Heavenly fields

Sunset, Spring-Summer, 1998 by Jim McCausland, Steven R. Lorton, Dayna Lynn Fried

For traveling gardeners, no sight is more breathtaking than a sea of spring bulbs in full bloom. Around the West, in places where cultural conditions favor the commercial production of certain bulbs and bulblike plants, spring turns the growing fields into dazzling carpets of flowers. A bloom-time visit to one of these fields offers the perfect opportunity to choose the varieties you like best, and to order plants for delivery later in the year.

TULIP AND DAFFODIL FARMS IN THE NORTHWEST

Three river valleys in the Pacific Northwest provide ideal conditions for the commercial production of tulips and daffodils.

Oregon

Willamette Valley. Row upon row of tulips burst into bloom at the Wooden Shoe Bulb Company (33814 S. Meridian Rd.; 800/711-2006; free catalog), a 100-acre bulb farm in Woodburn just off Interstate 5 between Portland and Salem. The farm is owned and operated by the Iverson family, who grow around 190 varieties of tulips and 45 kinds of daffodils. During bloom time, from March 20 through April 20, the Iversons invite visitors to come and see their fields, order bulbs for fall planting, and purchase cut flowers.

Washington

Puyallup Valley. Much of this valley, running east of Tacoma off I-5, is daffodil country. Though a lot of the harvest is cut before bloom for the floral market, you can see several fields in flower during April; for locations, call the chamber of commerce in Puyallup at (253) 845-6755. Some 200,000 bulbs, including daffodils, Dutch irises, and tulips, bloom at Van Lierop's Bulb Farm (13407 80th St. E.; 253/848-7272; free catalog), where you can visit the display garden, buy cut flowers, and order bulbs for fall delivery.

Skagit Valley. Every April, a million visitors flock to the Skagit Valley of northwest Washington to see 1,500 acres of daffodils and tulips in the flatlands west of Mount Vernon.

There are three main display gardens, where you can not only see the flowers but also order bulbs for autumn delivery. At Roozengaarde (1587 Beaver Marsh Rd.; 800/732-3266; free catalog), there are sweeps of tulips in a parklike setting complete with a windmill. At West Shore Acres Display Garden (956 Downey Rd.; 360/466-3158; free catalog), you walk through extensive gardens around a grand old farmhouse. In Tulip Town at Skagit Valley Bulb Farm (1502 Bradshaw Rd.; 360/4248152; free catalog), you can stroll through the fields, and there's an elevated platform where camera buffs can snap pictures of a sea of tulips.

For more information, call the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival at (360) 428-5959.

- Steven R. Lorton

RANUNCULUS FIELDS ON THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA COAST

From early March to late April, a blooming sea of ranunculus floods 50 acres of the Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch, 30 miles north of San Diego. The ranunculus are grown by Mike Mellano of Mellano and Company in a joint venture with the Paul Ecke family (of poinsettia-breeding fame), which owns Carlsbad Ranch.

Nine colors of the Tecolote Giants strain of ranunculus are planted: gold, orange, pink, red, rose, salmon, white, yellow, and picotee. Staggered plantings extend the flowering period over six to eight weeks, depending on weather conditions. The plants are grown primarily for their tubers, which are dug in early summer, dried, and shipped worldwide, but some 3 million cut flowers are also harvested. A store on the premises sells cut flowers and packaged tubers.

Admission to the Carlsbad Ranch flower fields costs $2.50, $1 for ages 3 through 12. To reach the fields from I-5 in Carlsbad, take the Palomar Airport Road exit. Drive east two blocks to Paseo del Norte and turn left. For more information, call (760) 431-0352.

- Dayna Lynn Fried

BEARDED IRIS GARDENS AROUND THE WEST

In the mythology of ancient Greece, the goddess Iris had an ostentatious way to travel: she would ride on rainbows from Mount Olympus to her destination. With that in mind, the Greek botanist Theophrastus bestowed the goddess's name on an extremely colorful group of flowers. We grow their descendants - bearded irises - in our gardens today.

During bloom time, in April or May, many of the West's commercial iris growers invite visitors to come and see the flowers and order rhizomes for summer delivery. The growers listed here all offer catalogs free or for a fee as noted. Call for directions and to check bloom progress.

Arizona

Shepard Iris Garden (3342 W. Orangewood Ave., Phoenix 85051; 602/841-1231), April; $1.

California

Bluebird Haven Iris Garden (6940 Fairplay Rd., Somerset 95684; 530/620-5017), April 11 through May 17; $1.

Iris Hill Farm (7280 Tassajara Creek Rd., Santa Margarita 93453; 805/438-3070), early April through May; free price list.

Roris Gardens (8195 Bradshaw Rd., Sacramento 95829; 916/689-7460), April through May 7; $5.

Colorado

Long's Iris Gardens (3240 Broadway, Boulder 80304; 303/442-2353), May 1 through June 15; free catalog.

Willow Bend Farm (1154 Hwy. 65, Eckert 81418; 970/835-3389), early May through mid-June; free catalog.

New Mexico

Pleasure Iris Gardens (425 E. Luna Azul Dr., Chaparral 88021; 505/824-4299), April; $1.