As the weather warms up, tulips are starting to peek out of the ground ahead of peak bloom season from mid April to early May.

In total, the City of Pella, Pella Historical Society, and other businesses, non-profit organizations, and residents plant approximately 300,000 bulbs annually.

Pella Community Services Director Jeanette Vaughan says their staff has once again expanded the number of tulips they will highlight in city parks and street beds.

“We do have different varieties of tulips that we plant that bloom at different times of the year, so we have a lot of late blooming varieties, but we have mid and early blooming as well,” she says.

Pella Historical Society and Museums Assistant Director Jessi Vos says they contribute about one-third of the flowers showing their colors each spring, and they too will have features in their gardens.

“We plant just under 100,000 tulips across our village and Scholte Gardens,” she says. “Our groundskeeper always plans out beautiful beds and we’re excited to see what comes up.”

“That is our number one tourist draw–the tulips, and those were planted in October and November.”

The City of Pella intends to have a bloom status map released later this spring to guide visitors about the condition of flowers on a regular basis, which will be available at their website. Stay tuned to 92.1 KRLS, the official radio station of Tulip Time, for updates ahead of the 86th annual festival.