Springtime in Downtown Boulder

After a long winter, spring has arrived in Downtown Boulder and the Tulips are in full bloom on the Downtown Boulder Mall. Each year patrons look forward to strolling down the Mall to view more than 14,000 tulips in Downtown Boulder.

Tulip Time is a celebration of the thousands of tulips that have adorned Downtown Boulder’s pedestrian Mall since 1978 when the city of Boulder and its downtown merchants joined together with Boulder’s then sister-city Meppel, Holland, to bring 5,000 bulbed beauties to the brand new Downtown Boulder Mall. Since 1987, the city of Boulder has planted 15,000 tulips each fall, a task that takes three people one full week to accomplish.

Planting starts the 2nd week of September and the crew finishes around the first week of November. The major hurdle comes during the winter months, as it is crucial to keep the bulbs moist, so they do not dry out, as the drier a bulb gets, the reduced length of bloom it will produce. The blooming tulips last for four to six weeks.

This year’s bloom signifies the last efforts of Paul Hester and his 21 years of creating the beautiful canvas of Tulips in Downtown Boulder. We tip our hats to Paul and the wonderful ambiance Tulip Time produces for downtown.