Tulip festival:
Flowers, feelings of love in bloom at Pier 39.
Valentine’s Day came early this year for Katya Greene and her husband, Andrew.
He had to be on a flight to Washington on Sunday morning for a work meeting, but they still wanted to celebrate. So the Palo Alto couple drove to San Francisco Saturday for the annual Tulipmania festival at Pier 39. Holding hands, they walked among the vibrant display of 39,000 colorful tulips, interspersed with clusters of poppies, primrose and parsley. Katya Greene plucked a tiny yellow bud and slipped it into her ponytail.
“This experience makes me feel very warm inside,” she said, smiling. “It reminds us that life is beautiful and simple. It’s easy to find happiness in tiny things like flowers. The tulips are quite beautiful, and I love them all.”
Flower containers were perched around every corner at the pier — filled with bunches of lavender, yellow, red and orange tulips. The bulk of the bulbs were shipped from Washington state and Holland. Most of the blossoms were opened to the sun Saturday, but late-blooming bulbs were also planted, meaning there are more to come this season.
For the visitors at Pier 39, the flowers were an opportunity to slow down and appreciate the springlike weather in San Francisco after recent rains. Michael Kyelberg, a Tulipmania tour guide and landscaper at the site, talked of the merits of each flower bed and encouraged people in the tour to get down on their knees for a better view.
“The colors are like a piece of artwork,” he said, gesturing toward a mixed red and yellow tulip. “Make sure you look down on these just right with the light coming through. It’s like looking down a kaleidoscope. There’s nothing better than fresh tulips in the spring.”
A girl in a purple sweater interrupted. “I thought tulips could only be one solid color,” she said.
“Oh no, there can be all sorts of variations,” Kyelberg said, laughing. “It’s amazing the things you can do with tulips. These mixed planters look great, and it’s the perfect time of year to be here.”
But they’re only here for a short time. The thousands of tulip bulbs were planted from Nov. 20 through Dec. 15, and will bloom during a six-week window. Each tulip blossoms once, and the flower lasts about two weeks before wilting
That transience is what makes the flowers special, said Andrea Fox, a visitor working on a marketing project in San Francisco for three weeks before she returns home to cold and blustery England.
“When you’re used to living in London, this weather feels like summer,” she said. “I rode my bike here. I cannot believe I get to be here for tulip season. They’re all the same, but so different. The flowers are really something you have to stop and appreciate.”
Others were more apprehensive. Francisco Ortiz was dragged out of bed Saturday morning by his wife, Jasmine. They drove in from Walnut Creek, and he had no idea what he was in for.
“I was basically strong-armed into coming,” he said, sneaking a glance at Jasmine. “But it actually turned out to be pretty great. I’m a gardener, and I have 120 plants in my house. Now I’m excited for our tulips to come out. This city really is beautiful.”
Jasmine Ortiz gathered a cluster of tulips. Her birthday always falls on Presidents Day weekend, and she likes to drag the event out, she said.
“It’s my birthday, so I get to do what I want,” she said. “There’s nothing better than spending the day with your face in the tulips.”
Free guided tours depart daily at 10 a.m. from the Pier 39 entrance plaza through next Sunday, and self-guided tour manuals are also available online.