Every spring, the Parc de l’Indépendance in Morges explodes in a 7-week riot of gorgeous colors and tulip blooms. The Tulip Festival, celebrating its 50th year, will technically wrap up this weekend (Sunday, May 10th), despite already cancelling its planned animations. The Parc itself is still open, but the public must abide by physical distancing guidelines.
While Festival organizers are urging would-be visitors to stay at home, they have shared the beauty of the 190K flowers (380 tulip varieties) via a series of videos that can be viewed below.
Highlights include a tulip-shaped bed (massif) with 12K blooms, as well as a 50th birthday ‘cake’ shaped from 4K blooms in four layers.
Each tulip bed is carefully planned and often carries a deeper meaning than petal-deep beauty. For example, different massifs are dedicated to breast cancer awareness and the eradication of polio. If you visit the flowers over the course of the festival, some of the blooms change their vivid colors over time (deep pink, to light pink, to a final orange.)
The majority of the planting/maintenance work is carried out by the city of Morges’ landscapers and horticulture apprentices. The grounds are mowed constantly for an impeccable finish. Planning is underway now for the 2021 Festival’s massifs, to be planted this October.
Later this summer and early fall (July – October), the Quay of the Dahlias will take place along the lakeside in Morges. As restrictions continue to relax in the coming weeks, there is a growing possibility of seeing these blooms in person, fingers crossed!
We are a group of international women living in Geneva, Switzerland. If you would like to learn more about our activities and excursions, visit our website at http://www.aiwcgeneva.org/
They are selling bulbs on May 12-13! Below from the Morges Region Tourisme FB page:
[Sale of tulips bulbs]
The annual sale of the Tulip Festival bulbs will take place over two days:
🌷 Tuesday, May 12, from 10 am to 17 pm
🌷 Wednesday, May 13, from 10 am to 17 pm
There are two possibilities for you:
🚗 Drive-in for vehicles: we’ll drop a bag of “surprise” bulbs in the trunk of your car
🚶 Walk-in for pedestrians: we will give you your bag of “surprise” bulbs
➡ attached, the access plan. Please respect the direction of walking and safety distances.
💰 Price: minimum CHF 10.- per surprise bag
Any donation for the Tulip Festival is welcome and we warmly thank you for it.
Payment means: cash or cash (exact amount)
In view of this year’s very special circumstances, it was not possible to allow the choice of bulbs and this is why we chose “surprise” bags.
Hoping these tulips will find a beautiful place in your gardens and on your balconies, we are already looking forward to seeing you during this special sale of the 2020. edition 💐
Thank you so much for this, Empi! Wonderful information and a great way to get next year’s garden underway.
Thank you. As always a great read, well researched and informative. Bon weekend and Happy Mother’s Day on Sunday. Fay
Thanks for reading, Fay! And Happy Mother’s Day to you, too!