Hyperion is the name of the tallest tree on earth; it is
also the tallest living organism and is in the running for the absolute largest
life on earth. Just 40 miles or so from
the Sun Valley Farm in Arcata, this tree has been living for about the last 750
years. The sprawling redwood forests of
Humboldt County are an amazing eco-system and are among the wonders on the United Nation World Heritage List.
So what was happening in 1260’s? Kublai Khan was taking charge of the Mongol
Empire, the Crusades were in full swing, Marco Polo was on his way to present
day China, the Middle Ages consumed Europe in war and this tree was just a little sapling.
I was given the assignment of heading into the redwood forest
with a big bucket of our Redwood Grove French Tulips. I wasn’t able to take
them to Hyperion, since to prevent vandals and damaging the surrounding
eco-system, only a handful of people know where the tree is exactly located.
I chose the Arcata Community Forest as a beautiful, yet close
spot I could go on a back to nature photo shoot. French Tulips have been a staple of spring
for decades; the Single Late bulbs grow the tallest, largest, most dramatic
tulips on the market. You are probably
familiar with the Menton, Sauturness and Grand Amore, these classics grow in
the pastels of spring.
Recently though, the French Tulip market has been turned on
its head. Enter the “Pride Series” and
the “Honor Series.” These French tulips
are bold, bright and stunningly big.
Red, orange, purple, pink and apricot colors are coming in from the
fields right now. Sun Valley has the United
States exclusive to grow these tulips.
The breeder only grants permission to one grower per tulip producing
nation to grow their tulips, and lucky for you, Sun Valley is it!
We only have a limited number of bulbs, so this is a limited
crop. However, they are coming in strong right now. (Hint, Hint!)
Next year we anticipate have a larger crop, so start wrapping your head
around the fact that the French Tulip market is in the midst of a sea change
toward big bright tulips to compliment the pastels you are familiar with.
We call our French Tulips “Redwood Grove” because they share
many of the characteristics with the redwoods. Compared to normal trees, the
redwoods are epic. Hyperion is 379.1 feet
tall, which is over 37 stories in a building. While standard Sun Valley tulips reach about
14-20 inches, our French tulips start at 22 inches and reach much higher. Right now we are picking some at 28+. And
like all tulips, they continue to grow in the vase.
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| Pink Pride~ Now that's a TULIP! |
The redwoods and tulips actually thrive in the very same
climate. Damp and chilly with an even
light level is just perfect. Looking
east from the farm to Liscom Hill and Fickle Hill the dense green of redwood
foliage matches the rich green foliage of our Frenchies.
I was on Fickle Hill in the Arcata Community Forest on an
ideal day for photography. The light was
cascading gently through the canopy almost like putting a spotlight on my
bouquet. I used a simple yet elegant
vase and loaded it with as many colors as I could find in the cooler. Trudging
into the forest with a white 5 gallon bucket stuffed with tulips, vase, tripod,
and camera was no easy feat. More than
a couple joggers did a double take, staring at me as some sort of serious
flower power hippie coming up the trail, this is not an uncommon thing in
Arcata.
Once I reached the ridge with a nice view down into Jolly
Giant Creek, I set to work finding the right light and setting up the tulips.
The photos don’t show it, but it is actually very hard to find a flattish spot
to set up a vase. I can vouch that these
tulips are tough; on more than a couple occasions I set up the vase among the
redwood duff and ferns, then tip toed back to the camera on the tripod, only to
look through the viewfinder and not see any tulips as the whole vase had slid
off the mossy spot I had them balanced, whoopsie! The shoot took about an hour until my bucket
of tulips and I was exhausted.
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