Arriving
Last spring, my husband and I decided to visit a tulip farm. The farm we visited was named Richardson Adventure Farm and is located in Spring Grove, Illinois. The Richardson Farm offers many seasonal adventures throughout the year.
We parked the car and entered a barn, unsure what to expect. Upon check in, we received a pair of scissors. They said we could get as many tulips as we wanted. Everyone receives one free tulip per visit. If people would like to purchase additional flowers, they can. A station set up, near the entrance, containing water, plastic bags and ties. This ensured ease of taking the cut flowers home.
The Visit
Entering the farm, we saw rows and rows of flowers, all in a rainbow of different colors! The numerous rows of tulips were surprising! As we walked along, we saw others walking along, enjoying the sunshine, flowers and picked what they wanted.
The Richardson Farm planted 350,000 new bulbs, in addition to the previously planted 600,000 bulbs in the ground. The farm had over 30 varieties of tulips! They also planted 50,000 daffodils ready to bloom in 2024. I am not sure how they counted the number of bulbs, but the farm has over a million flowers on site!
There was a variety of flowers on display. Some of rows the of flowers were a single row of red, or purple, or white. While other rows had a mixture of colors. There were even the individual tulips that had more than one color in it!
The position of the tulips also varied. An abundant of flowers were fully opened. Other flowers were just beginning to open, while others still fully closed.
Additional Information
Here is a little information about the tulip. The botanical name is tulipa spp. according to the Farmers Almanac. Moreover, a tulip is a perineal flower that blooms in the spring and summer and lies dormant in the fall and winter. Their “seed” is actually a bulb, round but oval shaped like a spoon. Planting season for the bulb is normally in the autumn and springs up in the spring. The tulip can grow 6″ to 2″! They were beautiful to see! For more information about planting and caring for tulips check the Farmers Almanac.
There are over 60 variants of tulips, one of the flowers we saw is pictured below. It’s called the Maureen Tulip. Although the farm did not have the names of the tulips, there are apps and websites that can educate everyone on the type of flowers we see. 50 Types of Tulip Flowers with Pictures | Flower Glossary is full of pictures for ease of determining.
Richardson Farm also has activities to do on the visit. There are games and activities for kids to play in addition to plenty of space for them to run around. Perhaps, you enjoy walking, fortunately, there is a walking trail is near the lake to enjoy the nice weather. Additionally on the weekends they have live music during certain months. Moreover, multiple photo stations are available with the abundance of colors in the background. Grounds are easily accessible for wheelchairs and are easily accessible for all ages.
There is also a gift shop to visit full of artesian gifts, more flowers and of course some snacks. The gift shop is in another area not ideal for walking, so plan on stopping prior or after your visit.
In Conclusion
My husband and I finally decided on the tulips to bring home, each picking a different color tulip. After we were home and the flowers opened, we were surprised how large the red one opened up wider compared to the pink one! Each flower is expressively unique! We enjoyed our time at Richardson Farm and look forward to another visit in the future.
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