The Washington Bulb Company produces tens of millions of tulip bulbs to be planted throughout the Skagit Valley at its facility west of Mount Vernon with the help of machinery and numerous staff.
The Roozen family, which owns RoozenGaarde and the Washington Bulb Company, is the largest family business in the world that grows tulips, daffodils and irises.
The Washington Bulb Company supplies the RoozenGaarde farm with bulbs for about 50 acres of flower fields and a display garden of about 5 acres.
RoozenGaarde includes about 200 tulip types and 50 daffodil varieties.
This year’s Skagit Valley Tulip Festival will include fuller, more colorful fields at RoozenGaarde after the bulb company began planting more bulbs in less space.
The festival, which runs throughout the month of April, will include RoozenGaarde, Tulip Town, Tulip Valley Farms, Garden Rosalyn and Skagit Acres.
At a behind-the-scenes tour Thursday, Brent Roozen, an owner of RoozenGarde and the Washington Bulb Company, said the Skagit Valley has the second best tulip-growing climate behind Holland, where Roozen’s grandfather grew tulips.
The valley has a moderating effect on the climate, making it so tulips grow better in the area than in surrounding areas.
The Washington Bulb Company focuses on about 80% flower production and 20% bulb production. The flowers go to local grocery stores, the Tulip Festival and to online shoppers at tulips.com.
Roozen said the Washington Bulb Company is designed for efficiency and ergonomics.
The facility’s newest greenhouse is about 5 acres in size.
Tightly planted tulips in boxes move through on a conveyor belt system at hand level so employees can select the tulips that are just beginning to show color.
The tulips are selected at this stage so that they will be as bright as possible when they bloom.
Tulips are picked with the bulb attached and the bulbs are only removed at the last moment so the flowers will stay fresh longer.
The greenhouse and walk-in coolers help the company control the ideal growth conditions. The company has a total of about 15 acres of greenhouse space.
Machines assist in much of the production processes, including watering and bulb removal. An X-ray machine is used to detect the best tulips.
Roozen said April 10 through April 20 is generally the best time to visit the fields, but this can vary depending on weather conditions.
When growing tulips at home, Roozen suggests immediately cutting off the ends of the stems and placing the stems in water.
Whether they are inside or outside, placing the tulips in a warm area during the day and a cool place overnight is best to ensure the tulips’ longevity.
Roozen said his favorite part of the process is seeing how everything turns out each year and how unique the tulip festivities are to the Skagit Valley, especially to people who are seeing the tulips for the first time.
