From the first bulbs arriving on our family farm to beautiful British-grown tulips at Christmas, follow along as we share the journey of our Christmas flowers.

There's something rather special about growing tulips for Christmas. While the days outside are getting shorter and colder, we're busy preparing to bring a little bit of Spring to your homes.

Tulips follow their own seasonal calendar and there's quite a lot that goes on behind the scenes before they're ready to be picked!

Join us as we document each stage of the growing process.

The First Bulbs Arrive

Our Christmas tulip journey began in mid-October, when the first bulbs arrived here on our family farm. With thousands of tulips to grow in time for Christmas, there's plenty of work to be done, and it all begins with planting.

Rather than planting our tulips in soil, we use a special hydroponic growing system where the bulbs grow in trays filled with water. To help us plant them, we have our very own tulip planting robot! This clever piece of machinery carefully places the bulbs into their growing trays with extreme precision, ready for the next stage of their journey.

“Winter” in the Coldstore

Once planted, it's time for our tulips to experience a little Winter. Our freshly planted bulbs are moved into the coldstore, where they're kept at a chilly 5°C. Although it's still Autumn outside, our tulips think Winter has arrived!

During their time in the coldstore, the bulbs begin to grow strong roots beneath the surface of the water, while the first little shoots start to appear above. It's an important stage in the growing process, giving the bulbs time to establish their roots before heading into the warmth of our glasshouses. While there might not be much happening above the trays just yet, there's plenty going on underneath!

From Winter to Spring

This week, our Christmas tulips are on the move! After spending time in the coldstore growing their roots, the first trays of bulbs are now making their way into our glasshouses. For our tulips, it's as though Winter has come to an end and Spring is beginning.

The warmer temperatures encourage the bulbs to start growing upwards, and over the coming days we'll begin to see more and more fresh green shoots appearing. It's always an exciting moment here on the farm as the glasshouses gradually start to fill with the first signs of our Christmas tulip crop. There's still plenty of growing to do before they're ready to be picked, but we're one step closer to bringing beautiful British-grown tulips to your homes this Christmas.