Dutch tulip extravaganza delights 30,000 San Franciscans

The official start of the USA’s new tulip season launched last Saturday 4 March with a mega cutting garden in San Francisco’s Union Square where 30,000 San Francisco residents picked a free bouquet of tulips.

Now in its fifth year, the goal of the USA’s ‘National Tulip Day’ is to actively promote and support tulips. Bigger and better than ever, the 2023 International Women’s Day-themed event included 80,000 free tulips which were sponsored and supplied by Dutch bulb industry represented by Royal Anthos, the industry body for the Dutch bulb and perennials industry.

Major London N. Breed performed the naming ceremony by pouring champagne over a vase with tulips bearing her name.

San Francisco’s Mayor London Nicole Breed showed her appreciation for the Dutch initiative. “Tulips symbolise the strong ties between the city of San Francisco and the Netherlands, including our economic ties. We people flourish when we connect with other communties and collaborate with each other to make the world a better and more beautiful place.”

In recognition of the many years of friendship between the Netherlands and San Francisco, the Mayor named her own Tulipa ‘London N. Breed’ of which 5.000 bulbs were planted in Golden Gate Park last autumn.