in Columbia, Southern Hemisphere can be picked Monday, flown north overnight, auctioned in the morning in Holland and be on sale in London shops late Tuesday. In New Zealand we have iris in the florist shops 12 months of the year. Friends of mine grow them with bulbs coming in from Israel in the summer for cold treatment and planting. Daffodils are no good for this as their vase life in summer heat is too short.
Dave