Bumper tulip season
Southland has experienced one of its better tulip growing seasons, with more than 10 million bulbs to be exported this year.
Philip Van Eeden, from Van Eeden Tulips in West Plains, said the weather had been particularly good for growing.
‘‘We have good seasons and bad seasons but this year the temperatures have been cooler, which is the best weather for growing.’’
Triflor NZ operations manager Rudi Verplancke said that for the south there would be an export value of about $27million to $30 million dollars this year.
Dutch workers Mark Stam, Bart Trimmer and Harry Timmer are in New Zealand for their third tulip season.
Bart, who works for Haakman New Zealand Bulbs, said tulip picking was by far his favourite job. ‘‘I love being outside and looking at pretty flowers.’’
The tulip farmers are able to work both in New Zealand and Holland because of the opposite spring seasons of the two countries.
Bart returns to Southland because there are not many specialist people to do the job.
Jack Hillis, who leases out the land use for tulip growing to Haakman Flowerbulbs, said the wet weather Southland was having had been excellent for growing season.
‘‘Normally they irrigate but they haven’t needed to this year.’’
On Thursday, the tulips were disbudded, which involved chopping the flowers off and letting them drop to the ground.
In Southland, it’s only the bulbs that are exported.