One of the signs of Spring that I loved when I lived in the Northeast was seeing the tulips erupt from the ground. So when I learned that the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival was in Oregon and not far from where we were camped, I knew we had to attend.
We felt like we had taken a trip to Holland!
Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival, Woodburn Oregon
Forty acres of tulips in bloom at the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival Oregon
The 37th annual Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival ran from March 18 until May 1. We actually went on the very last day of the festival. Some of the blooms had faded but most were in full, spectacular technicolor!
Tulips, glorious tulips!
When we arrived at Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm we were greeted with a jaw dropping array of tulips in every color imaginable. Planted in rows, the tulips create a veritable rainbow that is breathtaking. Both Steve and I took so many pictures. We just couldn’t help it. Forty acres of tulips to tip toe through. Plus over 200 acres of outdoor space and activities in the beautiful Willamette Valley.
Wooden Shoe Farm history
Vivid Red Tulips
The family farm began in 1950 when Ross and Dorothy Iverson got married and purchased the main farm. Working hard and expanding the farm got their 6 children though college.
Hot Pink Tulips
They began growing tulips in 1974 with tulips that belonged to Dr. Clyde Holman. Upon his retirement in the late 70s they bought a few acres of tulip bulbs from him. And by the early 1980s they had over 15 acres and needed to widen the market base. Realizing this was an opportunity that they needed to take advantage of, they started the Wooden Shoe Bulb Company. And in 2001 they changed the name of their farm to Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm.
Hot pink tulips up close and personal
The first few years in business sales were slow. Then, in 1985, they opened their fields for Easter weekend. The rest, as they say, is history.
A sea of hot pink tulips
Easter weekend event evolves
What started as an Easter weekend event has evolved into an entire month of tulip celebration with the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival. They’ve expanded from he early days and besides taking bulb orders and selling cut flowers, they also sell potted tulips, gift shop items and have all sorts of food and activities on weekends that appeal to all ages.
These tulips are such a deep purple that they’re almost black!
Recently the Iversons have added their Fall Gift Shop, Wine Tasting Room and a summer Event Garden.
Planting and Digging the Tulips
Waning red tulip blooms
The tulip fields are planted in October. The bulbs are planted in raised rows with furrows to ensure that the bulbs have proper drainage. This also makes harvesting easier. Machines purchased from Holland are used for the planting. In Autumn, the tulips are planted through a tube holding a net, two rows at a time. This net is visible at the end of the rows.
Hot air balloon rides at the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival Oregon
When it’s time to dig up the bulbs, another machine lifts the nets out of the ground and a third machine picks up the nets. This third machine also splits the nets open allowing the bulbs to flow into a tote that they can take to their sorting shed. This system can dig the bulbs faster, leaves fewer bulbs in the field, helps keep track of the varieties and takes almost no soil out of the field! The fields of tulips are dug every year. They actually rotate all their crops using cover crops as much as possible on their farm. This helps with disease, insect, weed and erosion control. You should try to do the same in your own gardens, by not replanting tulips in exactly the same place you dug them.
Another hot air balloon joins the festivities
They are constantly roaming the fields of blooming tulips search for signs of disease and wrong colored flowers. When they spot something amiss, they simply remove the plant by pulling it out.
Double the fun at the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival Oregon
After the spring show, their crew will remove all the remaining flower heads, which promotes a larger bulb and flower for the following year. The stems are left to die down naturally before harvesting them in June.
Antique farm equipment
Steve was the Bees Knees in these wooden shoes
There can be tulips in bloom for over 8 weeks. The early varieties bloom as early as late February and the late varieties bloom in late April. The majority of the tulips start blooming at the end of March depending on the weather.
A Farm Note:
Shoes, where are you taking that girl?
A Rainbow of Tulips
“Tulips are an agricultural crop and therefore subject to weather, growing conditions and blooming variables. We cannot guarantee that the tulips will be in bloom on a particular date, so prepare to be flexible by 7 to 10 days in your visit. Stay tuned on Facebook or our Field Report for current field conditions. This is an outdoor event on a working farm with uneven walking surfaces. The event will not close due to bad weather.
Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival Oregon 2023
Hot Air Ballooning at the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival Oregon
I highly recommend planning a visit to the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival in 2023! Dates for next year’s event are March 18 through April 30, 2023. Tickets are only available online.
Longhorn cattle on a neighboring farm
We spotted this cool sculpture, Breaktime by Anthony Teixeira, steel and cast aluminum; as we drove through the City of Lake Oswego, on our way home.
And, if you have enough time, be sure to visit the Alpacas of Marquam Hill which is just a short drive from the tulip farm!!! Say hi to Ranger for me if you go.
