Mother’s Day is coming up on Sunday, and tulips are a popular choice of flower for the occasion.
Co-owner of Little Creek Flowers, Paul Sharp said he planted some 50,000 tulips this spring. Sharp said tulips are grown from their bulbs, which are planted in the winter and sprout in March. Sharp said tulips are popular because of their vibrant colors.
“They don’t last long, and I think that’s another reason people like them so much,” Sharp said. “It’s that they are special, just like our mothers out there. They are all different, and they’re, you know, just really vibrant to have around.”
Sharp said unique, bright colored plants are signs of healthy soil. Sharp said to be careful when picking tulips, as some are better than others.
“If you look at some tulips, they may be stunted in growth,” Sharp said. “And they may not have a very eye-popping color.”
Sharp said areas further south struggle to grow tulips because of the heat, and more tulips are grown in states like Michigan and Washington.
“[Tulips] don’t like what are called ‘muddy feet,'” Sharp said. “They don’t like to be muddy and wet. And so because of that, if we have a very heavy rain winter, that will become problematic for them.
Sharp said tulips are not new to Tennessee, but tulip farms are starting to catch on throughout the state.
