GREATER Bendigo residents and visitors enjoy stunning displays of tulips in our parks and gardens each spring, but many may not realise the planning, dedication and sheer hard work that goes into making this happen every year by the City of Bendigo's gardeners.
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Tulips have been an annual display in Greater Bendigo since 2004, when after years of drought conditions and water restrictions the City decided to plant tulips because of their beauty, and ability to handle dry and arid conditions.
The City wanted something that would brighten up the city centre and yet tolerate the conditions and water restrictions we were facing at the time. It has turned out to be a great decision, with the tulip displays becoming a real highlight each spring.
The annual display has also inspired a new event for the City, the Bendigo Bloom Festival. The 2023 tulip display will feature about 53,000 tulips in close to 25 different tulips varieties in around 15 different colours and textures, so viewers can expect to experience beautiful blooms in an array of colours.
While the main tulip displays are located in the Conservatory Gardens, Queen Victoria Gardens, Civic Gardens and Pall Mall area, there will also be smaller displays at Eaglehawk's Canterbury Park and the Bendigo Botanic Gardens at White Hills and the Central Business District.
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So how does it all happen? "The work of the City's amazing tulip team commences as soon as the previous year tulips are pulled from the beds in October," explains Kerina McIntyre, coordinator Heritage Gardens and Amenity Landscapes at City of Greater Bendigo to bloom this spring Bendigo.
"The development of designs for each tulip bed takes a few months to finalise, with the team considering a number of different things when planning the displays to ensure the community and visitors get to enjoy diff erent and interesting displays each year."
The colours and varieties chosen depend on the design that staff are hoping to execute, and the bulbs are ordered in December or early January. At the start of June, a team of 12 gardeners commence the massive task of preparing the garden beds and planting up to 53,000 tulip bulbs.
"It takes about three weeks to get all the bulbs in the ground, with a lot of time spent measuring and laying out string lines to get everything as squared off and orderly as possible," says Kerina. "Staff from other areas are often called in to help plant the large beds, as some have up to 5000 tulips in one bed and this work has to be done quickly to ensure that the tulips bloom at roughly the same time.
The 2023 tulip display will feature about 53,000 tulips in close to 25 different tulips varieties in around 15 different colours and textures.
"Once in the ground the bulbs grow roots and gather enough energy to create leaves that start to appear from the ground toward the end of August. The first tulip flowers usually appear in the first and second weeks of September and the display reaches its peak in the third week of September."
The plantings are timed to reach their peak during the school holidays when Bendigo welcomes many visitors to the city. "The best part is when the City's gardeners see people interact with the tulip displays because this makes all their hard work worth it," says Kerina.
"They enjoy seeing children's faces light up when they spot their favourite colour or an older person smile when they reminisce over seeing tulip displays from years gone by. It's a real joy for all the gardeners to see people enjoying and interacting with their work."
