Second annual Tulip Mania starts April 17 at Mass. Horticultural Society in Wellesley

WELLESLEY — What better way to celebrate the natural beauty of spring than to get surrounded by thousands of brightly colored tulips in bloom.

The Massachusetts Horticultural Society will begin hosting its Tulip Mania event on Wednesday. The unique festival made its debut last year and was a runaway success, according to Megan Connolly, the society’s marketing specialist.

“We planted 50,000 bulbs the previous year in our trial garden and those tulips bloomed between April and May,” she said. “Rows and rows of flower beds. We’re back again this year. It’s great to have a really big pop of color at the beginning of spring.”

Where to catch Tulip Mania

Tulip Mania takes place at the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, at The Garden at Elm Bank, 900 Washington St. (Route 16), Wellesley.

When does Tulip Mania take place?

Tulip Mania officially starts Wednesday, April 17. Tickets will be on sale through Sunday, April 28. If Tulip Mania is extended past this date, more tickets will be released and it will be announced in the Massachusetts Horticultural Society’s email newsletter and on social media.

The garden is open from 10 a.m. with the last entry at 6 p.m.

How do you get tickets? How much do they cost?

Tickets must be purchased in advance at https://shop.masshort.org/products/tulip-mania. Tickets are $5 for Massachusetts Horticultural Society members, with general admission going for $19 for adults, $10 for youth and free for those 2 and under.

Tulip Mania admission includes five pick-your-own stems. Additional pick-your-own stems are available for purchase at $1 per stem. Pre-cut bunches will be available for purchase at $20 for 15 stems. 

How about a little tulip trivia?

• Tulips are thought to be native to Asia Minor, the Near East and the Mediterranean, where they can still be found growing on mountain slopes and steppes.
• Trading in tulip bulbs became intensely profitable. This led to a period widely called “Tulip Mania,” which occurred in Amsterdam from 1634-37. During this time, a single bulb could allegedly go for as much as 12,000 guilders – about the price of a fashionable Amsterdam townhouse.
• Dutch exports of tulip bulbs comprise up to 10% of the Dutch GDP. The U.S. imports about one billion bulbs each year.

“As we go from winter to spring, we’re looking for reasons to enjoy the natural world around us,” Connolly said.  “There’s no better way to do that than to be surrounded by thousands of tulips.”