Tulips at RoozenGaarde in Washington's Skagit Valley 2023

I love tulips and have an infinite amount of patience when it comes to admiring and photographing them. Last year I visited Tulip Time for a Friday Fun Day with my friend Amy. We arrived in the Skagit Valley around 1 pm (with a light picnic I had packed) and spent the afternoon visiting 2 Tulip Farms and Christianson's Nursery.

Then on Sunday, Dan and I took my mom up for a day trip to see the tulips. She had seen them our first year in Seattle but its been 8 years and it was time for another visit up close. It was really perfect because my Friday trip helped me decide which farm to take my mom to (RoozenGaarde) and how to orchestrate the trip (remember to bring chairs & lunch). It went so well and she had a great day. 

A new development was she now stands and tells me which photos to take, so everything you see here was art directed by Louise.

I love the apricot-pink tulip Menton. I can't be sure if this is it, but it sure gives the same effect.

The show gardens at RoozenGaarde feature ribbons of color and texture and are worth the price of admission. It is best to visit midweek when you can take photos without the crowd in every shot, but either way you will enjoy the magnificent natural displays.

Why don't I plant peach tulips with peach centered daffodils and deep blue grape hyacinth? This is such a charming display.

I want to call this garden bed "Cream & Sugar." 

And this delightful pink & peach double tulip combo is girly and glorious.

We also stopped at Christianson's Nursey and shopped for plants (and we love their gift shop!). I can't recommend a day like this enough. And if you can do it with your mom you have hit the jackpot.

Tulips in the Valley: A Day Trip for Everyone

I want you to think of a day trip to see the tulips in the Skagit Valley as a perk. If you are within driving distance, you should see it.

It is a wonder of the world - one that happens once a year and gets everyone talking. How could you be within driving distance and not go? It's worth it for the Christmas card photo opportunities alone! In a nutshell, the day consists of driving on paved roads admiring the fields (see the yellow and red rows above) and stopping to take photographs - selfie sticks encouraged.

When you are ready to see the tulips up close and in arranged gardens, head to RoozenGaarde or Tulip Town. Before you leave home, be sure to visit the Skagit Tulip Festival website and print the bloom map so that you know which turns to take through the farmland.

After driving around the area, we parked at RoozenGaarde and had a picnic in our car before heading into the formal gardens. The area does have a snack bar, visitor tent with picnic tables (for shade, cover or warmth, depending on the weather) and porta-pottys. Their gift shop is wonderful and I know that you'll want a memento. Of course, they also have a tulip tent where the bulbs you have admired are available for order.

Could we have had a prettier day? Dan had a vacation day on Good Friday and there was sun in the forecast. Everybody get in the car! My mom has spent the winter out in Washington and she has been talking about seeing the tulip fields in bloom for months. I was so very happy that we had a beautiful day to show off our new part of the country. See my post featuring the daffodils here.

RooseGaarde has formal areas planted around their property (most labelled with the variety) and you can bring camping chairs or a picnic blanket to sit on the open lawn and just soak up the beauty of Spring.

There are beautiful plantings everywhere you look and as you can see, the bulbs are in full swing right now. This is a parrot tulip (below). I love the curled edges and touches of green on the apricot petals.

Grab some friends and insist on a road trip to the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival in Washington. It will give you the Visual Vitamins TM that you need after a long rainy Winter. 

Field of Yellow Daffodils: A Day Trip to Skagit Valley

How did we luck out? Not only did the rain hold off, but the sun came out and the daffodils were in FULL bloom on Good Friday! Dan had the day off and we brought my mom along with us on a day trip to the Skagit Valley.

The last time we drove to the tulip festival, the tulips were in full swing, but most of the daffodils had faded. This time the field behind RoozenGaarde was vibrant yellow. 

We left Issaquah around 10:15 in the morning and arrived at RoosenGaarde by noon. Before heading over to the visitor area, we had a picnic lunch in the car (Turkey & Swiss sandwiches, pickles, lemonade, coffee and oatmeal raisin cookies). By then the sun was out, and we bought our $5 tickets to get into the visitor area to admire the extensive tulip plantings. The 2016 fields should be blooming until the 3rd week of April - go see it for yourself!

Note: We always bring a picnic on a road trip; it has saved us many times when restaurants were too few and far between. Also bring 2 cameras, a trash bag, antibacterial wet wipes, extra water bottles, a blanket and collapsible camping chairs.

I will be writing more about details of our visit in a few days. You have most of April to visit the tulips in the Skagit Valley - start planning!