SPANISH FORK, Utah — A field of 250,000 tulips in Spanish Fork is caught between unseasonable heat and a potential overnight freeze warning as the Utah Tulip Festival prepares to open in a season of unpredictable weather.
Larsen Family Farms, a long-established local farm, has ventured into tulips for the first time. Its five-acre display is a new project for owner Kara Lewis and her Dad, Rex Larsen.
“People say, ‘You guys grow the tulips? Everybody, how’s the tulips?'” Larsen said.
An early spring heatwave with temperatures nearing 90 degrees last week caused the flowers to develop faster than expected. Now, a sudden drop in temperatures has brought a new threat.
“The tulips can handle the rain, but we’re worried about the frost coming tonight,” Lewis said. She explained that the flowers can be damaged if the temperature drops below 27 degrees. “It’s just a really weird weather year, and as farmers do, you just adjust as the weather changes.”
This season’s volatility has been a challenge for farmers.
“The winter that we’ve had and that dry weather last week... I never remember it being that bad,” Larsen said.
He’s been working on his family’s generational farm for 73 years. “We try to evolve and try to improve and change with the weather, with the economy, with the population."
Despite the challenges, the family remains optimistic, embracing the inherent uncertainty of agriculture.
“There is some gamble and some risk, but also some rewards when it works,” Larsen said. “We’re learning as we’re going, but we’re excited, and we’ll have fun.”
The Utah Tulip Festival is scheduled to open to the public on Monday, and given the unpredictable conditions, Lewis advises visitors not to wait.
“Come out as soon as you can," said Lewis, "because we just never know what the weather will do."
